The end of an NY giant...

[greg54]

Beautiful rack.

[ants]

Hell of a buck…I hope old age got him and not a car or a bad shot.

[mbucks27]

Dammmm sucks to find them that way but at least he is yours now. Gonna be a great euro mount!!!

John

[WNY Bowhunter]

That's the plan. The head is a wee bit on the stinky side right now...

[Red]

That's a Hell of a beast like the others have said I'm glad you were the one to.find him.it would have sucked checking trail cams and wondering where he is and hunting for him but knowing hes gone

[Lawdwaz]

You can't be sad in the death of a Monarch like him.  Be proud of the fact that you were aware of him and had some of his sheds.  That buck got to spread his seed for more years than most bucks.  Maybe someday one of his offspring will step in front of you while hunting.

 

I'd also add that his lower jaw and skull would sure be worthy of a trip to the DEC to show the staff.  Any buck that age is a sight to behold. I'm sure they would love to age that stud.

 

RIP Monarch Buck.

[Hardcore]

Superb buck, too bad you didn't cause his demise during the season. At least you found him and can close that chapter. You've got a great history of the deer and stories to last . I know it wasn't a hunting harvest but still wanna say congrats.

[WNYBuckHunter]

You can't be sad in the death of a Monarch like him.  Be proud of the fact that you were aware of him and had some of his sheds.  That buck got to spread his seed for more years than most bucks.  Maybe someday one of his offspring will step in front of you while hunting.

 

I'd also add that his lower jaw and skull would sure be worthy of a trip to the DEC to show the staff.  Any buck that age is a sight to behold. I'm sure they would love to age that stud.

 

RIP Monarch Buck.

 

Exactly. That old boy got to live longer than most do. They all die at some point...

[Five Seasons]

I do give him credit for evading the hunters and predators and cars for so many years. Dying of old age is not such a bad thing. Can you imagine how bad he would have tasted if harvested in the fall? haha. Old buck meat sucks!

Edited April 23, 2014 by Belo

[Lawdwaz]

 Dying of old age is not such a bad thing. Can you imagine how bad he would have tasted if harvested in the fall? haha. Old buck meat sucks!

 

The oldest buck I have had aged was 5.5 years old and no way could you tell the difference between him and a 1.5 yo buck when ground OR back strapped & grilled.

 

The buck in question here could have been a little "off" tasting but I'd have slummed it.

[G-Man]

I killed a buck that was 8.5.... was the toughest meat ever.. was so tough the ground was like chewing on rubber BB's 's . More big buck die of old age than we know of ..of that I'm certain.

[Jeremy K]

Ive had some lesser tasting ground before , it just makes for alot of taco meat.

[nyantler]

Only the smartest of bucks die of old age... what a buck!!

[WNY Bowhunter]

Update:  The euro is coming along nicely. I taped him out at 160 gross typical and 170 2/8" nontypical.  His larger left side scored just over 81"...not too bad for a NY buck. Don't know yet whether or not I'll have him professionally measured or not.

[WNY Bowhunter]

Bummer, but at least you know the story. He would have been MIA on your radar and not knowing would have sucked.

 

Was this on ground you can hunt? I know you have shed hunting rights on a few pieces and hunt next to a non-hunting parcel. Wondering if he was found on your hunting ground.

 

He was being sought after by numerous hunters in the area.  I only shed hunt this area...4 pieces of property that are around 2000 acres in size in his home range.  I was specifically targeting his sheds when I found him last week. 

[Mikejd]

That is a true Monarch. Probably a long rough winter for the old boy. If old age beat him its a cool way for such a beast to fall. Congrats on the find.

[NFA-ADK]

Wow a true beast!  True sign of a smart deer, like Joe said only the smart ones die of old age. 

[clayshooter25]

At least finding him brings the story to closure for you and you're not left wondering what happened to him next Fall - - or worse, spending time hunting his old haunts to no avail. 

 

Sometimes we hunters win and sometimes nature wins, that's what makes hunting thrilling.

 

Thanks for sharing the story and all the photos and I hope one of his healthy offspring shows up on your cam soon and in your crosshairs next Fall!

[bowaholic]

Did you ever score this deer?

[Merlot]

A smasher!

[HuntOrBeHunted]

Woww, what a hog. To bad you didn't get to nail em !!