First ML deer

[TreeGuy]

Well. 19th gun season ended for me with a first of no deer. Had no real opportunity's on any big guys even during bow. Barely was seeing any doe. As of Sunday night me and the kids were up all night barfing with a nasty stomach bug. Wife came home early from work and the snow was really coming down, she sat down next to me and said " didn't you get a big buck a couple years ago during a snow storm ?". Really sweetheart !?! How could she say that. So I decided to take a hot shower and if I felt up to it, bundle my butt up and hit the stand... Well, I did. Now I will tell you there was a few times I thought I was gonna have a rearend eruption and after I shot I almost puked a few times, but this unlucky buck came out into the cut corn @ 125yrds. Hit em and he dropped like a rock. Not my biggest but a decent buck and he's got bad Genetics anyways.. was 2.5 and only a 6, 17" wide. We have a couple bucks on the farm I wanted dead and he was on the list. Very happy to fill at least one tag this year !!

To add to this, this guy is the first deer off the new farm, and my first ever ml deer. So glad I sucked it up tonight and went out. Between the 4" per hour blizzard, the shivers, the flu and a already bad attitude from a long slow season it all payed off. Now if I can finish off with another big guy I'll be a real happy camper! I have another "cull" and 1 giant that I would like to put in the dirt. Either will be fine by me !

[vizslas]

Thats how you get it done during Muzzle loader season great job and good shootin

[grampy]

Congratulations !  There is no quit in you, that's for sure! Nice buck and great job. Way to go!

[sodfather]

Nice buck man 

[BigVal]

Nice I'm trying to get my first muzzleloader buck this season. Tough go so far. Congrats.

[TreeGuy]

Honestly, I cannot believe I went out. I just refused to let a season go with Nada. I was really just hoping to kill a doe ! I'm gonna head back to another spot where I was on some giants during bow, with this cold front coming in and some pressure off I'll dedicate some time to them . Either one of them will make this an unforgettable season

[catskillkid]

Good story, great buck. Congratulations 

[doebuck1234]

Congrats!

[The_Real_TCIII]

I love a big six! And I see you've got your bucket ready lol


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[Zem18]

Congrats on a nice buck.

[Fletch]

Well done!! My favorite ingredient - persistence!

 

the quality that allows someone to continue doing something or trying to do something even though it is difficult

[Steuben Jerry]

Congrats and nice deer! Stomach bugs knock me for a loop, I probably would have stayed on the couch if I had that.

Even more impressive that you got him while you were under the weather!

[rachunter]

Awesome Buck

[Core]

Nice job! Great you went out in crap weather, too.\

Oh hell, you've inspired me. I'm going out for a few hours. Like you my gun season (and all of bow except day 1) was a grind. We're in the middle of a storm here but it just literally let up and we should be good for a few hours. Maybe see some fresh tracks.

Edited December 15, 2016 by Core

[wooly]

First of all, congrats on a great late season buck and first with the ML!

 

Now someone needs to explain to me what kind of history one has with a 2.5 year old  6pt, with a 17" spread that tells them this is an inferior buck with bad genetics? What did he look like last year... a basket 6... a forkhorn.... a spiker... no clue..?

It would seem to me wherever he got started he has made a pretty solid jump in packing on some serious growth in a short time.

In my area this would be an EXCEPTIONAL 2.5 yo 6pt, with unknown potential if given the chance to mature.

Don't get me wrong, I'm NOT saying you shouldn't have killed him. I just think it's a little too early to start playing the "cull card" on a free ranging 2.5 year old NY buck of this caliber. You really don't know what he could have been with a little age at this point so spare me all that CULL crap,lol.

I'll admit I get a little annoyed when I hear guys making excuses for the deer they kill when it's not the biggest buck on the property, so pardon my post if anyone finds my opinion offensive. In no way is it intended to take away from your KILL!

[LET EM GROW]

Congrats on the buck. But I also agree with Wooly, I dont think this buck is much of a cull buck at all, especially for 2.5yr old. In our "managed" area anyway, he would be an average or more than average, compared to the rest of the 2.5s around. Minus the lack of brows, hes got width already and some good height! He might have surprised you in a year, even more so in 2 years..

Regardless, congrats again, especially when feeling like garbage! 

[BigMedicine]

Nice buck, congratulations!


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[moog5050]

Very nice 2.5.  Congrats

[Nomad]

Very nice job !

I don't call them " cull bucks ," I call them "management bucks" , any buck I can manage to shoot .....

congrats on the buck and hanging in the hunt .

[greg54]

Congrats!!

[NYBowhunter]

Congrats and id have to agree with others, that is a very respectable 2.5 year old.

[TreeGuy]

Hey, by no means am I down on myself or making excuses for shooting him ! I'm tickled ! As far as the whole cull/management thing, we had a giant mainframe 6 on cams that was killed during bow on a bordering property. He was aged at 5.5, 20" wide and 200#. Now yes, he was awesome, But I also had on cams this and another 2.5 with very similar racks. Educated guess that it's that bucks offspring, so taking that into consideration he was on the hitlist. We also have a "12,13 and a 15". The 12 is a spike on one side with fork on the other. I guess age of 3.5. The 13 is a spike/3pt on left side guessing also @3.5, and the 15 is a spike / 5 on right side guessing @4.5. The 15 is a big bodied saggy back and belly buck. Again, I'm assuming they are all related and all on the kill list.

Now for the reality, of which I'm aware of. I am trying to manage 200+ acres like it's south Texas, and it's obviously not. BUT, I did the same practices on another property of 100+ acres and by year 5 I shot my 2 biggest to date in one season, one being an old warrior who was Pope and young. Unfortunately I moved out of that house that next spring so I wasn't able to keep it going. But this is my family's new farm, so it's not going anywhere and even if I try to manage something that may not work, I'm going to try !!! Maybe in the coming years I'll post up some big boys on here and we can reflect on this post ( and how some of you think I'm nuts for trying ) and say man, that treeguy is on to something !

For what it's worth though, even if I set myself up for it, and even if you dropped an "lol" it's sure gratifying to know there will always be somebody on any forum that will try to pee in your cheerios ! Wooly, it's cool. I get it. I'm not mad, I get your point, but really man ? I never made any excuses...