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A Story About "Chunk"

LET EM GROW

By LET EM GROW,
in Deer Hunting

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LET EM GROW Experienced

LET EM GROW

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Here is the story of another Old Mature Buck I got to spend some time perusing... Some of you may remember my story and history a little while back, with a buck we called "The Ghost" that died last yr. at 9.5 yrs. old. I had full history with him since he was a year and a half. Well along with him, I had another buck of the same age class, roaming the same hill. I called him "Chunk" for obvious reasons that you'll see in pictures.. His Mass! Chunk has a serious "chunk" of bone a top his head.. As far back as the pictures I’ve kept, well at least the pics I still have that didn't get lost or deleted back in the day.. I have him going back into 2012 I had him on camera a lot in '12 and actually passed him up at 60 yrs on Thanksgiving morning because he was with a much bigger buck and 3 other smaller bucks all locked on 1 hot doe. Continued getting pics of him the next few years.. in 2014 his massive beam was snapped off above the base.. Would love to hear how, if it were a slug or another buck. Im guessing a slug since i have yet to see a buck as massive.. 

In 2015 I had my next encounter with him. He was doing what a true pressured giant whitetail does.. Ignore humans at all possible.. I got a few pics back to back days so I moved in on him, he came through Halloween morning at the max of my bow range but I couldn't get him to stop for an ethical shot opportunity. i let him go by and I tried calling him back in.. Anything I tried he would not turn his head my direction, but i could see his ears turn my way with most every call I gave. He eventually walked off onto the neighbors where i watched him walk right pass this guy’s tree stand where he leaves his boss buck decoy laying against the tree every week, so he wouldn't have to carry it to the stand each weekend. Chunk stepped over the decoys legs as it laid on its side, and slowly walked away out of my life for that day.. 

I Continued to get more pics of him that year.. Along with the next year into 2016, where I finally started gaining ground on him figuring out where he goes, what he’s doing, why he’s doing it and so on.. I also learned going into this year that he has now decided he does not care for trail cameras, if he catches himself in front of one, he always gave the camera the " oh sh!t " look and you’d never catch him there again, unless you moved it slightly and disguised the camera completely. Which I did, I spent a ton of time narrowing paths with him where he beat me every time.  Not sure if he had a bad experience with them, since I have some outlaw neighbors in the area he called home, but in 2017 he became very camera shy and also developed what looked like a shoulder injury IMO due to a broad head. That year I moved cameras and blended them in and hung them high to my best ability to stay ahead of him. And mostly it worked, proving his patterns haven’t changed as long as I did my part.. My time in the woods during deer season began to disappear as children entered my life, and their health was never great to where I felt ok spending more time in the woods than with them.. I hunted when I could for him but was always a step behind it seemed that season. Hunted opening day of Rifle where I knew he’d be, but never laid eyes on him, saw the dozens of doe he surrounded himself with, but not my boy Chunk.. I couldn’t hunt the 2nd day due to my grandmothers 81st birthday a few hours away.. And wouldn’t you know, Chunk breeds a doe directly under that stand at 8am that morning.. Ugh, he’s a Total PITA! I went after him a few more times that 1st week of gun season but gun hunting pressure is strong here, so I just backed off in hope she survives and settles down for ML season where I know exactly where he’ll be, In my late season plots!! Well I never made it back out since my daughter just couldn’t get 100% healthy. Then Deer season closed and low and behold he was in my big plot hammering turnips/radishes and broadleaf’s during the day and all night from the end of Gun season throughout early winter... Right around the New Year, he dropped his right side in front of one of my cameras on the plot, and then walked past another on his way out with a bloody pedicle.  And the next day he dropped his left side just a few feet away from where he dropped the right side the day before. 

Going into 2018 his patterns were all the same but he was much more frequent than ever! I was pumped, fall was closing in and I couldn’t wait with all his movements and most of it being during the day. I picked up a cell cam and hung where I thought Id have my best chance at him. Season opened and my daughter became very Ill and my newborn son wasn’t the healthiest either.. And again, it kept me out of the season way more than id have liked to, especially when the rut set in.. Chronic ear infections suck! Both my kids suffered from them which kept me home snuggled up with them.. it’s like they shared them or gave the other the charm when they were finally over it. Well while sitting on the couch with my sick kids, Chunk reminded me daily, that my scouting and planning for his demise, was proven true! He was on that cell cam almost every day for 3 weeks straight.  Either right after legal morning light, between 11am and 1pm or the last 30 minutes of legal light.. it was driving me freakin wild not being out there, At 9.5 yrs. old I finally was able to put the pieces together on his journey through life but not able to get in the woods.. Due to my daughters illness. But my kids always come first. And I refuse to pawn them off on others for my selfish reasons.

Shortly after Gun season opened he stopped showing up, but showed up a few times on other cams. But due to pressure, he disappears until ML season when he starts searching for food..  And he always knows where to go. He showed up during ML season after dark, looking healthy as can be.. I was tickled pink! Awesome Ill get another crack at him next year since this year is shot and almost done..

Well, I never got another photo of him that year, and never got one of him during the 2019 season either.. I was bummed to say the least.. I didn’t hear of anyone wounding him.. He looked healthy; I didn’t hear anyone harvesting him the last few days of ML. I was clueless, so I believe his age and winter finally caught up with him, or he was poached by spotlight. I put a cam up on a lead access and found several trucks cruise through after dark when season closed. Not sure If they were coyote hunters or some of the local jerks that catch word of good deer on local properties.. I’ll never know. But the run was good, and between Chunk, and the other 9.5yr old buck I called The Ghost.. I learned a lot, they taught me a ton on how to address properties, how to follow mature deer and read them.. I couldn’t be more thankful for the opportunity they gave... So to my best guess, when i remember him from 2012, this buck died as a 9.5 or 10.5 yr old deer.. amazing! I also believe there are more deer like this out there, than ppl believe.. and without trying to trace and save history.. one may never know ..

His bases on those sheds were (R side- 6-5/8") (L side- 5.7/8")

Pics are slightly out of order.. my apologies.. 

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Chunk2017.PNG

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LET EM GROW Experienced

LET EM GROW

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11 minutes ago, moog5050 said:

Never know - he may just show up again.  I hope that's the case.  Maybe wintering in FL as lots of retirees do.

Anythings possible for sure!A field on the back of the hill was planted to soybeans for the first time in a long time. but as was ours too.. The property with the other bean field reported a tremendous year for deer sightings. But, I just highly doubt this is the case. But this is a report from every neighbor on the hill. They all said they had zero pics or encounters with him at all in 2019. Its not usual for him.. 

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LET EM GROW Experienced

LET EM GROW

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Just now, WNY Bowhunter said:

Great write up! I've got a buck right now that I have 7 yrs of history with. He looks healthy going into the winter. I'm super pumped to see what he's going to do this year at 8 yrs old!

PS, you need to mount those sheds...lol

I want to mount those sheds badly! especially since i don't think he was harvested.. "legally" anyways. 

When the funds and cape are present I will have to find a Taxi guy! lol 

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