Did you ever see a “good” buck on your way to camp, or, in a trail camera photo then hunted him in that immediate area for several days? Then when you did not see him, gave up and started hunting elsewhere? In that case, did you ever wonder what happened to that buck? Was he just passing through? Did he get taken on the neighbor’s property? Did he go totally nocturnal?
All those are valid questions!
Regarding “just passing through:” Years ago hunting a big ranch in the South Texas not far from the Gulf of Mexico, a ranch hand, at first light, dropped me off on the southern border of a pasture that was 12-miles in length. My intent was to hunt into the steady northerly wind, along the edge of dry creek that traversed the entire length of the pasture. The area was mostly waist high bluestem grass with an occasional brush or prickly pear cactus along with a scattering of mesquites. No sooner had I been dropped off, I spotted a buck coming my way on the adjoining property. He was a really nice mid 150-class 5- or 6-year-old 10-point. When he crossed into “my” pasture I fell in behind him. He walked at a steady pace northward. I followed him for six hours as he walked north, into the wind. Along the way he stopped occasionally to freshen a scrape, stare at another buck, but essentially walked in a straight northerly line.
I stayed with him until he crossed the north fence line into another rather large pasture, I did not have permission to hunt. Last I saw of him he disappeared over the distant skyline. Where he had come from, I had no idea. Where he was going, same answer. How far had he walked to get to the pasture I was in, and how far he walked after he left the pasture, I have no idea. But I do know, I followed him for 12 miles.
Some bucks spend the better part of the year in one area, then when the rut starts, they move to and stay in a completely different area. That was the case with a buck I watched several years on another South Texas ranch. From late February thru late September, he lived on one side of the ranch. When he shed the velvet from his antlers he moved and lived in a specific area during the rut, from October thru February 11 miles away. Once the rut was over, he returned “home.” He did this each of the six years I observed him. I have also other bucks do the same.
These things were going through my mind in December 2023 through January 2024. During mid-November I had seen an outstanding 8-point with matching kickers off of his back tines late one afternoon in the middle of a ranch southeast of Dallas, not far from the Trinity River. I watched the buck as he fed in a food plot. Had I been hunting anywhere else, I would have let my 7mm PRC Mossberg Patriot Predator, shooting 175-grain Hornady ELD-X do the speaking for me. The buck was truly impressive, no doubt scoring in the 150s B&C.
The property I hunted was one where I had been working with the wildlife management program. The Cotton Family, Edgar and son David, had been doing a stellar job. Now they were starting to see the fruits of their labor and efforts. While I had permission to shoot any buck, I passed him, hoping Edgar or David would take him. After I told them about the buck and they got trail camera photos of him, the hunt began in earnest.
Their ranch is low fenced. They had hunting pressure on the north side of the ranch. That landowner did take one of the truly big bucks we had seen on the Cotton Ranch property. The Cottons visit regularly with their neighbors. If someone on the adjoining property or within reasonable distance of the ranch took the big 8 with back-tine “kickers,” word would get out.
I passed the buck in mid-November when the rut was starting to wane. As the days passed, he showed up in trail camera photos near where I had seen him. Both David and I suspected he lived in the dense thickets, under the canopy of tall oak and honey locust trees along the banks of an occasional creek. He and I tried rattling for him but attracted only young bucks.
Mid-January immediately after the DSC Convention and Outdoor Expo during a period of cold weather and snow, I hunted the property. I saw numerous bucks, including outstanding young bucks, but not the buck we were looking for. Post-rut the 8-point kicker buck took up company with an outstanding though young typical 10-point.
Together, they came to the Middle food plot and feed area an hour after dark and again an hour before first light, recorded on trail cameras. They seldom missed a day, actually night. A little over 300 yards to the north of that field they fed in nightly, and 300 yards to the south were two more food plots. No doubt the two bucks fed there as well, but there was no trail camera proof of them doing so.
Every opportunity I could get to the ranch, 200 miles away from where I lived, I hunted with David and Edgar. We saw other bucks, but not the one we were targeting.
Then everyone got busy. The ranch, although visited daily, was not hunted again until the evening of the 12th of February. HuntStand predicted local deer movement at 6:00 pm. David hunted the northernmost food plot. Edgar hunted the middle food plot where the targeted buck fed each night. I hunted the secluded southernmost plot where I had originally seen the big 8-point with matching kickers on his back tines.
It was a very slow afternoon. I scarcely saw birds. Five minutes before the predicted movement David texted me he was watching a couple of young bucks and a doe. Then, straight up 6:00 pm I heard a shot. It was close, but I could not tell whether it had been David or Edgar. Seconds later, I got a text from David, “Did it sound like I hit the buck?”
“David, I couldn’t tell for certain…think so! Was it the buck we’re after?”
“Yes! I shot, he disappeared! Had a good rest, don’t see how I could have missed him…” I knew what he was shooting and how well he shot it. I was convinced we would find his buck shortly. I started walking to where he dropped me earlier.
A few minutes later I was sitting in the “quad” with David and Edgar headed to where the buck had been standing, quartering slightly away when David shot. Using lights, I looked for blood but found none! There were many tracks. The ground was extremely wet and boggy so I started looking for muddy spots where a deer might have stepped in water puddles, running away. Where the taller grass started, I looked for blood on it. But found none. We spent a half hour looking but could not find any sign the buck had been hit.
The night was cold, upper 20s. If the deer was dead, it would be OK overnight, if, the abundant coyotes or wild hogs did not find him. We decided to not further “tromp-up” the area, possibly destroying any sign of a hit we might see during daylight. We headed to camp. When we got to camp David put a target on the 100 yard range, close to the distance the buck had been from his stand. From a similar rest as used in the deer stand, David shot his Mossberg/Hornady/Trijicon combination. Soon as he shot I saw him wag his head in a negative manner. Initially I thought maybe he had missed the target, but then David said, “Exactly where it was supposed to hit.”
Using my Swarovski binos, the bullet hole was indeed exactly where David told he his rifle was sighted in. I became even more confident we would find the buck in the morning.
It was restless night for David. Next morning I asked, “How many times did you relive the shot from last evening?”
“More times than I can count!” He replied. Having been there I knew exactly how he felt and what he meant!
“Going to put you in the stand where I shot the buck last night. I’ll go to Dad’s stand. About eight, we’ll go look for the buck,” said David, knowing I had a DSC meeting I needed to attend starting mid-day.
No sooner had it gotten light I could see the spot David had described where the buck had been standing. I put my own 7mm PRC Mossberg Patriot Predator topped with a Trijicon scope and loaded with Hornady Precision Hunter in the same position David had when he had shot at the buck. Because of where the rifle had to be placed to make the shot, it was like shooting from a solid bench position. I felt assured David’s buck was dead.
Just past 8 we walked to where the buck had been standing. In the light of day, I found two tuffs of cut hair. The individual hairs looked like they came from the rib-cage indicating proper bullet placement. “You definitely hit him in the right place. He could not have gone far!”
I walked into the brush to the left of where we found the hair, and David to the right. Shortly I heard David say in a voice a bit higher than his usual tone, “I found him! Here he is!”
I took off at a run. Seconds later I saw David reach down to grab the buck’s rack. He was huge! I grabbed David, hugged him, all the while congratulating him on his buck! I could not have been happier or more thrilled! The buck was bigger and more handsome than I had recalled. The celebration started, Edgar drove up. We took numerous photos and a bit of video footage which will appear in our “A Sportsman’s Life” seen on CarbonTV.com and my www.larryweishuhn.net website. Chores completed we headed to the “hanging shed.” After weighing and taking appropriate antler measurements we determined as an 8 point he would score 147 and change. When the two back splits were added in, along with 1-inch “kicker” on the back of his left antler he gross-scored 154 B&C!
Moral? We had not given up on the buck, from the many hours invested in hunting him to after the shot. After our initial search in the dark, when we could find no sign of a hit, no blood trail we could have given up and simply called the shot a miss. But that was not what we did. We found cut hairs then searched the area within 100-yards of the shot site, which is where David found him. Had we not, we would have expanded the search to a 200-yards and, then a 300-yards area. We were not about to give up.
The buck after he was hit bled exclusively inside. He was in good body condition recovering from the rigors of the rut. Trying to determine why there was no blood trail we found the entrance and exit hole were both plugged, precluding a blood trail.
Although I am not someone who names bucks, I think it appropriate after we did find the buck that he should hereafter be known as “the never give up buck”.
