Hoosier Buck Updated!

[nemhed]

I haven't posted anything recently but here's what I managed to get yesterday about 1:00 pm. I even had to stalk him! This is the best deer I've ever taken, and will surely be my most memorable hunt! Ironically, I'm 44 years old and I got him with my new Marlin 1894 in 44mag.

[Mokwaw]

Nice buck, congrats.

[AmBraCol]

NICE buck! Congratulations! I sure do miss deer season...

[Marc]

Impressive! Congratulations!

[Dave]

Wow! That is a sho' nuff buck right there!

[TedH]

That's a DANDY!!! Congratulations!

[dkmlever]

WOW, very nice white tail! How far was your shot? How far did you have to stalk him? We need the story!

[crs]

Outstanding buck. That one should go on the wall for sure.

[dr walker]

Congratulations on a fantastic buck.

[NonPCnraRN]

Obviously neither you nor the deer read gun magazines. I mean only a fool would hunt deer with anything less than a 375 or 416 Ruger. Yes, I'm having fun with you because I am jealous. Nice deer. You said you had to stalk him. What ammo did you use and how close was the shot?

[deerwhacker444]

Beautiful Buck....! How far was the shot? Give us some details...!

[TedH]

Yeah man, details, details????

[rjohns94]

Very nice buck. Bigger than any I have taken. When you post the account, include your load for the .44, and other details you think might spark our interest. Very nice.

[rangerider7]

What a rack! Congratulations!

[RIHMFIRE]

Outstanding buck......Congrats
thats got to be a 165 to 170 class deer......at least!

[Nath]

Well done nemhed, good to hear and see ya again

Please give account of the shot.

Nath.

[JReed]

Hey where have you been hiding? Yes spill it we need to hear details.

[44magHunter]

Very nice buck you got there.

We'll be expectin' a full detailed story soon.

[ceb]

That there is more than just a nice buck!! Congrats and tell us the story.

[doorgunner]

That's an exceptional buck, and I too would love to hear the story. Congrats!

[madman4570]

Very Nice Buck! Cant wait to hear what he scores?

[AJMD429]

THAT is one nice looking buck...!

Next one you see like that, just head him north-east a bit, give me a call, and I'll show him MY 1894 44 Magnum...!

[BenT]

Nice !!!! I bought me a Marlin 444 for my 44th birthday. This year for my 45th I bought a Ruger Bisley in 45LC. It just seemed like the thing to do.

[nemhed]

Thanks for all the comments, details will be forthcoming. Work has been he!! lately, I just finished butchering this guy, and now I'm going to bed!

[kimwcook]

Nemhed, that's a really nice whitetail buck. Congratulations.

[nemhed]

Here’s another photo of my buck and an account of the hunt.
Monday started out pretty wet. I got out to my hunting area a good hour before daylight and proceeded to wait out the darkness in a steady drizzle. Temps started out in the mid 40’s and I believe topped out around 52. My intention was to stay out the entire day, but the damp and the wind and the constant “Chinese Water Torture” of the rain changed my mind after about three hours. It was my youngest daughters 12th birthday, so I decided to run to WallyWorld and do some last minute shopping for her then run home to dry out a bit. I’m strictly a ground hunter nowadays which I feel gives me lot more freedom rather than being married to a tree while hunting. So having changed my plans I gathered my things and headed for my truck which was parked out of sight and out of mind about a half mile away. What I failed to do next was thoroughly “hunt” on my way out. I actually scared off this buck when I let my guard down as I approached the road that would lead back to my truck. So I spent the rest of the morning kicking my self and vowing to always have my binocs around my neck and be prepared for anything. After a quick shopping trip and lunch I headed back to the same property around noon. I parked in the same location but contemplated circling back to the same hunting location from a different direction in order to stay more hidden during my daylight approach. I vetoed myself though because I felt the NE wind would announce my arrival and I instead approached from downwind. I knew I couldn’t have any lapses in attention because my approach to my “stand” would be much more visible. As luck would have it, I got about 100 yards from the road on the way in and I spotted the same huge buck on the same hillside where I had spotted him earlier. He apparently felt pretty secure in his lair and had his head and eyes pointed upwind and didn’t notice me at his back door. He was only about 100 yards away from me and directly up wind. I was pretty exposed at this point so I dropped to the ground and literally belly-crawled to a small hill, 20 yards closer to him where I could crouch behind a stump and glass him. For the next 20 minutes he unknowingly played peek-a-boo with me while heading downhill into some brush and a small gully. At about this time a small fork-horn buck shows up and moves downhill into the same brush the big guy had disappeared into. For 10 minutes, I kept glassing this brush and finally caught a glimpse of the little guy heading NW up the same gully. I figured the big guy wouldn’t have tolerated the young buck in the same patch of brush and must have already moved out. These 30 minutes of action played out over an eternity and I couldn’t believe when I looked at my watch and it wasn’t even 1:00 pm yet. At this point I decided the best I could do was head north along my original path and get above these deer on the hilltop to the west of the gully. Well, I started a 40 yard crawl to get to a point where I could walk out of sight to my ambush position. This turned into a 20 yard crawl because I saw a huge set of antlers over the top of a small rise. The big guy had merely crossed the gully and used the terrain to hide his travel as he moved west. When I saw those antlers I immediately plopped down on my butt and got my rifle up on my knees. He then stepped into full view at a mere 40 yards and he had no clue I was around. The nice thing at this time was my adrenaline rush from the initial sighting had worn off. He hesitated for a few seconds and I needed him to step forward another 10 feet to clear some small trees. The next 15 seconds took an eternity and a half but he obligingly stepped forward the required 10 feet and I dropped the hammer on him. The 240 grain JSP (Winchester White Box, groan, I know, no time for loading ammo for this rifle yet) hit him high in the shoulders and broke his back. Maybe all the adrenaline hadn’t worn off; I have a tendency to hit high with open sight during the “heat” of the moment. He went down like a ton of bricks, but gathered his wits about the same time I did. He attempted to crawl back the way he came but I ended his misery with a final shot to his heart. I will say this, even though I run and exercise regularly, gutting and dragging a deer this size 200 yards and loading it into a pick up by oneself is a chore, but that won’t be the part I remember.
I appreciate everyone’s replies and I appreciate anyone actually reading this entire post. I just wanted to share my story with people who might enjoy it. As I stated in my first post, this was the biggest deer I’ve ever shot and I’m not sure he’ll ever be surpassed in my “book”.

[deerwhacker444]

Great Deer and post.

[Ben_Rumson]

What a beauty & Great read too!

[rafter-7]

they just don't get much bigger than that!! heavier maybe taller and wider ...no

nothing beats hunting on foot. tracking , spotting, crawling shooting offhand

nice job all the way around

^
7

[Mac in Mo]

Congrats on a very, very nice deer. That is also a great story to go along with it. I always enjoy a hunt where I have to put some effort and strategy into it. Again, congratulations.

[AJMD429]

I like the story with the pics. Just 'ambushing' a deer from a stand is sometimes a challenge, and exciting, and yet sometimes truly boringly simple. Stalking one like that is VERY impressive!

[iceman]

Nice going!! That is the way I hunt too. Walk a bit, sit a bit, repeat. Unfortunately our deer population is dramatically down this year after 2 hard winters and high coyote/wolf population.

[Dave]

That is an exciting hunt! I would have been a nervous wreck by the time that dude stepped clear. Quite a buck.