Look Who's Back!
Posted By
Bill Winke
at
10/20/2011 12:00:00 AM
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This is the buck we saw in 2009 with great potential.
We got this |
THE FIRST BIG SURPRISE
We filmed the first deer in late November of 2009 and even talked about him, I think, on one of the episodes that year. He was the best looking young deer on the farm that year and the one I was most looking forward to seeing again.
We never saw the buck nor got any photos of him during 2010. He disappeared for 18 months. But now he is back in the same area, much bigger. He is on the camera everytime I pull the card. Not a big daylight mover, but he is there regularly. Where do they go? Why do they leave? It is all very interesting to me.
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| This is what Daggers looks like now. A big, beautiful ten pointer with about 12 to 15 inches of stickers at this bases. |
THE SECOND BIG SURPRISE
The second big surprise is even more of a shocker. If you have watched the show for a few years you may remember that great big, long-bodied massive eight-pointer that jumped the string on me during late November 2009. I hit him high in the neck right in front of the shoulder. We tracked him on almost zero blood for about 50 yards, looked for him for a few hours and then gave it up - knowing full well he wasn't hurt bad. You can see that hunt on 2009 Episode 18: Hard Lessons.
The buck showed back up again in the same general area on the trail camera a few week later - in mid-December of 2009. I was exctited to see that he was doing fine and hoped for redemption. When the wind was right, I set up in a low cedar tree on the edge of a food plot. It was almost a month to the day after I hit him in November and there he was in all his glory. He looked awesome on the snow covered bean field that evening as he fed for many long minutes before starting to work his way in my direction. I really think I would have gotten a shot at him had a couple of coyotes not showed up and cleared the field - the buck was about 75 yards away, coming toward me when he turned tail and trotted off. I was very disappointed. You can watch that hunt on 2009 Episode 25: The Rollercoaster.
I never saw the buck again during the rest of the 2009 season and never got any photos of him. I heard that someone had found sheds from him that winter a mile from where I was hunting him. Then he never showed up at all during the 2010 season at all. I expected to get photos of him, but got nothing. Again someone found a shed from him that winter (early 2011), this time on a different property, again a long distance from my land. I figured that he had relocated and kind of wrote him off.
HE'S BACK!
You can imagine my surprise when I pulled the cards from my camera a few days ago and found that he was back in the same area where I hunted him in 2009. Who knows how long he will stay, but he showed up over the course of at least three different days, so he was here more than he would be if he were just passing through. All the photos were at night, but I am still encouraged that he hasn't forgotten this part of range. 
This is the photo I got of the buck back in December of 2009, showing
that he was back in the area. He had a big, long, lanky body.
The buck is definitely bigger now, at least ten inches bigger. He is very massive and has several sticker points. He must be at least 7 1/2 years old now. The thing I remembered about him back in 2009 was his body. More than his antlers, his body was giant. He was tall and long-framed. He stood out in the crowd when he was in the field with other deer. Well, now he looks short-legged and rolly-poly. That can mean only one thing - his body is even bigger now. I am always impressed by those big-bodied old bucks. They are like bulls and are some impressive. Without question, this buck is one of them.
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This is what "Bubba" looks like now. Bigger for sure, and look at that |
With all the history I have with this buck (his two narrow escapes), he is now very near the top of my list of bucks I am looking forward to hunting. If he shows any glimmer of daylight activity, I'll be after him hard. It would be great to have a rematch with the buck from the same tree where I hit him two years ago!
I WONDER WHY THEY WANDER
Isn't it crazy how these bucks can just vanish for a year and then show back up again? Where do they go? Why do they leave? Those are questions I bet we never get answered. There is some encouragement in all this. If you were hunting a good buck last year, or passed up a promising young deer, and he is no where to be seen now, take heart. He may show up during the season or he may show up next year. It is what makes this so much fun. Literally, you never know what will happen next.
I'll keep you updated if I get more photos of this buck. Good luck.
