Milk River Shed Story
Bowhunting one September afternoon on the Milk River, I missed a buck clean, shot right over him on Buck Stops Here TV (watch the video). Luke Strommen, who I was hunting with on that trip, watched the show again the other night and sent me this email w/pictures:
Here are the sheds to that buck you missed at the gate stand. Look close and you’ll see the second one a few yards farther up the road. I found the sheds last February on the same road that went by your stand, the same road he walked in on. I guess the sheds were probably 70 yards from where the deer was standing when you blew it, ha ha. Judging solely on the sheds, he is one of the oldest bucks I have ever found a set of sheds from…very cool and gnarly...even a teeny-weeny drop tine if you look close!
I knew that deer wouldn’t score a lot when I drew on him, but I knew he was old and mature, and I believe I said so on TV. An old deer is a trophy deer. I want to shoot a 150-plus like everybody, but in the wild, free-range places I hunt, you will never see me pass a 22-yard bow shot at a 5- or 6-year-old buck, no matter if his rack will only go 120. Besides, most of the time a fully mature buck even in marginal habitat will score at least 135, unless he’s really going downhill.
You’d do the same thing. right?
Would I have claimed that little drop as my first? Nah, I’d have called it a sticker. Beggars should not be choosers, but a drop’s gotta be at least 5 or 6 inches and thick as a fat cigar for me to count it. comment
A drop's a drop. Kinda like being a little pregnant! Half of something is better than all of nothing. Ya gotta own it , man!
I bet I can throw out a few more cliches if I tried.
You wont see me passing on a 120" deer. 1.5 or 6.5 he's going down. Unless i was hunting a area that has a minimum on
the bucks that you can shoot like the outfit i hunted in Illinois. We had a 130" & 140" minimum on the farms we hunted.
minimuns are 2 protect young bucks w/potentail bhut any buck 4 lus should be shooter with abow anywhere
I agree with the mature vs. minimun stance. The buck I shot in Texas in 2008 was only a 120", but he was 8-1/2 or 9-1/2 years old. But it was a trophy to me if for no other reason than his age. He's on my wall now. The taxidermist did a pretty good job trying to shape the roman nose on that old dude.
state it will be at a place that has none. A 120" buck with a bow is a real trophy to me especially a older one.
Comment on size limits - Hunted with a couple different outfits in IL. Its easier to talk about antler size then age when hunters are coming from all over to hunt a place. I saw a couple bucks in the 5 years going out there that didnt meet the "standard" but were old and no fine was given. I have also seen a bunch that were inches shy that were super star 2.5 / 3.5 yr olds that the outfits would have charged twice if they could have... lol. Get to know your outfitter if your going to go out there. I have always been surprised about the lack of inititive taken to reach out to an outfitter before ariving at camp when a million things are going on. Some make arrangements in the early spring and show up for the hunt with out an ounce of additional effort.
Sorry if I highjacked your post Mike. Thats a cool buck. Can't wait for the shed season to really kick off out here.
and it's a legal point if it's at least an inch long, so the drop counts in my book.