For several years we have had both photos and live sightings of this buck. We call him the mutant because of his right side antler.
This is him enjoying an apple. On Sunday, Joan was in the middle of a project and didn't want to leave at the normal time. So I headed out to a stand while she finished work.
At about 4:40 a doe came out and crossed the field.
Shortly after her, a buck came out on her exact trail. It turned out to be the mutant. He paused in front of my stand at about 30 yards. I was quite a bit higher than him so I put my 25 yard pin on him and let an arrow fly. It hit him about 3" higher than I would have liked and about 3" farther back than I would have liked. Still a good shot in the boiler room on a steep down angle. I could see the fletching hanging out so not a pass thru shot.
He jumped, then walked a ways thru the field. He paused, walked onto the ridge trail and paused again. Eventually, he walked into the woods. I gave him 30 minutes and then got down to check the field. No sign of the arrow and no blood at point of impact. I found this blood where he stood at the end of the field.
The camera on the ridge trail caught these two images. The camera clock never fell back at the time change. He stood in front of the camera for about a minute. Clearly no exit wound on this side. Just a high entry wound on the other side.
I searched and searched. Joan and I went back out after dark and searched some more. We stayed the night and I was out waiting for the sun to come up. I found a little more blood not too far from this picture and nothing else. I heard a coyote howling down in the valley at sunrise. I finally had to give up. I hate this aspect of archery hunting. I covered miles of ground down to all drainages.
This was Sunday morning sunrise. The rut was definitely peaking this weekend - lots of deer moving.
On Saturday evening I saw 9 does and 4 bucks. None of them were in big groups - it was individuals being chased around. The largest buck I saw was a small 6 point.
I chased down TC customer service this week. After phone calls, email, and Facebook messages, I finally spoke to a live person. Ray was very helpful and promised to send me replacement "locking bolts". He said it was the only repair that I could do myself. They didn't arrive before the weekend so I broke the gun down to get at the existing ones. They are the spring loaded lugs below the breech plug. They look chrome plated with the plating wearing off. I cleaned, oiled, manipulated and then reassembled. It worked.
The first shot after a year in the safe was 3" high off bags at 100 yards. The next 3 were in the 10 ring.
For yucks I took two shots standing off sticks at 150 yards. Not great but more about my hold than anything else.
Last week I dragged some doe pee on a wick past this camera.
It seemed to get a lot of traffic this week.
Including the beast.
Even daylight buck activity.
And the beast again.
Out for a spin a week ago with Dave and the boys.
Coming in from the morning hunt last week.
And again the next day.
I put a few of the apples back out from the fridge.
They enjoyed them.
Including the possum.
Rabbit action shot.
Tough to see but there's a fox in there.
I hate not recovering a deer.
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