My first buck

By: fatboy95 Mood: Neutral Date: 07/19/2007 13:01:15 Music: None

I have hunted since I was 11 with my dad and had shot at some bucks as a kid. I tended to get a ferce fit of buck fever and miss. I grew away from hunting after joining the military for a while. I got back into seriously in 2000-2001 while stationed at Vandenberg AFB, Ca. Lots of good animals there.

While I shot many good does I still would get buck fever and miss them. I chased a many nice bucks around on Vandenberg. But I had no luck making a bullet/arrow stick in one.

Fast forward to my PCS to Barksdale AFB, LA in 2003. A buddy of mine that was already stationed here a few months before me had been checking the woods out. When I got here we went out and decided on a few locations that we really liked.

 We decided to build some wooden stands. One of the stands was a old stand that needed some work. Mostly he had and another friend had hunted off of that stand and only seeing small bucks. Nothing of legal size.

 They had taken leave so I figured I would set myself up on the old stand and see what I found. On the way in I found a nice scrape with a huge doe print. I was getting excited. Figured I would lay me a doe out.

 At about 10:30 my eyes was getting droppy and my tummy was hungry. I decided to sit just a bit longer and then go get lunch. No sooner than I had thought that I look up at about the 10oclock position from my stand I see horns.

He has his head to the ground and is trucking right along. This buck is moving with intent if you know what I mean. After I verify he is legal to shoot I pull my brand new Rem 710 3-06 up and steady the gun. The buck takes a turn and run straight across me at 50 yards. I take a deep breath and follow him as he goes behind a huge tree. I let my breath out just before he came out from behind the tree and I so softly squeezed the trigger.

 Kapoooow... I see the buck stumble, get up and run like there was no tomorrow. My head was buzzing with the sound of my gun just going off that I couldn't hear him crash if I had tried to listen. I knew I had to have shot him.

 Quickly I reload a round and start climbing down. I was a bit excited. I slowed myself down and gave the buck 15 minutes before going after it.

I walked out to where the buck had fallen upon being shot. YEHAW..... blood everywhere... I start to track the buck and it gets kind of thick and I loose it. Keeping my self I went back to the begginiing where I had shot.

I was able to find him after that. He had fallen right in a thicket not 20 yards from where I shot him.

I ended up draging him 500 yards to my truck up hill all the way. Once I got there I was so tired and couldn't get him  lifted up. I was kind of scared that someone may find him and take him. I ended up pulling him off the side of the trail and going to get help load him up. It still was pretty hard for both of us to load him but we did.

After getting him to the check station he weighed in at approx. 220lbs on the hoof. He was 8 points. Probably no B/C deer but for my first buck it was a monster. It also broke my streek of buck fever.

Oh I still get the fever when I see a buck but now I know how to control it.. or is controlling me still? either way it was a great hunt and I will never forget it.