BIG NORTH DAKOTA BUCK DOWN…..

I was not in my usual spot up in North Dakota for hunting the last few days of the season as I was in SD celebrating the Holidays at the in-laws, but the show must go on with out Lip. Go on, it did. Read on to find out how my buddy Paul harvested a buck we had marked with a BIG RED X and I have posted trail camera pics of here on In-Depth Outdoors.

This past Saturday morning Paul was faced with an East wind. A wind direction that is not very favorable to hunt his farm. But being it was the 2nd to last day of the season and many deer wintering on his property, Paul decided to push the envelope, which is something we do time to time up there and usually end up with some real good encounters. So Paul grabbed his climber and went to a stand that we have not hunted in years. We only hunt that stand during the rut and due to it’s location and we hardly ever even do that. This stand is located right on the edge of the “Hollow” an open grassy old river bottom oxbow. However, with its location smack dab in the middle of everything a stand that is difficult to hunt with out being busted. But when the timing is right it can be a phenomenal stand. This is a ladder stand that we leave up there year around. With as much snow as they have had and not knowing the condition or how much ice was on the stand, Paul made a good move and set up his climber right above the ladder stand ensuring a better more quiet stand. He got settled in and saw around a dozen deer that morning coming off his food plot and back to their bedding areas. All the deer were just a little too far off to shoot. The last doe came by upwind of his stand, but got real nervous. She began to snort and stomp diminishing any chances of harvesting a deer that morning.

After the doe took off and cleared the area about half hour passed and Paul was ready to call it a morning when he picked up movement from the South. He watched this doe walk through the woods, when all of a sudden there HE stood. The buck Paul has been chasing since late October, when it showed up on the trail camera. The “Split Brow” buck appeared out of nowhere and was standing a mere 30 yards from his stand. Paul slowly tried to get turned as the buck was now on the move and quickly approaching the small window of a shooting lane he had on that side. Paul had turned not quite all the way, but it was now or never as he drew back on the Split Brow buck. The buck had now entered his lane and was standing 20 yards from Paul’s arrow at full draw and ready to be released. Paul had told me he had to squat down a lil in order to get a clear shot. When he did, Paul squeezed down on the trigger and let his Carbon Express rip towards the infamous buck, who finally showed himself to the eye of Paul rather then that of a trial camera. The buck finally made his first, but his last mistake. The buck tore off kicking up the the fresh snow as Paul’s arrow found its mark and was true. As Paul watched the buck run out of site due to the heavy snow falling a feeling of gratitude took over as this has been a long time coming for him. Due to the heavy snow Paul got on the blood trail almost immediatley. He found the buck right about the same spot he lost sight of him. The buck made it about 120 yards from the shot and piled up in oak tree lot. After that, Paul called up our buddy Steve to help him drag out the bruiser from the deep snow and take some pics with the snow still falling.

To end the year in tradition as in years past, the ND boys gathered on Sunday and did some deer drives in the deep snow. Paul came away with another doe and our buddy Steve also harvested one. Both deer coming from the favorite deer pushing farm, “The Pines”. The nice 5×5 over there was seen, but eluded the posters once again. The Muscha’s had a pretty good year even though stand time was minimal this year. Miranda (Pauls Wife) who shot a P&Y 4×4 off their farm last year, shot a small buck this year to make it two years in a row with her bow. Then Paul, who has definitely put his time in over the years FINALLY downs a P&Y off his fairly newly acquired Farm on the 2nd to last day of the season.

Congrats Buddy a very well deserved buck and I’m PUMPED for ya!

It just goes to show that pushing the envelope can pay big dividends when done at the right time. When is the right time?? When you do your homework and live Whitetails 365 days a year like Paul, you know. Paul harvested this buck, less then 100 yards from where all the trail camera pictures were taken. The gross rough green score on this buck is 137 and some change. Not to worry though, the Split G2 buck is hopefully still roaming the woods and will be a TANK next year if he makes it.

C’MON SEPTEMBER!

**CLICK ON PICTURES TO ENLARGE**