Another Big Buffalo County Buck Down @ Bluff Bucks

Written by: Dan Meyer from Skeeter Boat Center, Markquart Chevrolet, and Bluff Bucks Outfitters

Last Sunday the day started out with rain and I was thinking, “Rain can’t be all bad”?? Last year on November 8th I had harvested my 152” 10 point in the rain. I had not been hunting much in the mornings and on Sunday morning after my Bluff Bucks chores were done, Mark Fox and I went to check the trail cameras. We had one of the Whitetail Freaks, Randy Bowsing in camp with his camera man Brady and they wanted to get in the woods by 2pm. So I was trying to watch the time and at 1:20 that afternoon, Mark and I were 40 minutes away from camp and we were still on top of the bluff. I knew Butch would be wondering were in the heck we were at and would not see the humor in use being late. So we double timed it back to camp and made it back around 2:20. I could tell, Butch was really wondering what we were thinking. I asked Mark to check the SD cards quick while I took the fastest shower of my life. Randy and Brady were still packing the truck when I jumped in and we were ready to leave. It was their 1st night out and asked if I would drive them part way to the stand in the Bad Boy with all the camera stuff (and boy, do they haul the equipment). I dropped them off at 3:10 along with putting another hunter on stand just before working my way up to the top of a bluff down the road about a half mile.

Finally, I parked the Bad Boy on the trail and walked the 400 yards to my stand which sits just above a really thick bedding area on a shelf leading to an alpha field. As I said before, Mark and I had pulled the camera card earlier and as far as I could tell the scrape had not be freshened in the past few hours. By now it’s a little after 4pm and I’m ready for the night sit. I did my range finding and decided if something came in from any direction I was going to have some great shooting. About that time I had seen some movement to my left and right away I knew it was a deer we call Mark’s pet. He is a 2.5 year old 12 point, that is real jumpy. He passed in front of the stand at about 14 yards and took a trail that dips into the bedding area.

About 10 minutes later I heard what I thought to be a weak snort wheeze. A minute or two later out jumps a mature shooter over a log from the bedding area. He stands there for a few minutes looking from side to side. I believe he was trying to decide to either come and check the scrape to my left or head into the field. He decided to head into the field, as I started to grin. His decision to choose the field gave me the best shot at him with out getting detected. The next thing I know he took two steps forward which exposed ¾’s of his body in my shooting lane. By this time I had already drawn my bow back without even realizing it. After that it all happened so fast, that I was not sure exactly what just happened?? I just remember seeing my arrow hit a home run and hearing the deer crash over the bluffs edge. I decided to back out and go get Mark & Butch Fox to enjoy in the excitement. I did wait at the truck until dark and watched a 170 plus bumping doe’s on the lease. Around 6:30 that evening I drove up to pick up the WF Freaks and after listening to them tell me about a 160 class 9 they put on film, I finally let them in on my story. After some great excitement we headed down to pick up the other hunter in the group. While I was waiting to pick them up, I did go to the neighbors because of the poor cell phone reception and called Butch and Mark. I let them know I would be waiting at the lodge when they returned from picking up their hunters.

By the time the Freaks and my other hunter were packed up and headed down the road it was 7:30. I think the BBO gang showed up at around 7:45, but by now I was starting to wonder if I had really harvested this buck. We all made our way up to the top of bluff and to my stand. We found were my arrow had broken in half and that is where the blood trail started. The blood trail ended 80 yards down the bluff edge with my trophy at the trails end. What a truly exciting find and hunt. Bluff Bucks Outfitters have many trail camera pictures of this buck as I have shown you on other posts. This buck will go in the books as my biggest bow kill to date. It is truly bitter sweet, a buck that dreams are made of and now I have to wait until next year………………………………. Or do I????? That’s right, Ohio sells over the counter tags………………..I wonder if I can get that by the boss???????

Thanks for letting me share my hunt at Bluff Bucks Outfitters with you here @ In Depth Outdoors. I will be spending some time helping Butch, Dawn, Mark and the rest of the gang at Bluff Bucks Outfitter over the next few weeks. Let me know if you would like to stop by and I will show you around. The lodge is really coming around and turning out to be world class. If you have any questions about BBO, their accommodations or how to book a hunt feel free to PM me Dan Meyer here on the site, give Butch Fox a call @ 715-459-2277 or visit BBO on the net @ www.bluffbucks.net

**CLICK ON PICTURES TO ENLARGE**