The Final Chapter of the Buck known as “Splitter”

So it was no secret here on iDoHunting.com this past Spring which deer my buddy Paul from ND and I were hunting this past Fall or the Fall before that for that matter. The 2.5 plus years of history of the deer we named Splitter, along with the many trail camera pictures of him and the right side sheds from the previous two years builds up a little history we had with this deer. All that has been well documented on this site with many posts this past Spring and Summer. Not to mention, passing on this deer numerous times when he grossed in the low 130’s two Falls ago. So with the recent flooding tragedy in the Red River Valley this past Spring, it caused FEMA to raise the flood plain levels around the area. This was the second flood in twelve years that wiped out many areas of the MN and ND Red River Valley. At the time it seemed like no big deal, however FEMA’s delay of releasing these new flood plain elevations put my buddy Paul & Miranda’s plans of building their dream home on hold until elevations were established and verified that their new home was high enough to stay out of the new flood plain and expensive insurance premiums. The Muscha’s finally got a start on their new home late this past Summer after the elevations were released. A home, that Paul was contracting and building a good portion himself. With the mid December closing date set, a date that must be met in order to keep the low financing they locked into. Paul started the foundation and his long days of working his full time job and on their new dream home.

Now how does all this flood/house stuff play into the Splitter story you ask???? Good question and here are some of the answers. During this past Summer, this whole flood thing lifted our spirits. As Paul and I knew that just like in the flood of 97, the oxbow would fill up and create two huge pinch points that would make the deer travel right past two of our stands. Not letting them cut across through the center of the dried up oxbow like years prior. Having patterned this deer called Splitter for the past two Falls we knew his routine pretty well. We set stands on his Farm to hunt this deer only and only when conditions were right. We knew his travel routes, where he came out to Paul’s food plot, where he was bedding, and etc. This past Summer Paul and the whole area started seeing Splitter in July on a neighboring farm bean field about a mile from Paul’s place. This was no big surprise to us, as we did not see Splitter until early October last Fall on trial cam pictures. However, with the crop rotation we had hopes of seeing him in August again. Just like 2 Falls ago when we first noticed this peculiar split G2 buck on trail camera. Splitter was fast becoming a town legend and local celebrity right before our eyes. Anyone that is a deer hunter and hunted big bucks knows this is not good thing. The more a big buck gets noticed, the less chances you have at him as others are out seeking him and pushing him out of his normal routines, making him hard to pattern and even worse possibly nocturnal. Finally, August rolled around and Paul & Miranda started on their home. Along with that Splitter started to show up pretty regularly in Paul’s food Plot, as Paul captured velvet video footage of this legendary buck. Now with the beginning of September rolling around the he only thing we had left to do was, simply to hunt him. That is where the big problem came in. With the late start on constructing Paul & Miranda’s dream house this year, it did not allow Paul much, if any time in the tree this past bow hunting season.

With all of the extra attention, additional hunters and pressure put on the surrounding farms, it seemed to tighten Splitters home range into Paul’s untouched and basically un-hunted 80 acres of woods. Paul would often see Splitter in his food plot and beans as he would be working on his house through the months of September and October. Paul noticed a pretty good pattern starting to form, as Splitter would come out right between the two stands we hung to hunt him on his food plot and then he would head North. After watching this pattern for about 3 or 4 nights a week for two weeks, Paul happened to be working on the back hoe 150 yards across the field when he seen Splitter enter his food plot. Not being able to take it any longer Paul jumped off the back hoe and quickly got dressed, knowing he had the SE wind in his favor, knowing his travel route and tried to cut Splitter off at the pass. Paul was slowly making his way across the field and tried to make it to a spot that Splitter would hopefully walk within 20 yards of. However, on Paul’s sneak across the field he got locked down 80 yards away from his destination by some does and had to watch Splitter walk within 65 yards of him and well within bow range of the spot he was trying to get.

With Paul still not having time to actually hunt him, I made a trip up to ND on October 9th as the whole weekend had winds forecasted to have the needed S or SE winds to hunt the food plot in the evening where Splitter was religiously coming out. The first night I got there was Friday night and just as I was getting set up to hunt Splitter on the food plot. A huge front decided to move in early and switched the wind to the NW and forced me to hunt a different farm. The next morning October 10thwith the wind still out of the West, Paul and I covered the Rivers edge behind his house on his Farm and was the first time we actually hunted for Splitter this year. We sat in two different spots hoping to encounter Splitter along his usual path from feed to bed with the two previous years of homework and research, but we had no such luck. That evening Paul was too busy and gave me the option to sit on the food plot. But with a shifty borderline wind, I elected not to risk it and blow him out of there and off his fairly predictable routine. As luck would have it that evening, I was sitting on a different farm and Paul was working on his house and just like clock work that evening Paul watched Splitter come out right next to the stand I would have hunted in. The next evening Paul was able to break free from working on his house, so I went out that afternoon and hung my camera stand in hopes of catching Splitter on film and a harvest by my hunting mentor and good buddy Paul. Well, after a great evening sit and seeing numerous bucks, Splitter held true to his pattern of coming out of that corner about 50-60% of the time, as he was a no show that evening. I left ND that evening second guessing my decision not to hunt that stand on Saturday night.

Splitter continued to tease and torment Paul as he continued to work on his house. Splitter started to come out of his lil’corner more frequently. Paul had noticed especially with a Southerly wind, Splitter was like clock work of coming out of that corner and captured some hard horned video footage of him to go along with the velvet footage he shot earlier this Summer & Fall. Like normal during the Hunting season, Paul and I would check in with each other every week. Giving each other hunting updates on all the different pieces we hunt. That information sharing turned into a few times a week now the Rut had came upon us. I told Paul that the minute Splitter hits the ground, I better be getting a call before his arrow even hits him. With the ND rifle season lurking around the corner and opening up on last Friday afternoon @ noon. Paul and I had conversed about hunting Splitter with the rifle and I told him with out a doubt if he got the chance to shoot him with the rifle, to take the shot as Splitter was a marked man with everyone in the area knowing he existed and Paul’s 80 acre woods was not big enough to hold him.

This past Friday late afternoon I got a text @ 4:55 pm that simply said “He down, gun!!” No other words needed to be said or texted. I knew exactly what that meant. I quickly called him and at that moment Paul had not even left his blind yet as he was about to go lay his hand around the horns of the buck that inspired, caused fits, sleepless nights, marriage stress, you name it. He told me he would call me back. When he called me back and gave me the scoop, this is the story of how it all went down.

After our conversation on Thursday night, Paul checked the wind forecast for Friday afternoon and knew with the SE wind forecasted he had to hunt that Friday evening. Paul chose to sit in a old wood box blind on the West edge of his 6 acre food plot with his trusty 30.06 by his side. Some does started to pile into the food plot and with about 10 or so out there feeding on the smorgasbord of food Paul had planted earlier this year. Paul caught movement just before 4:25 pm off to his right. A big body and racked deer was walking down the old farm road, just inside the wood line. It appeared this deer was observing or scouting the field before entering. When the deer got to the far side corner he came out into the field by the farm famous “old outhouse”. There was no question on who this bruiser was. This was the same deer Paul has been observing for the past 2 Falls and the one that has caused him many night rolling around awake in bed this Fall as all his time and effort has been dedicated to the building of his & his wife’s future dream home. The buck that has become known as Splitter was about to enter the field as he has done many times during the past 3 seasons. However, this time was the first time he would be entering the field with a little more level playing field as Paul was not sitting with his usual bow and arrow, but a rifle this time. Splitter came out bursting into the field like a angry bull chasing does as all mayhem broke loose. For the next half hour Paul told me he was as rattled and worked up on a deer as he has ever been and he has many big deer to his credit under his belt and many years chasing them.

For the next 30 minutes Splitter ranged about 150-225 yards out chasing does and Paul could never get a clean shot off on him. He would either be stopped behind a doe, facing away, straight on, running, behind some tall grass, etc. If all of this was not nerve racking enough, they started to combine the field next to Paul’s 6 acre food plot. A few times this made Splitter retreat to the security and heavy cover of Paul’s 80 acre wood patch. A place Splitter had made his home the last 3 – 4 years. Splitter finally reappeared out in the field and scattered the does once again, as he sat out in the middle of the field motionless with his vitals covered by a doe. The doe begins to move and finally the moment Paul has waited for is upon him as he starts to bare down on this buck of a lifetime as he was finally given that 3-4 second window most big bucks give you, but Paul just could not settle in as Splitter began to move and chase does again. The combine sends Splitter back into the woods again and he disappears for a few minutes before appearing back in the corner by the old outhouse. Splitter once again enters the field and is on a slow trot trying to bird dog a doe in the green area of the food plot when he finally clears the does in front of him and offers Paul a 200 yard shot on a slow trot. Paul again bears down on this mule deer like animal. This time Paul is able to get steady and keep things together as he is following Splitter in his scope and pulls to the front side of his shoulder and squeezes off a round on his 30.06. Splitter immediately hits the ground and emotions flood Paul’s body and mind as the 3 year quest seems to be finally over. Paul texted me and tried to collect himself before receiving my phone call and hastily telling me he would call me back. Paul began to close the 200 yard distance on Splitter, as thoughts flooded his mind as some weird things have happened to Paul before after downing a big buck. As Paul draws within 30 yards of Splitter, Splitter tries to get up but his busted front shoulders do not let him at first. He then somehow does make it up and starts to flea the field when Paul puts him down with a finishing shot and the final chapter closes on the buck we called “Splitter”.

Well, many of you have asked to see the final chapter of this buck we named Splitter and there you have it. It was fairly anti-climactic for Paul in many ways, but the biggest two are; he really wanted to harvest this Buck with his bow and secondly, now what? This buck has consumed so much of his time up there. What will he do know?? Don’t feel too bad for Paul, as he still has a buck tag for his Archery gear. Once he finishes his house, we might be hitting it hard late season up there. Knowing the potential of his Farm up there along with some other property we hunt, I’m sure we will have our eyes on another buck we will be pursuing for next year. I just hope there are some other bucks carrying the unique genetics of Splitter up there in ND. Hopefully, we will get to watch a few other ones grow and each and every time we see a buck with Split G2’s, I know it will remind both Paul and I of the buck we became so fond of called “Splitter”. I can’t wait to see Splitter up on the wall of that new house Paul. All your hard work, homework, deer management, patience, and dedication is truly turning your farm into a big buck stomping ground and starting to pay big dividends for the Muscha family.

I would just like to congratulate my buddy Paul on a buck of a lifetime. As I have said, there has been bigger deer up there he has chased, but none with the history and chess match as Splitter. There is no doubt in my mind that no one deserved this deer more then Paul. So many years previous we have chased big deer up there and the chips just did not roll his way and a neighbor would end up shooting it. This may be why this deer has so much meaning behind him???? Because, finally things went our way and Paul was able to write the final chapter on the buck we called “SPLITTER”.

Splitter was a main framed 4×4 with Splits on his g2s that this year had “kick stands” out each side giving him 12 score able points. Last year he was a main framed 4×4 that has a G4 busted off and his unique Splits present.