Midway Buck and Euro Mount - 1-7-18
Posted: January 31st, 2018, 12:53 pm
I know this is a late post but I wanted to get my euro mount done before I posted the story. I have been hunting in Coon Bottom all year long and had seen very few deer, just small spikes and does. The weekend of January 6-7 someone else was hunting that property so I had no where to go. My brother was mowing a 40 acre piece of property that same week and mentioned that I could go hunting out there, per the land owner. This property is basically an open field that butts up to Joe Budd. My brother found a skull while mowing from a very large buck that died the prior year. I use to hunt this property with little success years ago but have not been back in quite some time. We went out there on Saturday, January 6th to make sure the rotten box stand would not cave in with me and to site in my rifle. I wanted to make sure it was on since I had not shot it all year and my last attempt at an 8 point last year ended with a swing and a miss 
. We shot about a half of a box of shells in the field that afternoon to make sure my gun was sighted in, right next to the stand I was to hunt the next morning. The next morning I get to the property around 5:45 and could not get the stupid combo lock on the gate to work. After finally getting it to open, I parked the truck and walked to the stand. It was about 25 degrees that morning and up until about 7:00 all I saw was two stray cats hunting mice in the freshly mowed field. I was so entrenched in watching the felines hunt I almost didn't notice the buck walking across the corner of the field to my left. He was about 150 yards away somewhat quartering towards me but walking right to left in the direct of a pile of concrete and a huge oak tree that would eventually block any shot I would have had at him. I rested my rifle and took aim at the left base of his neck. I barked loudly at him to stop him, which he obliged and he looked up in my direction. I took the shot and down he goes, didn't even twitch. I'm thinking to myself that I just put a great shot on him but as I walked up to him I realized I pulled it just a bit and was lucky I hit him at all(I'm no sniper). Nevertheless, a kill is a kill. I am proud of this buck, as it is my biggest to date. I had several friends say I should have had the original skull dipped because it would be a conversation starter but that might insinuate that I made that shot on purpose, which I did not and would never advocate shooting a deer in the face. What do you all think?
http://s1079.photobucket.com/user/AllenBurkes/library/
. We shot about a half of a box of shells in the field that afternoon to make sure my gun was sighted in, right next to the stand I was to hunt the next morning. The next morning I get to the property around 5:45 and could not get the stupid combo lock on the gate to work. After finally getting it to open, I parked the truck and walked to the stand. It was about 25 degrees that morning and up until about 7:00 all I saw was two stray cats hunting mice in the freshly mowed field. I was so entrenched in watching the felines hunt I almost didn't notice the buck walking across the corner of the field to my left. He was about 150 yards away somewhat quartering towards me but walking right to left in the direct of a pile of concrete and a huge oak tree that would eventually block any shot I would have had at him. I rested my rifle and took aim at the left base of his neck. I barked loudly at him to stop him, which he obliged and he looked up in my direction. I took the shot and down he goes, didn't even twitch. I'm thinking to myself that I just put a great shot on him but as I walked up to him I realized I pulled it just a bit and was lucky I hit him at all(I'm no sniper). Nevertheless, a kill is a kill. I am proud of this buck, as it is my biggest to date. I had several friends say I should have had the original skull dipped because it would be a conversation starter but that might insinuate that I made that shot on purpose, which I did not and would never advocate shooting a deer in the face. What do you all think? http://s1079.photobucket.com/user/AllenBurkes/library/