Nice Buck/Sad Day

A friend of mine that manages a plantation sent me this picture this morning and called me. My reply was that's a good one. Where did you get him? He said it ain't what you think and then explained.

He's had pictures of this buck for the last couple years. The owners saw him last year and decided to pass on him and give him another year. The deer normally stays within a 1/4 mile or so from my buddy's house and he's seen him often. Well the buck up and dissappeared in mid September and had not been seen until yesterday. They were picking corn in the dove field and saw the buck bedded in the corn. They could tell something wasn't right and walked right up to the buck. He couldn't get up. All my friend had in the truck was his bow so a quick shot put him out of his misery. Evidently the buck had been hit by a car and made it to the field. Anyone that's hunted South Carolina knows this a very nice buck for this state. Strangely, 3 of the largest bucks I have seen killed around home were not killed by hunters. They were hit by cars and later mercifully put out of their misery.

Wow, great deer!!

What a tragedy. Having a deer of that quality is rare in these parts of the country. At least, y'all found him and were able to get him before he went to coyote food.

Rick Richard said:

What a tragedy. Having a deer of that quality is rare in these parts of the country. At least, y'all found him and were able to get him before he went to coyote food.

Click to expand...

Yessir. I hate to think of him laying out there suffering. He was pretty much done when they found him. Didn't even try to move or get up but his head was still up.

Glad they found him. I hate to see dead deer on the side of the roads, and over the years, I have seen some real good bucks that were road kill and half eaten coyote and buzzard food.

Back in the late 1990's, I had been hunting a trophy whitetail for a couple of years, and I had only caught a couple of glimpses of him in the areas he scraped and left tree rubs on 5-6 inch trees. He was mostly nocturnal, so I never had a daytime chance at him. The next year, I saw him in a tall broom straw field just before it was light enough to shoot. I waited and kept watching the distant figure for several minutes, and as it became light enough to make a shot, he slipped away into a ticket about 500 yards away.

I spent the rest of that season hunting him, and then a couple of days after season close, a friend told me about a massive 13 point that was killed by a car at night and a couple of hundred yards from where I always enter the area. After drying, the buck scored in the high 180's BC. In my gut, I new that was him, and the following year, I could find no new scrapes nor rubs in the area, and over time, season after season, I watched those old, scarred rub trees slowly heal over.

That's a lot of bone for a SC buck. What a shame he had to go like that. I would like to know what he scores.

My target buck from last year (easily 200") got hit by a truck the day before season started a couple years ago. Fortunately he did not suffer and the rack was destroyed

I put down 2 this year that were crippled by vehicles, none were trophies, one 4 pt and 1 spike but I hate seeing them.suffer

Back in 2002 I was watching a great buck on my trail cam, just before bow season,the doctor told me he wanted to do surgery the Monday after bow season opened. I took a average buck opening day,thinking my season was going to be 2 days long. Monday the doctor decided that I should get blood taken for the surgery, so I got another month to hunt. 2 weeks later my great buck walks in and I just have a doe tag.

Fast forward a year, still have the great buck on camera, two weeks into season he disappeared. Was talking to my neighbor about mid to late October, he tells me that he was coming home from work (third shift) and saw my buck about 1/4 mile from his driveway. He went home to get a saw to cut off the antlers and when he got back the head was gone.

shootnpoke said:

That's a lot of bone for a SC buck. What a shame he had to go like that. I would like to know what he scores.

Click to expand...

Jason is going to green score him. I'll let you know when he does

wvbearhunter said:

I put down 2 this year that were crippled by vehicles, none were trophies, one 4 pt and 1 spike but I hate seeing them.suffer

Click to expand...

Unfortunately my son and I get few calls every year to put down deer that have been hit by cars and a few that are down to nothing but hide and bone due to disease. I've told the game wardens I'm not about to sit there and just watch a deer suffer. Luckily I know most of them and they trust my judgement. Plus I document it with a short video from my phone or will call them first to let them know.

That's a shame. Here in Ut the DNR would write a ticket for poaching.
Maybe if like you said you knew them but for me if I hit a game animal and shot it to put it out of it's misery I'd be defending my self in front of a judge. Glad they got some meat out of it though.

Rotten said:

That's a shame. Here in Ut the DNR would write a ticket for poaching.
Maybe if like you said you knew them but for me if I hit a game animal and shot it to put it out of it's misery I'd be defending my self in front of a judge. Glad they got some meat out of it though.

Click to expand...

No doubt because of legit poachers ruining it for everyone.

It is always sad to see a great buck go down to accidental death, illness, or unlawful hunting. The blessing in this particular situation was the fact that he was found and will probably grace the wall for many years of admiration and stories of his life on the property.