Jack’s 2007 12 pointer

I had a chance to hunt a friends farm in eastern Pope Co, MN for three days of this 2007 season. I planned to hunt the evening of Monday 11/5 thru Wednesday 11/7 at the lastest, as my wife and I were leaving on a vacation the following Friday.

I arrived at Dale’s farm about 1pm, and unpacked, and got ready for the evening hunting. Dale was raised on this farm many years ago, and now he mostly just uses it as his personal Deer haven. He has worked this property into a very descent Deer area, and has many stands all thru the area, all with cleared shooting lanes in many directions.

During my 3 days I counted at least 50 Deer, and 12 of those were Bucks. Dale does not want average to nice Bucks to be shot, only inferior (management)Bucks, or the really nicer Deer. It really is hard to watch a 120 to 130 inch class Deer go by, but they have to grow to at least 3 1/2 years old or older to reach maturity.

Each of the stands are named, and I hunted in the "Dog House" most of my time there. In each of my hunts, 2 afternoons, and 2 mornings, I saw at each 10 to 13 Deer each time out. On my second day, during the afternoon, in an excellent stand on the north end of the woods, at about 3pm everything was very quiet and still, then all of a sudden I started to hear Deer moving. I couldn’t see any of them for about 10 minutes, then they started showing up. Two Does just north of me working there way across the lane, one fawn to my right, and two more big Does just south of me, working their way toward me. For a little while I had all 5 Deer in range, and quite close. It was a real treat having all these Deer around, but I knew having ALL these eyes in the woods would give me away, the second I moved toward a Buck. I resigned the fact that this was just another Deer WATCHING day, and I would stay for the next morning (Wed)and would have to be leaving by 1pm.

After already two days hunting, and very little sleep both nights there, it was awefully hard to get up at 5:30 on Wed morning, and I didn’t. Sunrise was around 6:30 I believe, and by the time I finally rolled out and got going, I didn’t need my flash light for the walk out to the "Dog House."

About half way out on the little dirt road thru the woods, three Deer got up in front of me and ran across the path, 2 Does and a fawn, DARN, Definitely NOT the way I wanted my morning to start off. Finally got into the stand before 7am, with all kinds of legal shooting light. The best advantage point sitting in this stand is to face north, with excellent viewing to the north, and east and west, and there is a big truck rear view mirrow up in the corner of the stand, that you can use to view the entire lane south of me, without moving. Only about a half hour later I saw a huge Deer moving north of me thru heavy woods, It had to be a good Buck, as it had the biggest body I’d seen this week. Quick glimpse, and it was gone. Again I had Does and fawns moving thru from 8am to just before 9. All of a sudden I catch some small movement to my northeast thru the narrow shooting lane, and I see a Buck looking right at me. All I could see was his neck, face, and his left main beam, which went out past his ear. I never saw this Deer move in, it was just THERE. I put down my binoculars, and quickly picked up my scoped bolt-action slug gun, each time he would look around, I moved into a seated shooting position. I still did not have a shot, as he still had NOT moved into the lane. He did a lot of head moving, and looking around, I could see both sides of his rack, an easy 10 pointer (I was thinking), maybe more, and excellent spread and mass. It took the longest time for this Deer to move 3 steps into the lane, and I was getting more nervous watching him. Finally he moved slowly into the lane, and dropped straight down with my shot. He was behind two large trees that were laying on the ground. With is head laying down, I could not see his rack, but I could occasionally see one beam, as he lifted his head, then put it back down. I was ready for another shot if he stood up, but he never did (I thought). After about 10 minutes, I put my gun down, but ready, and poured a couple cups of coffee out of my thermos, and tried to calm myself, but I could not settle down. I knew this Deer was not yet done, and it had been a fairly long shot with a slug (later paced off at 110 yds). After about 25 minutes, another 10 pointer was in the same lane, and I just KNEW this was a different Deer than mine that was laying behind the downed tree. This Buck walked slowly off to the southeast, quartering away from me. I never again saw the beam rise over the tree trunk. After the longest hour and ten minutes I’ve ever spent, I climbed down from the stand, and slowly walked down the lane. Fully expecting my Deer to be there, as I got closer, I still could not see the beam, and when I finally got there, NO DEER. I could NOT believe it…

Moving around the two large laying down trees, I could see where the Buck was, and found about 20 drops of blood finally, but NO TRAIL, and with NO SNOW, NO TRACKS, and NO BLOOD TRAIL, I was starting to go over the whole scenario, just standing there, thinking, and doubting myself. Obviously the second 10 pointer I saw, was MY Deer, but I never saw him stand up, it just slowly moved thru the lane, and it clearly looked like a second Deer, and it would have been a very easy broadside shot, but I was not going to shoot another one.

All I could think about was getting back to the farm and calling Dale, he really does NOT want anyone tracking deer thru his woods without him. He was to arrive at the farm about noon and hunt the afternoon. I moved very slowly about 15 yards and that was as far as I was going to go, and I very carefully looked over a very heavily brushy area, and very dense woods and ground cover, that my Deer was heading in. I started on the left side of the brush and woods, and very carefully went left to right scanning and covering the area for any sign of my Deer. Finally I saw a beam moving off to my right about 50 yards, the Deer was laying down, and facing away from me. I got down behind some branches. After about 10 minutes, I moved three feet to my left, and the only finishing shot I had was a low neck shot, which I finally took.

I walked over and the sight of this magnificent Buck laying there was just awsome. I still can not believe I had the chance at a true Trophy Buck. I’ve Deer hunted on and off since 1974 in Oklahoma, Indiana, Nebraska, and Minnesota, and this Buck is the largest bodied, and largest antlered Deer I’ve ever seen while hunting.

The deer weighed 225 pounds on Dale’s new scale, and the rack is a basic 5 X 4, with 3 extra non-typical points for a total of 12. The bases are right at 6 inches, with beams of 26 2/8 and 26 0/8. Inside spread is 19 5/8. The Gross Typical score is 161 7/8; and with the 3 non-typ points and side to side de-symmetry subtracted, the Net Green score is 149 2/8.

I have mounted quite a few Deer in the last 30 years, and I’ve Officially Scored many Deer that I’ve entered for hunters into the Minnesota Record Book. After this season, I finally get a Great Buck for myself to put on the Wall (first mounter), and one for the Book.

I feel very lucky, and thank-you Dale for the hunt….

Jack….

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