Great Hunt 11/6

[Reel Doc]

Sunday morning was my first chance out this season so hit the treestand well before first light. Always good to have a single doe meandering in the area when the rut should be starting. Was not long before the action started with grunts nearby and the buck in the photos moved through in view but out of range. By 8 am the doe scooted to my right on the edge of some really thick cover about 20 yards off, and a minute later a nice rack was on her trail, but on the wrong side of the cover for me. Decided to try some rattling as it was a hot topic on the site here recently, and many of you said early rut is the time to try it. Well, I was still in a short sequence when one of the bucks came in right behind my tree no morre than 10 yards away. Tried to sneak a peak and he busted me before I could barely turn. All I saw was the white flag.

Well, all the deer were headed South into the wind which also had them heading into a bottleneck of good cover on our land. I decided to try moving that way as the wind was good and I could slip out into an open field and move to another stand 500 yards South. Barely in the tree and the doe in heat came by, and the bigger buck intercepted her on the far side of a pond on the edge of the woods. I doubted I could turn him, but tried the grunt call and some rattling anyway. Well, who comes zooming right in but Mr. Funky horn here. At 10 yards and with such a great response to the rattling, I had to put him down. History has taught me not to pass on a perfect setup for success, and he has plenty for the freezer despite the strange rack. He must have damaged the horn bud at some point. The side growing down iwas right next to his face, but not touching it. Will never forget him for that and the rattle response.

Greg

[tcon]

Awesome story..unique rack for sure way to go.

Tom

[Legacy]

[Duckman1]

Nice unique deer. A lot of times when a buck has a rack like that he usually has a injury to the opposite rear leg in the past.

[ Post made via Android ]

[Reel Doc]

I have to admit, I did not expect it to be the way the horn grew in. The way he responded to the rattle made me think he broke that side fighting. His teeth said he has a 2009 birthday, so I wonder what he looked like last year.

Greg

[chowder]

Good going Greg! -Andy

[W.W.IV.]

Reel Doc

What area did you get him at.maybe 3 seasons ago I watched a very small buck tracking a hot doe, she had about a 10min.start on him, he came through the hedge row and past me, he had a fork on the left and a spike on the right that grow out and down the side of his face. He circled nose to the ground and walked up to within a foot of me turned and walk away. He was seen the next season about a .5mile away, outside of Honeoye Falls. He barely came up to my crotch .

[Gill-T]

Looks like he had a "bad antler day". Probably sleeps on his right side.

[GAMBLER]

My buddy shot the twin to that deer 2 years ago. Congrats on the buck.

[Reel Doc]

Glad to know the downhill horn is not unique to our area. We are about 8 miles from the old Seneca Army Depot site in Seneca county and I would hate to think some radioactive fallout might be altering horn growth.

Also glad to know he is out of the gene pool now just in case it is a heritable trait.

Greg

[GAMBLER]

My buddy shot his in Kendal. The club part of the rack is identical. Neat rack for sure.