Trad Gang
Traditional Bowhunting/Archery Videos => Tarz Antics => Topic started by: Terry Green on April 03, 2008, 04:31:00 PM
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We all have hunts that don't turn out just the way we want them....some worse than others. And those can seem to haunt us eternally.
Sometimes fate is just belated, and a late victory, although not as tasty as an instant victory, is still mighty sweet.
I got a call last week from 'Peanut' Campbell at Solana Ranch asking me to describe my buck's rack that we never found. I did, and he said my description of the rack looked a lot like the one he was holding. I asked him where he found it, and he said "Only 50 yards downstream from where your buck crosses the river on his escape". It made sense it was mine, being in the back yard basically of my tree stand, and the fact that we were on the last hunt of the season.
Peanut sent me some pics, and I was pretty sure it was him, but I couldn't tell for sure. There was one pic from overhead that sure looked like the shape of the main beams as I remembered it. Peanut was kind enough to send it to me to have a look in person.
Soon as I opened the box and looked in I didn't even have to take it out, there was no doubt it was him. I immediately had the vision of this buck standing below me broadside in the opening. He was magnificent!!! I've never experience a recovery like this before, a recovery after the fact, but I'm thrilled let me tell ya.
We can only speculate at this point, as it 'seemed' the buck was held up in some really nasty stuff in the river bottom in his death bed, and he somehow eluded 4 of us and a dog. I'm still not sure just how that happened. But after we left, the rains came and they came causing a big flood that evidently drug my buck out of the thicket coming to rest in the edge of the river just a stones throw of his crossing. That's Peanuts take on it.
Sure, I'd love to know the real story, but I wont. I'd love to have had the thrill of the recovery, the photos, the camp celebration, and the fine venison, but I can't get any of that back.........
But I'll settle for the icing just the same.
(http://www.tradgang.com/upload/terry/solanaten2.jpg)
(http://www.tradgang.com/upload/terry/solanaten4.jpg)
(http://www.tradgang.com/upload/terry/solanaten1.jpg)
(http://www.tradgang.com/upload/terry/solanaten5.jpg)
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Congrats on recovering your trophy. I know what you mean about that haunting feeling when you loose an animal you shot. Its nice to have some closure.
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Terry,
Icing is good :thumbsup:
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Nice rack. At least you got the memories to go with it and chance to "lick some of the icing."
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Icing IS the sweetest part of the cake.
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Im sure that it caused alot of sleepless nights. Glad you know the ending, although still not completely.
Congrats on you and your hunting buddys for never giving up the search, and a great deer.
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beautiful buck for sure, real pity you could not find him when you where there, but its good to see you got it back.
something really mystical about those particular antlers
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It still hurts inside I am sure,It is something that you will never forget.AT least you have a part of him.Those horns will help the healing,very nice deer.
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Glad you got closure. Fine rack there.
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Wow ! Magnificent to say the least.
I'm haunted by a magnificent rack like that too....never got to draw on him as it was a little too dark, but I'll never forget all those tines !
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Awesome rack! I can see how that could lead to some sleepless nights.
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Glad you got the rack, better than never finding hide nor horn!
Congrats on a beautiful buck!
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Very cool. Congrats. I think of one myself, oh like every day...from 06. about 170 class non typical. Funny how no one mentioned it until I brought it up. Then they all admitted to seeing him.. Very , very cool you got it back.
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congrats Terry :0)
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Glad to hear it.... I'm still in haunting from a hunt two years ago. Half of it ended like yours, the other a bit worse. I can't say that getting the rack back in my hands made a difference.
Take care.
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Hate when that kinda stuff happens. I've had a couple over the years that I never knew what happened,it eats ya for a long time! Glad you found out!
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Well as Forrest Gumps said "IT HAPPENS". It doesn't matter what weopon, it will happen if you spend enough time in the field.
I knew that this was the buck when the pic showed up a few days ago.
I'm glad that you have closure. I still have a blacktail buck on the mountain in Washington state that haunts me.
Mike
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Nice buck Terry. So will it be european or buying a cape?
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awesome man, you should be proud.
Billy
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Nice buck Terry. At least you got to silence the haunting! BLM
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Originally posted by tradtusker:
something really mystical about those particular antlers
Yep...my thoughts exactly.
Not sure BowDude....that rack would make a dandy European....but I've also got a certain pose I've been wanting...and this guy might fit the bill. No hurry really...still just savoring it.
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Thats great that you have the rack Terry! I know its not "THE Recovery" you wanted but it is a recovery. If your like me, you probably had thoughts about it for days. Sleepless nights set in and you just stew over it. But, its going to happen as long as we hunt. Congrats! Happy for Ya!
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Now you'll sleep better instead of dreaming , congrats thats nice one Terry...Marco#78:)
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That's nice to have closure Terry.
2006 was tough year for me. I lost two P&Y deer in two different states within 7 days. One in PA and one in Iowa.
I hit the PA buck in the shoulder and we never saw him on the farm again in 2006 or 2007.
I hit the Iowa buck high above the lungs.
To lose one deer hurts bad, to lose two is heartbreaking. I ended up taking a P&Y in Iowa the next day before I had to drive home. But driving 1700 miles by myself leaves a lot of time to think about those deer.
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Awesome Terry,you just pumped me up again to go look some more. Last Dec.(2nd rut) I stuck a nice 10-pt but failed to recover him after a 10 hr search.Rain/snow had wiped out the sparse blood so searching the thick creek bottom wasn't very encouraging.Quartering away,I slid 20 " of arrow in the back of the ribs.The hit should have been fatal,liver and lung. I've been back twice this spring shed/rack hunting but no luck.
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And some nice icing too mate. I lost a good stag last year, it's never easy.
Thanks for the photos mate,
AK.
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"Haunting" is about the best way to describe it.
Mature bucks are not only bigger, tougher, and smarter, but they also have an almost spooky ability to dissappear.
I can only imagine what it was like to open that box and look down at those antlers again.
That`s one spot in your mind that can be used for something else. We all KNOW something like this NEVER totally goes away. Opening that box
gave you the chance to end the "haunting".
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Sometimes things aren't just meant to be, some people would consider it a waste of vension however nature doesn't waste anything. He feed other animals and hopefully he has some offspring running around waiting to become king of the woods just like he was!
I'm glad he was found in some form, and I'm sure you'll do something with the gift you recieved to show respect to him!
Beautiful Buck Terry!
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Looks like a "matched set" Terry. I know you're relieved to to have the wondering ended. Congratulations. Grant
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Good for you Terry. Since you posted that rack earlier, I can't get it out of my head how close he is to your recent kill. There is some kinda mojo thing happening here. Nice pair of bucks.
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Great story and relieved ending... I wish I could have the same- my Missouri buck is still there. Steep angle, surely got liver and right lung, no bottom hole, searched 9 hours the day before gun season and had to come home. I think about him just about every day......
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AWESOME! that rack is WOWZERS and that bow ain't bad either.<><
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As has been said, icing is good. Now go back next year and get yourself some cake too!
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The (big) game warden upstairs sure does amazing work, eh!
What a nice rack! Almost completely symmetrical.
I know how you feel about not getting to sample that venison, settling on satisfying your sweet tooth on the icing is really not that bad, hopefully it fills a small spot in your memory bank where the recovery pictures would of been. Here is wishing you have venison stew instead of rack soup this fall, go get his daddy
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TERRY GREAT RACK!! I`m sure that will help heal that scare.banghead: I would like to more of that hunt. I hear good thing`s about Solona :campfire: :
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That's a beauty, Terry!
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Ghostly looking...That would haunt me for sure...Glad you got closure...And some icing....Congrats Terry!
David
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Had that happen to me once. Very good deer, but not as good as yours. Glad you were able to close the deal on a somewhat positive note. Nice that Peanut was so considerate. Says something about his operation. Congrats.
:thumbsup:
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That's a beauty Terry! Glad you got them eventually! ;) :thumbsup:
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Terry,
Sometimes things like this are meant to keep us humble, we searched the best we can, we hunt the hardest we could, and the simple things puzzle us the most. Inside you did the best you could, with what you had, and there were probably critters out there that took care of the rest, so it really doesn't go to waste, because that's the design of nature. But by putting your steps together, you ended the journey knowing that the buck you arrowed is a trophy in your hands. We always remember our mistakes the most, very few people can tell you who won the Super Bowl two years ago, but most of the sports figures that make big mistakes, many people can remember their names, and that's the way it is with ourselves, most of the time we are harder on ourselves more than anybody else is.
The benefit from this, look the good friend you've got, that was good enough to send a trophy like that. Now that's something to build on.
Pastor Carl
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That's gotta make ya' feel good!
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CONGRATS. IM HAPPY FOR YOU. TURKEY HUNTING OK 2 DOWN SCOUTING NOW FOR NEXT YEAR DEER SEASON. LOOKING GOOD!!!
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A bowhunter I knew of in Michigan hunted with his bow for a couple years for a huge buck. In the second year of the hunt; after a month of not getting any shots: he decided to take a shotgun with a slug out opening day of rifle season.
Naturally the buck walked into easy bow range; and he hit it in the chest - with the 12 guage.
He followed the blood trail relentlessly; and when he tired; a friend took over; and then another; for three days the neighbors and he followed the buck; with a blood trail all the way.
But the buck was lost.
That next March he got a phone call from a neighbor- who said he had found the buck.
He went right over to the guys house; and the guy invited him in and walked him over to a telescope- he was a star gazer..
In the scope the buck could be seen bedded down; and after a few cups of coffee and discussion- the deer stood up; and the wound was healed but clear to see.
My uncles hunting buddy shot a deer with a rifle; and then walked up to it and shot it with his .38 pistol. Then he decided to bleed it out and stabbed it in the neck.
It got up and ran off!! They tracked it for miles; and lost the blood trail.
That winter I was ice fishing and talking to a guy that said he had shot a buck that had a knife in its throat....!
It was a handmade knife;and yes; it was the same deer! When the knife owner and the guy that ended up with the knife compared notes; the deer had covered 15 miles in two days before it was killed....
Some days are diamond; some days are stone !!
Congrats on getting your buck. If the water was deep - the deer could have sunk; and then depending on temperature; it could have risen from the gases building up in it.
I have found elk after a good hit in the evening and found them the next day minus all the meat ( thank you bears [not]).
I shot a buck once took the antlers and cape out first. When I came back an hour later; there were a dozen coyotes tearing the rest apart.
Chit happens man.. Congrats on the good shot; and the eventual recovery. He would have been too tough to eat anyway :)
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Congrats on some closure anyway.
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It's amazing how tough and smart they can be at times. I was on a beautiful blood trail with a friend last Fall that ended up without recovery. 15 yard shot placement sounded good, hit a far rib and the BH broke through the opposite chest wall. The arrow (from his compound) stayed in the deer until it fell out some 60 yards down the trail. I'm still amazed that a deer could bleed so damn much and then dry up. We searched until we were physically exhausted.
If a Genie could grant me 3 wishes, one of them would be to know how that deer got away from us with a hit and blood like that.
Good to see some closure for ya.
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Terry, I know how much you fretted about not recovering that Big Boy. I'm real happy you at least got to know the ending. Congrats...Doc
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Thanks again Guys.......and thanks for the special guest appearance O'l Shep!!! :wavey: :jumper: