Spot and stalk whitetail

[Ahiuranch]

I was born and raised in Hawaii, when I got out of the military I decided to move to Texas and get a ranch (family owns a 30k acre ranch back home) I quickly realized I got bored sitting in a tree or blind at a feeder. Not kicking guys that can because it would have saved me some heart ache but I can’t. I also grew up hunting with an open sight 30-30 and my dad wouldn’t let me shoot anything past 40 yards, he alway said if you can’t get close enough to smell them then you ain’t close enough. I had pictures of this buck but he would be all over the place and never consistently in the same areas. One morning I just happened to see him crossing a pasture headed to a thick grove of trees next to a swamp. I went back to the house had some coffee with my wife and played with the kids. Around 4 pm I made my way back to the pasture and set up about 300 yards from the swamp so I could be mobile but close enough that if he showed I could belly crawl in. At 6 the sun started its downward path and some doe’s appear but no buck, I figured the wind had set up so I crawl my way in to the swamp to see if I can pick him up. Things quickly escalated as I seen what I thought to be pigs feeding in the swamp(I never turn down good pork) I get 10 yards from the swamp and slowly look over the tall grass I had been crawling in and the pigs turn out to be doe’s. I decided to stay put and glass, then it happens I see a white patch and some antler tips 65 yards away on the edge of the swamp. I immediately drop back into the grass and start my crawl to the buck, I make it to within what I thought was 40 yards as I pop my head up to look again I see the buck has fed out into the swamp. Now he is only 28 yards from me but due to the grass I can’t shoot unless I stand up and if I stand he’ll most likely take off. So I crawl hands and knees into the mud to the edge of the grass bow on my shoulders. I get to the edge and he is facing away from me looking at the doe’s the doe’s on the other hand are facing him looking at me. I decided it’s now or never I pull my bow off my shoulders and draw. As I do this the farthest doe blows and stomps, he turns around to face me(quartering away) and I send it holding my 20 yard pin a little high guessing he was 22-25 yards. The shot didn’t feel really great as my hands were muddy and it felt like I had slipped off the trigger. I watch him run across the swamp and as he hits the bank I see him do the big buck down dance. I get up to him and there was no shrinking he just got bigger and bigger. His hoofs were overgrown and hollow, he had one front tooth left on the bottom and 3 up top. I am not sure what he taped out at or his age (in Hawaii we never checked horn size we just ate everything) but he is by far my biggest whitetail body and rack to date and I am guessing unless he’s a hillbilly with teeth like that he isn’t young. That’s the story of little big John. -Kai

 

[Scoot]

That's pretty dang awesome! Many congrats on a great buck and a great story to boot!

 

[philos]

Nice buck Kai. Welcome to Rokslide!

 

[4doutfitter]

congrats

 

[Borofsky]

Great story !

 

[JustCortisol]

haha entertaining read

 

[jg58]

Tg

I was born and raised in Hawaii, when I got out of the military I decided to move to Texas and get a ranch (family owns a 30k acre ranch back home) I quickly realized I got bored sitting in a tree or blind at a feeder. Not kicking guys that can because it would have saved me some heart ache but I can’t. I also grew up hunting with an open sight 30-30 and my dad wouldn’t let me shoot anything past 40 yards, he alway said if you can’t get close enough to smell them then you ain’t close enough. I had pictures of this buck but he would be all over the place and never consistently in the same areas. One morning I just happened to see him crossing a pasture headed to a thick grove of trees next to a swamp. I went back to the house had some coffee with my wife and played with the kids. Around 4 pm I made my way back to the pasture and set up about 300 yards from the swamp so I could be mobile but close enough that if he showed I could belly crawl in. At 6 the sun started its downward path and some doe’s appear but no buck, I figured the wind had set up so I crawl my way in to the swamp to see if I can pick him up. Things quickly escalated as I seen what I thought to be pigs feeding in the swamp(I never turn down good pork) I get 10 yards from the swamp and slowly look over the tall grass I had been crawling in and the pigs turn out to be doe’s. I decided to stay put and glass, then it happens I see a white patch and some antler tips 65 yards away on the edge of the swamp. I immediately drop back into the grass and start my crawl to the buck, I make it to within what I thought was 40 yards as I pop my head up to look again I see the buck has fed out into the swamp. Now he is only 28 yards from me but due to the grass I can’t shoot unless I stand up and if I stand he’ll most likely take off. So I crawl hands and knees into the mud to the edge of the grass bow on my shoulders. I get to the edge and he is facing away from me looking at the doe’s the doe’s on the other hand are facing him looking at me. I decided it’s now or never I pull my bow off my shoulders and draw. As I do this the farthest doe blows and stomps, he turns around to face me(quartering away) and I send it holding my 20 yard pin a little high guessing he was 22-25 yards. The shot didn’t feel really great as my hands were muddy and it felt like I had slipped off the trigger. I watch him run across the swamp and as he hits the bank I see him do the big buck down dance. I get up to him and there was no shrinking he just got bigger and bigger. His hoofs were overgrown and hollow, he had one front tooth left on the bottom and 3 up top. I am not sure what he taped out at or his age (in Hawaii we never checked horn size we just ate everything) but he is by far my biggest whitetail body and rack to date and I am guessing unless he’s a hillbilly with teeth like that he isn’t young. That’s the story of little big John. -

That's awesome!

 

[Szwampdonkey]

Good story and an experience that just isnt the same sitting over a feeder. Ive always been a mobile deer hunter, talking since the 80s. Ill sit in stands but they are put up that day based on sign (or a scenario such as yours where you located where he was bedded), hunted in, then taken down that night and packed out. Ill sit on the ground too if there arent any trees to climb up in. Mobile hunting whitetails is addicting cant wait for fall!