Got it done on 11/16. Heavy snow falling, we went looking for fresh tracks. Found a set crossing the logging road and I determined that there was (at least) one buck chasing some does around. I thought I heard some grunting actually. It looked like the tracks went back up to the logging road and crossed there. I went back to my buddy's truck to let him know that the tracks crossed back over. While we were talking, a doe flew back across the road. My buddy bailed out of the truck and we both looked towards where the doe went. He looked back to where she came from just in time to see a buck chasing her stop short of the logging road, and then head back into the woods . Now we knew we had a fresh buck track to follow so we parked the truck and got all our gear on. Since my buddy saw the buck and I didn't, I told him that he should take the tracks and I'd try to stay parallel to him about 70 yards away; we'd stay in contact via radio. We've done this before and it's worked well for us. At the last minute, I asked him to unlock his truck again, which was a pain as he had to dig his keys out of an inside pocket, but he did and I reached in a grabbed my grunt call. He started on the tracks and I entered the woods 70 yards downwind from him. I got to a small knoll and looked over the edge. I started to second guess my decision to go in downwind from my buddy as my thought was that the deer probably turned into the wind shortly after heading back into the woods. In fact, I expected my buddy to call me on the radio any second to confirm my thought. I figured that while I was there I may as well let out a couple of grunts, which I did. Almost immediately this guy stepped out from some small spruces. I actually had quite a bit of time; I put the cross hairs right behind his left front shoulder and squeezed of the shot. He whirled and ran. I racked another shell in and fired again. I got on the radio with my buddy. I got onto the jumping tracks and found no blood! I was kind of panicking because I expected every bound to have a big splash of blood in the snow, but it wasn't the case. Could I have missed? I didn't think so... Fifty yards later over just a small knoll, he laid there piled up. He didn't drop a single drop of blood until his final resting place. My second heaviest buck; he dressed out at 170 pounds. He has 15 score-able points including a 9" drop tine and a ton of stickers. He was a scrapper; his right main beam is broken 5" shorter than his left, and the brow tine on that side was broken short as well. It appeared that he had another drop tine on the other side that was broken off at the main beam as well as a second and third point completely broken off at the main beams, so he "should" have been an 18 pointer.
That guy has it all. Size and tons of character. I bet the other bucks in that area are glad he's gone.
From what i understand.....the deer population is not great in Maine...but by golly....if ya find a buck..its a good chance its a nice one....CONGRATS
Oh boy, that IS a really nice buck, if you never get another one, that is a beaut!!!Congratulations and thanks for the story/picture
An hour or so North-west of Waterville... I used "Deer Slayer" my old Remington 7600 in .280 cut down to carbine length.
Great description of the lead up to the shot - I'd imagine some twitching and shaking and second guessing after seeing him in the crosshairs, for those of us that have been there exhilarating Heart racing when no blood trail on fresh snow, giddy with anticipation/devastation - been there. Awesome buck, worthy of a wall mount
