Passed on a doe for this little guy...

MidwestMatthew

New Member
This was only my third year deer hunting, and I don't have regular access to the land where I hunt, so I don't really get to prepare much. My "method" is to get out early and just sit until a deer happens to walk by. Also, my chief interest in hunting is the meat, so I'm just fine shooting a doe.

But Friday morning, when I noticed this guy trailing a couple of does, he looked so much bigger than them, that I figured more meat is better than less, right? ;)

Deer2Optimized.jpg

The shot from about 120 yards could hardly have been more perfect; he charged in a short half-circle before going down after what couldn't have been more than a 30-yard run. Both lungs were completely jellied except for a tiny sliver of one. The slug (Federal Trophy Copper in 20 gauge) was recovered, whole, from under the skin on the opposite side.

I can't afford to have it mounted, but my father-in-law offered to have it done for Christmas, so who am I to refuse? ;)

Unfortunately, I forgot to score it before taking it in to the taxidermist. Anyone have any estimates on the age or size? (He had to weigh more than me and I'm 200 lbs.)

One more pic, just because:

Deer1Optimized.jpg
 
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Dont worry about score enjoy the hunt nice deer.When doing your trophy pics,stick the tongue in and wipe some blood off.In 10 years you will enjoy the picture alot more.If you didn't want to mount you could do a European mount.Easiest way is to order kit from vandykes and then just buy the refills for future
 
Dont worry about score enjoy the hunt nice deer.When doing your trophy pics,stick the tongue in and wipe some blood off.In 10 years you will enjoy the picture alot more.If you didn't want to mount you could do a European mount.Easiest way is to order kit from vandykes and then just buy the refills for future
I'm not worried about the score, just curious. :) Good tip about sticking the tongue back in, you're right, it does look pretty sloppy.
 
Congratulations! He will make a nice mount, that dark forehead patch really makes a visually appealing mount in my opinion.
 
Tough to tell age off the pictures, but I'll take a wild guess and say 4 1/2 and 120". Very nice deer - congrats - will be plenty of venison for the freezer and make a nice mount to remember for years.
 
Nice buck! He looks big. I’d say 4.5 for sure. Came up with a rough 115” on the rack. Congrats!
 
My father-in-law picked up the rack from the taxidermist to show the family at Thanksgiving, so we were able to take the measurements and came up with 121 total inches. The final (obviously unofficial) Boone and Crockett score was 112.

The taxidermist said he was 3 1/2 years old. I got 100 pounds of boneless meat back from the processor, give or take a pound or two.

I've got to say, getting this guy is kind of changing my perspective on how I hunt. I've normally just taken the first shot I can get. But something about this experience, which was a completely unexpected (and undeserved) surprise, has got me thinking about being more selective in the future!
 
He has a nice face and apparently clean (nice and white hair) ears; should make an attractive mount. Congrats and a "thank you" shout out to your fil. Oh, Oh ..... your second to the last post suggests you may have been bitten by the antler bug. Hope you take an even bigger one next year. Again congrats!
 
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