My season has come to an end. (Pics)

[IdahoBugler]

Well I finally filled my last deer tag in Idaho. I shot a small buck on the last night I was able to hunt. I shot the deer right at dark. I wasn't sure of the hit so I made the decision to leave him until morning. I returned early and found my arrow had mostly gut on it. So I thought good decision to leave him alone, right? After 20 yards I started seeing lots of blood and new the shot wasn't as bad as I thought. 75 yards later my hunting partner tells me he see's something under a big juniper. We go over and found my deer half eatin. We were unable to find any predator tracks due to the cold hard ground but we both decided it had to be something farely big to have pulled him under the tree. I tracked the deer to about 5 ft passed the tree and could see where he bedded down and died. The tree he was under was about 10 feet away so I don't think he drug himself under it. I rolled the deer over and the shot was perfect. He must of been quartering to me because the arrow entered tight behind the front shoulder and exited out his guts just behind the liver. I salvaged what I could and took a few pictures.

I drug the deer out from under the tree directly behind him.

 

[fairchase]

Congrats...way to hold out and get the most out of your season. What do you think got it, probably a lion?

Greg

 

[NvrEnuf]

Sorry your buck got all chewed up man! Something sure made a mess of him! I've been told that if you are able to leave a jacket or something drapped over the animal it will help to keep predators away. May not have been possible in your case but it would have in mine.

I had a very similar thing happen to me a few years ago. I killed a buck way down in a hell hole. It was getting pretty late in the afternoon. We knew we wouldn't get out until very late so after gutting him my buddy and I decided to lay him in a snow drift and come back the next morning. When we got back there were bear tracks in the snow drift and my buck was gone! We followed the drag marks for about 75yds and found the buck with his antlers all tangled up in some dead fall. The bear didn't ruin anything but the front shoulder (he also chewed a hole right through the ribs for some strange reason?). All the rest of the meat was fine. This is what my buck looked like after the bear got done with him.

We were going to bone the buck but quickly decided that quartering him would have to do. One guy would cut while the other watched for the bear. It was pretty freaky! Neither of us took guns down in because we knew we had a lot of meat to pack out. We figured we must have jumped the bear right off the buck when we showed up because his shoulder was still dripping wet with the bears saliva! I'm damn glad the bear never came back before we were gone. It was a pretty quick quartering job I'll tell you that much!

Congrats on a fine muley!

NvrEnuf

 

[wilecoyote76]

Way to go there IB! That looks like a pretty good sized "Moosie" buck to me! HA HA HA. Trophy two point if I do say so myself. At least you were able to salvage some of the meat. Big kudos to you on another great archery buck.

 

[csutton7]

congrats, but that sucks--seems more prevalent these days with the predators chewin on game left in the field til next morn--chris

 

[tnctcb]

congrats on making the most of your season.to bad something else found it before you did.

 

[supersider34]

way to go IB. Bad news on the eaten part but less meat to pack.LOL Congrats.

 

[Elkhunter]

Congrats IB. Sorry to hear about finding it after something else found it.

 

[JoseCuervo]

Nice forkie, good height, good width....

You should have gone back and sat on the gut pile that evening, for revenge.

 

[Quick Draw]

Nice looking buck. It really does suck that something else found him and got the first roast off of him. The rest of him should be fine though right??
Quick Draw

 

[IdahoBugler]

SS - He was definetly lighter to pack out.

QD - I did eat some backstraps yesterday and they were pretty good. Nice and tender.

Thanks for the kudos guys. Now its time to start over again. What units and what states??? Some many questions so little time.

Later,