# Freak Encounter...(long Read, hopefully worth it)



## Screeminreel (Jun 2, 2004)

Through the years I have been hunting, I have been extremely blessed to hunt with some great people on some great property all over the state. My beginnings were hunting the Hill country around Medena and Bandera, then back to the East side of 45 in Centerville along the river bottom, and many other places both leased by us and friends who invited me to come along. I have sat and watched deer in all facets of their everyday routines, and videoed deer some of which would be the trophies of a lifetime for tons of hunters only to let them walk away with my own satisfaction of simply being able to see them and had the chance to harvets such a great animal, had I chose to. 

Over the past decade or so, I have help out on a friends properties with the work and upkeep, with the allowance of me to come hunt with them being one of the most cherished rewards aside from their friendship. The have some awesome deer on both properties but the river bottom deer are the ones that get my gears cranking. The first buck I took from this particular place, was a weird horned non-typical. Nothing fancey simply unique to nature and thats the sort of thing I really look for in a buck. There are MANY awesome typicals that run those woods but I simply don't get juiced up on them like I used to. Let a 6 point freak step out next to a nice 130+ typical 10, and I become a jibbering idiot.

Well yesterday was our first outing into these woods this season. With the river up, there was no way to access more than half of the better hunting areas. So we setup trying to see what we could see with what was there. This might sound somewhat limited, but the river pushed out and concentrate most of the deer into several other quite great areas. We, my friend, his wife, and myself, got situated in our stands around 5:30, seeing deer at each as we came up to them in the mule. About 10 minutes before I could see my pins, I had a great buck under my stand within 15yds, heavy racked wide and tall. It was still to dark to count points but with the light coming fast I was working hard to get my pins to focus. Finally with enough light to see my top pin I was starting to raise the bow when, an unseen or noticed, yupon limb caught the edge of my broadhead and as it slipped off, it slapped the side of the ladder and the buck disappeared into the darkness. Somewhat disappointed, I thought a minute and relaxed into the rest of the hunt satisfied I had been that close to a monster. 

The rest of the morning hunt was for the most part uneventful, seeing a handful of out of range, yearling does, and a couple of yearling bucks and one 3yr old we have been trying to get, but keeps being just out of range. I was content with being there enjoying nature. Midday we went for a cruise to see just how much we could actually get to. We saw tons of tracks, and down at the far end of the place where I have a bow stand we saw a couple of exceptional sets of buck tracks, and one set we knew with a bent toe. This is a great buck which last year was probably a mid 140" heavy and wide 8 point. My friend thought he had put the hammer down on him with a good shot from his bow, only to find him up and gone when we headed out an hour or so to retrieve him. Later in the year he was seen chasing does at the other end of the property with a notable limp on his right side. This year has has come back with a full 22" or so rack, very heavy and definatly the supreme buck in the area with the others cowering away from him as he approaches. 

I sat in my bow stand hoping he would come back along the trail which ran within 15 yds of my stand, before nightfall. With the river up, the creek behind it was literally lapping at the base of my tree. With my Thermocell doing all it could, the mosquitoes ran me out of there just before dark. Not an issue, I hadn't seen anything but two squirrels anyway. As I made my way through the 50 or so yards to the edge of the pasture, I saw movement through the trees and grabbed up my binoculars to get a close up. The first thing into view was a doe, standing some 300+ yards out looking back off to her left. As I got focused in on her, she bolted, and up steps a decent 18" 8 point which was young but looked great. He stopped where she was standing and repeated the over the shoulder look before peeling out to his right to clear the way for the big boy. I watched with excitement building as the huge old chocolate based white tipped bruiser came into view. He is a massive bodied deer probably pushing hard on 200#, having eaten good with the rain and mast they have had in that area. I hit my grunt and got his attention, or so I though. He stopped and gave me the Hartford deer pose for about a minute, long enough to get the juices pumping real good, before heading off in pursuite of the smaller 8. As I swung around I noticed another deer over by where the 8 was standing. As the the now huge ol 9 point trotted up their direction, I again put the bino's up to check them both out together. To my surprise, I saw the other deer which simply made me have to take a seat to be able to continue to look. The other deer can only be described as a freak of nature. Since the distance was close to 250yds or so, and the light was fading all the while, I had to take a quick accessment of what I was actually looking at. As best as I can put it he as a minimum of 17 longer pionts which come out of what basically appear to be trunks protuding close to 20" or more from his head , about the size of a little league baseball bats. Including all of the stickers and such added to them, and the fact that I was at that point for the most part shaking like the dog and peach pit, I could not get an accurate count. 

This is the best hunt for the most part of my life, the only thing that would have made it better would to have had my video camera along to share it with others. I have dedicated the rest of the season to the pursuit of this particular deer in hopes that I might be able to post up a picture of him for everyone to see. If I am fortunate enough to take him, it will more than likely be the end of my hunting anything whitetailed with horns, as this is simply the epitome of what my whole hunting career has been about. Should anyone else there get him I will share with them in their joy and triumph. If he makes it through the season unscathed, even better, that will just mean more of him to go around in the coming years. 

I hope the read wasn't to long, but I had to share with someone the greatness of what we all hit the woods for. The pursuit of the wild is something engraind in all of us if we choose to unlock the door. Stick with it long enough and hopefully you too will be rewarded.


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## Hunter11 (Jun 26, 2008)

That was a great story! I hope you get that big one, I would love to see some pictures of him.


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## FISHNNUTT (Oct 27, 2007)

Great read enjoyed it thanks for sharing
Good luck on that big boy!!


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## Goags (May 28, 2004)

Great read! I suspect you'll have a "good" season just looking for him again.


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## sharkbait-tx70 (Jun 28, 2009)

Ditto on the great read...You got my heart rate up.. Best of luck on puttin that big boy on the ground...I have not been able to bow hunt this yr due to dislocating my shoulder.But I am counting the days till rifle season....


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## dicklaxt (Jun 2, 2005)

That sounds like you ought to be sitting in that stand(daylight til dark) for the rest of the season or even after if he is still available to the camera lens.It was always one of my hunting goals to shoot a large non typical.I only saw one in 50 plus years of hunting and was not even fortunate to get off a shot.

I hope you can harvest this old boy and surely post up pics..

dick


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## Sniper John (Dec 11, 2006)

From what you describe, if it was me, it would definately consume my season. I would be unable to shoot any other buck and would not shoot a doe on chance it would lead to a missed opportunity on the buck. I envy you and glad it is not me at the same time. The years I have had a similar situation I usually end up shooting nothing by the time season is over. I guess it is partly why I seldom get in trophy hunting mode anymore, but if I saw a buck like yours on my place, I would revert back to it in a heartbeat. 
Good Luck. I hope you get him.


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## Trouthunter (Dec 18, 1998)

Good read and I agree with the others. I know what I'd be hunting. 

TH


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## redduck (Jul 26, 2006)

Great read. Just another example of why we really hunt. It is not always about "killing" but being in nature and seeing all its wonders and every once in a while take a really nice animal.


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