Finally got him - 12/16/23
Well, I'll start by saying that I live and hunt in Florida. A State that is certainly not known for Big Bucks like up north and out west. But it's Deer hunting none the less. Scouting last year I got a Good Buck for Florida on one of my trail cams. About a month later I got a pic of him on another one of my cams on a different part of the timber company lease. Its just under 5,000 acres.
He became number one on my hit list. I would get a couple pics of him and then he would vanish for several weeks. Then he would show up again in the other spot for a few days and vanish again. This started a cat and mouse game of me trying to pattern him. I tried to get him in my sights during archery, muzzleloader and rifle season. I saw him once last year but at a distance, no shot.
![[Linked Image from i.postimg.cc]](https://i.postimg.cc/ZqH3Ghhx/thumbnail-23.jpg)
He survived the season and showed up again in one of the same spots as he did last year.
![[Linked Image from i.postimg.cc]](https://i.postimg.cc/Prf791vg/thumbnail-25.jpg)
Not the best pictures. I took a pic of the card reader with my phone. But you can still tell he's a nice buck.
I didn't get the chance to hunt this year during archery or muzzleloader. I was taking care of my 96 year old Mother who was not doing well. She passed in October. After taking care of some family matters I was able to get back to the lease and start hunting again. To my surprise he was on camera and doing well. I thought for sure someone would have shot him by now.
My plan was to rotate between the two spots he was showing up at. Always hunting the stand that put the wind in my favor. His pattern was to show up for 2 sometimes 3 days in row at one spot right at first or last light then go dark for a couple of weeks then show up again same thing. Always during twilight.
Well it seems that he was doing a better job of patterning me than I was him. He was very elusive. I did see him once briefly at approx. 300yds crossing an opening. He didn't stop. No shot. He seem to always be one step ahead of me. This happened the next several trips to camp.
Last time I got back to camp I changed things up a bit. I left to go to the stand earlier than normal. I came in from a different direction and parked in a different spot much further away. I walked over a quarter mile in the dark with no headlight and slipped into the stand quietly about an hour and 15 minutes before first light. It was a beautiful morning. 40 degrees and still.
As time went by you could start to see a thin sliver of light on the horizon. I was just thinking hurry up and get light enough to see through the scope. I would check every few minutes and think not yet but soon. I set the firedot on my VX5 HD on the low setting. I could now see enough to scan out in front of me It was twilight. Everything looked like a black and white photo. No color, just shades of light and dark but I could make out shapes. A few minutes go by and I scan to my right and I see a rack, still, not moving at the edge of the pines. I immediately knew it was him.
He took a slow step forward and stopped. He was out of the pines at about 80-90 yards. there was just enough vegetation to cover his body but I could now see his head and rack. He took another slow step and stopped. He was being very cautious. Another couple of steps and he would be in the open. I eased off the safety, He slowly moved forward. As he stepped into the open I could see him good but everything was still shades of light and dark grey.
I put the red fire dot on his shoulder and squeezed the trigger of my 270. As the shot broke he dropped in his tracks. His back leg kicked once and that was it. I finally got him. I have been hunting WT Deer for over 50 years. I have hunted them in 5 different states. I have killed many Bucks bigger than this one. But never a more worthy opponent.
![[Linked Image from i.postimg.cc]](https://i.postimg.cc/NjgW242M/thumbnail-19.jpg)
![[Linked Image from i.postimg.cc]](https://i.postimg.cc/kXQsCVqC/thumbnail-18.jpg)
He became number one on my hit list. I would get a couple pics of him and then he would vanish for several weeks. Then he would show up again in the other spot for a few days and vanish again. This started a cat and mouse game of me trying to pattern him. I tried to get him in my sights during archery, muzzleloader and rifle season. I saw him once last year but at a distance, no shot.
He survived the season and showed up again in one of the same spots as he did last year.
Not the best pictures. I took a pic of the card reader with my phone. But you can still tell he's a nice buck.
I didn't get the chance to hunt this year during archery or muzzleloader. I was taking care of my 96 year old Mother who was not doing well. She passed in October. After taking care of some family matters I was able to get back to the lease and start hunting again. To my surprise he was on camera and doing well. I thought for sure someone would have shot him by now.
My plan was to rotate between the two spots he was showing up at. Always hunting the stand that put the wind in my favor. His pattern was to show up for 2 sometimes 3 days in row at one spot right at first or last light then go dark for a couple of weeks then show up again same thing. Always during twilight.
Well it seems that he was doing a better job of patterning me than I was him. He was very elusive. I did see him once briefly at approx. 300yds crossing an opening. He didn't stop. No shot. He seem to always be one step ahead of me. This happened the next several trips to camp.
Last time I got back to camp I changed things up a bit. I left to go to the stand earlier than normal. I came in from a different direction and parked in a different spot much further away. I walked over a quarter mile in the dark with no headlight and slipped into the stand quietly about an hour and 15 minutes before first light. It was a beautiful morning. 40 degrees and still.
As time went by you could start to see a thin sliver of light on the horizon. I was just thinking hurry up and get light enough to see through the scope. I would check every few minutes and think not yet but soon. I set the firedot on my VX5 HD on the low setting. I could now see enough to scan out in front of me It was twilight. Everything looked like a black and white photo. No color, just shades of light and dark but I could make out shapes. A few minutes go by and I scan to my right and I see a rack, still, not moving at the edge of the pines. I immediately knew it was him.
He took a slow step forward and stopped. He was out of the pines at about 80-90 yards. there was just enough vegetation to cover his body but I could now see his head and rack. He took another slow step and stopped. He was being very cautious. Another couple of steps and he would be in the open. I eased off the safety, He slowly moved forward. As he stepped into the open I could see him good but everything was still shades of light and dark grey.
I put the red fire dot on his shoulder and squeezed the trigger of my 270. As the shot broke he dropped in his tracks. His back leg kicked once and that was it. I finally got him. I have been hunting WT Deer for over 50 years. I have hunted them in 5 different states. I have killed many Bucks bigger than this one. But never a more worthy opponent.
![[Linked Image from i.postimg.cc]](https://i.postimg.cc/pLfpJ2Vb/thumbnail-25.jpg)