Gnarly NJ Buck

[Bmelvin]

Was lucky enough to get my hands on a super unique buck this week.  Buck was around during the summer but then he vanished and I really thought someone got him. About two weeks ago he popped back up and it was game on but he was covering some serious ground.  He was being seen in multiple spots miles apart within 24 hours almost daily so his pattern was horrible.  The only pictures I was getting were the middle of the night and would only be one or two and then he would be gone for a day or two. Fast forward to Tuesday where I got confirmation he was in a spot for over 24 hours so although it was hot I knew I had to be in the tree. Wind was actually perfect for my spot and settled in early around 2.  Didn’t see anything for two hours until two does stood up out of a thicket 130 yards away and about 2 mins later he stood up 10 yards away. He immediately took a straight line to my set, almost didn’t have enough time to get all four cameras turned on and bow in hand. Managed to pull that off and he was within 20yards in about 45 seconds. He grabbed a snack for about a min and then turned to leave. I gave him the old Mehhh and he didn’t stop so I tried again and again he didn’t stop. Well had to shoot walking!! I practice this shot a lot so I felt confident. Was at 24 yards now and just aimed a touch forward of the 10 ring and touched off. Arrow found its mark and I thought I crushed him(picture below shows entrance). Hit looked great about 4 inches back from crease as he was quartering away just a bit.  Only issue was I didn’t get a pass through as the arrow was still in him. Well he ran and stopped at 40 yards and stood there for 3 mins and started to wobble, I thought he was going down right there. I could see my entrance and saw blood so I was confident he was toast. He then started to walk off and lost him behind cover, let the doubt begin.  I got down and packed my gear up and that took about 30 mins so I walked over to check first blood. There wasn’t a lot but enough for me to follow around the cover and there he was bedded another 30 yards against a tree. He stood up and walked away slowly in a good direction so I just backed out. Made a call to Darren Doran and sent him the video of the hit and we agreed the deer was certainly dead but might be best to leave for first light due to his reaction. We got in there right at 6:15 and Rita his dog was right on the track. The deer stopped bleeding for about 50 yards but Rita was all over it. We came to a blow down the deer had jumped and once he did that the blood started again and was pretty consistent the rest of the way but Rita was a laser beam right to it. Would have most likely found him without the dog but she saved me a ton of time. I think she did the whole track in 10 Mins. He ended up going 315 yards from hit site. After gutting him I was able to see I crushed one lung and put a 2 inch cut on the bottom of the second lung and nicked the heart (pictures below). Darren even said he sees it every year, what kills a deer quickly in September doesn’t always kill them quickly in the rut. Again hit was few Inches back from the crease and it actually exited right in his opposite armpit and hit the leg bone and bounce back toward entrance so that’s why I didn’t get full pass through.   Just goes to show you how tough these animals can be.  Obviously it was a hair low as an inch higher would have center punched the lungs but I was still shocked at how far he went.  I have hit plenty of deer in a similar spot and watch them fall Over 50 yards away. I will be editing the footage and posting on my brand page. If anyone doesn’t know it is Timber Life Outdoors (Links below). Started it a couple months back before the bear hunt. Social media pages are up (Facebook and Instagram) and YouTube channel will be up in a few weeks with hunts from NJ.  Thanks for reading and best of luck to all still chasing!  
 

https://www.facebook.com/share/19Gd9RgVKK/?mibextid=LQQJ4d

https://www.instagram.com/timber_life_outdoors/profilecard/?igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
 

 

Edited November 8, 2024 by Bmelvin

[fish_hunter]

way to go Brian. Knew it was a dead deer as soon as I watched the clip. Still shocked he didn't pile up sooner. Absolutely beautiful deer, character and also photos ! Congratulations on an awesome season ! 

Edited November 8, 2024 by fish_hunter
sp.

[hammer4reel]

Great Buck 

congrats 

[JHbowhunter]

That’s a BOAL!  Congrats Brian. Great job on recovery. Getting harder and harder to find bucks with that age in NJ but you get better at it every year ! 

[JD48]

Congrats, great deer

[Boykin Runner]

Congratulations on a great buck !  Good read, I always say to my self "every hunt is a new leason "ya never know whats going to happen . 

[Bonefreak]

Absolute beast!!  Congrats!!

[Rusty]

Wow what a beast, congratulations! 

[Bowman45]

Hell of a buck, Congrats!!

[Barney Rubble]

amazing, love it, thanks for sharing, Yes, I am going to check our pages

[archer36]

Congrats on the recovery. That hit was nowhere near "marginal" and it's hard to believe he lasted the night and went 315 yds. I keep saying the same thing. "No hits are the same". Even if they appear that way. Arrows do strange things passing through an animal. The broadheads you use can also influence it. No broadhead gives you all the advantages at all times. But we never know exactly what we will need for each situation. 

[deerstalker420]

Great buck congrats 

[Deerslayer21]

You are having some year !!!!!!!!!!!!!!   Congrats !!!

[mazzgolf]

Great story. You're having a great year!

Do you mean he was still alive that next morning? The dog bumped him that morning? That's amazing, punctured lung, and nicked both heart and second lung. That's a tough beast.

[Recurve hntr]

Wow. Thats a great buck. Congrats.