…at least to me anyways.
My late grandfather killed this buck with his x-bow, best I can remember it was around 2006.
I had actually seen this buck a couple times but never could get close enough. The morning he killed it I had went to hunt Ft Campbell, he didn't want to go so he went to "the barn".
On my way home I called and found out he had shot a buck. I hurried and by the time I got there him and another guy hunting close had tried trailing it. The shot might have been a bit back, it was early season and things were thick. We spent several hours searching the thick holler the deer went but only found a tiny bit of blood.
Several days went by and each day I'd go to the barn and look for sign of scavengers. One afternoon we went out hunting, I'd seen the buzzards but they were in the opposite holler, I went and looked anyways.
The buck had made a complete circle and died within 100 yards of the shot location. I'm not
certain that's what happened but the last blood I found and the direction he ran (according to blood and my granddad) seems like that's what it did.
It sucked we couldn't recover it immediately by at least he found closure and learned a lot.
That x-bow still sits in the basement. I look at it every time I go to the farm. It's one of those older Parker's without a safety rail. I remember sitting in "the barn" with my granddad one evening, he went to shoot it and I heard a god awful thud. I look at him and his thumb is gushing blood. He had shot his thumb off! I immediately took my shirt back and wrapped his thumb up. We got back to the house and I told my grandmother "Mamaw, you gotta take Papaw to Ft Campbell, he shot his thumb off!"
She freaked and said what happened. He told the story and she looked at me with a death glare…I said "I searched for the tip but couldn't find it". He busted out laughing and she called me a smart a$$.
Fast forward to today.
I had an extra cape and decided I would mount this deer in his memory. I'm headed back Thanksgiving week so I wrapped up the finish work today on it. I'll be hanging it in my grandmothers house, specifically in the room where the grandkids and great grandkids usually stay. It will make a great piece for everyone to look at and learn the story (about the buck and missing thumb).
Especially something cool to look at and think about before they head out back to hunt, to hopefully get their chance at a deer in "the barn".
The crooked antler made this buck super easy to ID.
My late grandfather killed this buck with his x-bow, best I can remember it was around 2006.
I had actually seen this buck a couple times but never could get close enough. The morning he killed it I had went to hunt Ft Campbell, he didn't want to go so he went to "the barn".
On my way home I called and found out he had shot a buck. I hurried and by the time I got there him and another guy hunting close had tried trailing it. The shot might have been a bit back, it was early season and things were thick. We spent several hours searching the thick holler the deer went but only found a tiny bit of blood.
Several days went by and each day I'd go to the barn and look for sign of scavengers. One afternoon we went out hunting, I'd seen the buzzards but they were in the opposite holler, I went and looked anyways.
The buck had made a complete circle and died within 100 yards of the shot location. I'm not
certain that's what happened but the last blood I found and the direction he ran (according to blood and my granddad) seems like that's what it did. It sucked we couldn't recover it immediately by at least he found closure and learned a lot.
That x-bow still sits in the basement. I look at it every time I go to the farm. It's one of those older Parker's without a safety rail. I remember sitting in "the barn" with my granddad one evening, he went to shoot it and I heard a god awful thud. I look at him and his thumb is gushing blood. He had shot his thumb off! I immediately took my shirt back and wrapped his thumb up. We got back to the house and I told my grandmother "Mamaw, you gotta take Papaw to Ft Campbell, he shot his thumb off!"
She freaked and said what happened. He told the story and she looked at me with a death glare…I said "I searched for the tip but couldn't find it". He busted out laughing and she called me a smart a$$.
Fast forward to today.
I had an extra cape and decided I would mount this deer in his memory. I'm headed back Thanksgiving week so I wrapped up the finish work today on it. I'll be hanging it in my grandmothers house, specifically in the room where the grandkids and great grandkids usually stay. It will make a great piece for everyone to look at and learn the story (about the buck and missing thumb).
Especially something cool to look at and think about before they head out back to hunt, to hopefully get their chance at a deer in "the barn".
The crooked antler made this buck super easy to ID.
