InDaShop said:
A guy that works for me shoot a Texas Trophy (so still small by my standards) 8 point over the weekend. He showed me pics on his iPhone and for a Texas deer it was damn big.
I'll try to get his pics tomorrow and post up.
Aight here it is. This is the story and deer.
Goliad County - Lucas Ranch Buck 139 / 5.5 years old
As told by Mark Adcock
Just wanted to let everyone know what I harvested this 5.5 year old buck which officially scored 139. He was taken out of the west of the windmill tank tripod stand at 8:05 Saturday morning December 4th, 2010. I really appreciate the opportunity to hunt the lease the last couple of years as I thoroughly enjoy being out there. The story is a little long but worth reading if you like deer hunting.
The Story:
I awoke at 5:20 am to find fog hanging in the air and a temperature of 58 degrees with a projected high in the upper 70’s. Cody had arrived around 2:00 a.m. and was slow to wake up as I noticed the light was not turned on in his window yet. I proceeded through my usual routine of washing my face, putting on my camo, and heading outside to feed Dutch and let him use the restroom before I headed out for the morning hunt. As Dutch finished his breakfast and did his outdoor business, I snacked on some cheese and crackers to quell the hunger pains till I was done hunting. After putting Dutch back to bed, I started the mule and let the diesel motor warm for a few minutes as I checked to make sure my gear and gun were ready to go while strapping my binoculars on my chest and confirming my warm weather face mask and gloves and my ear plugs were in my pocket. I headed out listening to the mule wind up as I proceeded down the dirt road for the short drive to the tripod stand west of the windmill tank.
Upon arrival at the stand I carefully climbed the tripod ladder as I dismissed my thought of sitting in the ground blind directly below the tripod legs. A few weeks prior Wayne and Byron had carefully built the ground blind for Dean to sit in as he preferred being on the ground to high in the air. The sun was just breaking over the horizon behind me but the fog was keeping visibility to about 40-50 yards. I could not make out the feeder directly in front of me and right and left were masked by layers of fog between 4 and 8 feet off the ground.
I settled into the tripod attaching my back pack to the back left side of the stand so I could make shots left and right without any interference. I made sure the video camera and range finder were at an easy reach just in case I needed them. I put on my ear plugs, facemask, and gloves as I dozed off for a short nap. I woke up about 10 minutes later with thicker fog and a crick in my neck. I glanced at my watch to find 6:55 and I can barely see anything. At 7:10 I looked to my right as a yearling doe eases out of the fog and thick brush to have some corn for breakfast that I have strategically placed the night prior upon my arrival at the lease. The doe eats at about 55 yards from the stand for about 15 minutes and gradually walks up the road to the windmill tank, fading into the cover of low hanging fog.
The feeder sounds the arrival of breakfast time at 7:30 am and announcement of the sun’s arrival to burn the fog away for the day. Pessimism tries to sneak into my head with thoughts of seeing little or no game for the next two hours. I begin to get sleepy again but I am charged awake with adrenaline at 8:03 as I look to my right and see antlers heading my way at a 45 degree angle between the feeder road and the windmill tank road. The brush is extremely thick due to the rainy summer creating a maze of small openings and limiting my opportunities to not only see the deer, but to find an open shooting lane. At first I reached for my video camera as I normally do when I see a buck. After a quick second glance I realize two things, first he will not be sticking around very long and second and most importantly this is a shooter buck and the biggest deer I have seen this year or ever on the hoof at this lease.
As the buck eases behind a thick 8 foot mass of brush heading up a game trail toward the feeder I ease my gun into position as quickly and quietly as possible. As I begin to shake from the adrenaline rush, I point the business end of my Browning Abolt .270 to the location I thought the buck would emerge from the brush. He emerges from the brush at 65 yards heading toward the feeder easing his way across a 12 foot gap in the brush. This is my last opportunity to see him and make a possible shot. I re-assure myself that this is a shooter buck after quick glances with my crisp and clear Swarovski scope. He begins to quarter away from me not offering a shot. I cuss under my breathe as I see my window of opportunity getting smaller and about to close.
I know from scouting earlier in the year that the game trail splits right where the buck is headed. If he takes the right trail into the heavy brush I will not have a clean shot to take, if he takes the left trail behind the feeder I will most likely have a good clean shot. He continues slowly walking, he has no idea I am there, moving toward his freedom and my frustration at 75 yards. 10 feet, 8 feet, 6 feet….at 5 feet from the brush he takes the left trail toward the back side of the feeder offering me the last opportunity I will get to harvest this trophy.
At 4 feet I squeeze the trigger and let loose the 130 grain .270 remington core-lokt bullet from my Browning Abolt White Gold Medallion, aiming for a heart/lunge shot. All I see is his whitetail go up into the air and his back rise making a u with his body. After seeing that I am positive I have hit my mark but he disappears into the thick brush.
I look at my watch, its 8:05, so begins the longest wait of my life. I always tend to get out of the stand too early to investigate something that I have shot at so I decided to wait until at least 8:45 to begin tracking this buck. I think to myself I am glad I did not sit in the ground blind, I would have possibly missed not only seeing this deer, but definitely would not have had a shot opportunity. I glance at my watch after what I think has been 10-15 minutes…..8:07. I laugh to myself as I continue to shake from all the adrenaline still pumping through my body. I recount the scene in my head to make sure I have done everything correctly and doubt begins to enter my mind as I think about ground shrinkage.
At 8:35 I can’t stand it anymore, the combination of the adrenaline and the Skoal long cut mint, has forced my colon into revolt. I head southeast, away from the stand and where I have shot the deer to find a suitable spot to relieve myself. At 8:45 I ease myself back up to the stand and move toward where I last saw the buck. I only take my gun and my video camera. When I arrive at the bucks last location, I turn back to look at the stand to make sure I am still in the same spot. The high grass makes everything look the same when you get down there. I cannot find any blood, I am immediately worried I may have missed. I think to myself which way would he have gone. I ease myself slowly up the game trail, taking the left path toward the feeder. He is no where to be found, no blood, no hair, nothing. I back track to where I last saw him and take the right path heading into the thick brush. I slowly make my way into the brush, still no blood, hair, or anything.
Suddenly I see something, he’s down. I find my trophy at the edge of the thick brush piled up with a clean heart shot and virtually no blood anywhere. He is lying in the path but the brush is so high and his white belly is facing away from me, I could not see him until I was about 8 feet away. I immediately get excited as I walk up to him and realize he is bigger than I thought. All my apprehension and fears about shooting a young deer were wiped away. This is the biggest deer I have ever harvested. I backtrack to the shot location and video the “search†for him so I have video of him and the location I found him at in the heavy brush. I pull him back to where the brush opens up realizing this isn’t one of those yearlings, this sucker is heavy. I am hesitant to leave him just in case he gets up, but I realize how ridiculous that sounds in my head.
I proceed to get the mule and take my trophy back to camp. Now the hard part begins, remembering how to cape a deer. It’s been 15 years since I have done it and the temperatures were climbing. I get back to camp about 9:30 and finish caping and cleaning him around 1:00 pm. Cody arrived back at camp at about 12 or 12:30. He congratulates me on an awesome deer and scores him at 134 5/8. The taxidermist tentatively scored him at 132 5/8 at 6.5 years old. The official score is 139 at 5.5 years old.
I know that was a lot to read but it was so exciting for me and I really appreciate the opportunity and I am very thankful to hunt on this lease,
Mark
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I havent checked in a buck yet this year, dropped a few doe's for some meat, but no bucks worth taken yet
??? 
i dont even want to know what that is!!!!
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