Dana Young
Senior Member
Great Job keep up the good work, and maybe I can relive old days in those mtns. through your adventures.
didn't weigh it but all meat gets boned out to save weight. Even started boning out front shoulder if there not shot up. Just take each muscle group off peice at a time.Very stupid question looks like you cut him up and packed it out. How much meat did you carry out?
I do but decided to try something different this year. Broke down and bought some heavy bibbs and a heavy jacket after about freezing to death last year. Needed some extra room for them and meat. You can put a ton of stuff in this pack but it won't hold up like the badlands.TC8 I thought you used a Badlands 2200?
If you pack out, it will change the way you hunt. My knees usually ain't happy with me when I get back to the truck but it beats dragging.I'm gonna have to seriously look into a pack like that...i hunt alone 99% of the time and have just not hunted a lot of far off places due to the drag out by myself with bad knees....i have found lots of good places way off during turkey seasons but never thought to go back in there because of that.
You just cant beat the scenery in the mountains!
it was a real blessing for sure!I'm late to the party been having computer issues but congrats on a great buck! Chestatee once was my favorite WMA then some guy blocked access to my favorite area so I started hunting closer to home. I miss it though I need to check out another old haunt of mine over there. Chestatee is big country lots of room to roam. Thats an amazing buck. Most folks have no idea how hard you worked for that trophy.
no they just ask estimated weight. To be an older deer he was slim. I'm guessing he was 140 live weight. Definitely smallest bodied mature deer I've killed. Think he was 16 and 1/2 inside with 22 and 23 inch beams. I'm not into scores much but everybody been saying I need to get him scored. I measured him close other day and come up with 133 3/8 gross. He's got 3 or 4 inches of deductions. I've got another 8 that's over 130 but they sure are hard to come by.So they dont attempt to weigh the meat at the checking station when you bring one in boned out? How wide was that bad boy? How long were the main beams? Thats the mountain deer of a lifetime for most folks but I have a feeling it wont be for you. Youre still a young guy youve got plenty more to kill. You obviously dont mind walking which is getting pretty rare among hunters.
Great buck, and story. congrats!Today was a fine day in the woods! Good Lord sent me this fine buck about 745 this morning. I got set up right at daylight after a long walk up the mountain. Heard something behind me not long after light but it got quiet again for 10 or 15 mins. Happened again, then the 3rd time he appeared at a steady fast past walk out of the laurals through the open woods. I realized he was definitely a shooter and picked a opening and waited for him to walk into it. He did and the 243 did the rest. I had pics of this deer last year but never could get up with him on the hunts. Soon as I shot I knew it had to be him. He's got the stickers that gouged the big dogwoods up last year that were mile or two apart. Walked several hundred miles since July and seen few of deer as I've ever seen. Very thankful to have got this buck! They aged him at 6 1/2 plus at the check station.
That's the way I look at it!Scores shmores. Don't reduce your accomplishments, successes, memories and blessings to a number. A goodn is a goodn.