Hawkeye
Senior Member
The One That I Let Go Two Out of Three
By Robert Warley
My dad first took me hunting when I was a baby. He taught me everything I know about hunting and gave me opportunities that not many people get to experience. People might not like the way we live, but I don't know how I would survive without this great sport.
We've hunted deer leases all over Texas, but none have produced deer like our farm has. The deer that I took Dec. 7, 2004, was a deer that I'd let go for two years in a row. The first year I saw him, he wasn't quite a shooter. The next year, he was the biggest thing I had seen the whole season. Passing this deer was extremely hard because I saw him every time I hunted, so I waited for the time when he would be fully blossomed. It paid off!
My dad was the first to see the deer during the season. He only saw a glimpse of it, but he knew it was a monster. Since Dad knew I had my heart set on taking this deer, he let it go until I got a chance to take him.
That morning I got into a blind positioned between two fields planted with winter wheat. With 15 or more does in the field, this buck just couldn't resist. He ran out of the brush behind a doe about 200 yards away. I cannot describe how scared I was, but deer hunters know the feeling. I loaded the Remington 6mm, knowing I was about to take the greatest deer of my life. I raised the rifle and locked on to him at 150 yards.
I was planning on a neck shot just to insure a quick kill. Buck fever was with me that morning. I aimed for the neck, but instead of him dropping, the buck took off. He stopped at about 220 or so yards. When he turned around, I shot him in the shoulder, but the deer still ran. I watched as he ran into the brush, then I walked back to get the dog. I was feeling a little disappointed when I didn't find any blood at the site where I'd made the shot.
I followed the brush line until I got to a small road that cuts through the brush. My dog, Cocoa, picked up his blood trail leading down the road. I went over and, sure enough, there the buck was. After field-dressing him, I loaded him onto the tractor and took him back to camp. This monster buck weighed 224 pounds field-dressed, and is the biggest deer ever taken on the property.
Although this buck was only an 8-pointer, and probably would have remained an 8-pointer, he had a 23.5-inch spread and was a trophy that might only come once in my lifetime. I hope when I have children they will have my same love for hunting. My dad felt the same way when he hunted with his dad. It's up to me to keep the family tradition going.
Robert Warley
Pawnee, Texas
By Robert Warley
My dad first took me hunting when I was a baby. He taught me everything I know about hunting and gave me opportunities that not many people get to experience. People might not like the way we live, but I don't know how I would survive without this great sport.
We've hunted deer leases all over Texas, but none have produced deer like our farm has. The deer that I took Dec. 7, 2004, was a deer that I'd let go for two years in a row. The first year I saw him, he wasn't quite a shooter. The next year, he was the biggest thing I had seen the whole season. Passing this deer was extremely hard because I saw him every time I hunted, so I waited for the time when he would be fully blossomed. It paid off!
My dad was the first to see the deer during the season. He only saw a glimpse of it, but he knew it was a monster. Since Dad knew I had my heart set on taking this deer, he let it go until I got a chance to take him.
That morning I got into a blind positioned between two fields planted with winter wheat. With 15 or more does in the field, this buck just couldn't resist. He ran out of the brush behind a doe about 200 yards away. I cannot describe how scared I was, but deer hunters know the feeling. I loaded the Remington 6mm, knowing I was about to take the greatest deer of my life. I raised the rifle and locked on to him at 150 yards.
I was planning on a neck shot just to insure a quick kill. Buck fever was with me that morning. I aimed for the neck, but instead of him dropping, the buck took off. He stopped at about 220 or so yards. When he turned around, I shot him in the shoulder, but the deer still ran. I watched as he ran into the brush, then I walked back to get the dog. I was feeling a little disappointed when I didn't find any blood at the site where I'd made the shot.
I followed the brush line until I got to a small road that cuts through the brush. My dog, Cocoa, picked up his blood trail leading down the road. I went over and, sure enough, there the buck was. After field-dressing him, I loaded him onto the tractor and took him back to camp. This monster buck weighed 224 pounds field-dressed, and is the biggest deer ever taken on the property.
Although this buck was only an 8-pointer, and probably would have remained an 8-pointer, he had a 23.5-inch spread and was a trophy that might only come once in my lifetime. I hope when I have children they will have my same love for hunting. My dad felt the same way when he hunted with his dad. It's up to me to keep the family tradition going.
Robert Warley
Pawnee, Texas
