Tracking 9-Year-Old Mountain Buck For 6 Years
David Miller from Boone County, West Virginia says he’s been tracking this beautiful 17-point buck for six years and on November 5th (2019) he finally got him.
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Setting Up Gaming Cameras In The Woods
He mentions on Facebook the first time he saw the buck was in 2013 after he and some hunter friends leased property in Mingo Country and got permission to put up gaming cameras.
The deer was only a 10-point buck back then and appeared to be around 3 or 4 years old. Over the years he had watched the deer grow from a small young buck to a “wise old mountain monarch”. When he finally shot him he said it was bittersweet because he will not be seeing him on the cameras anymore.
“The funny thing about that buck was that, in the six years I followed him, I only ever saw him one time in the daylight,” David said, according to Gazette-Mail. “All the pictures we had of him were at night. He had learned early on how to avoid hunters.”
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The Story Of How He Got The Kill
Learning that the buck was smart enough to dodge hunters and even predators for many years he moved his gaming cameras to a different location. That’s when he finally captured a picture of him during the daytime and realized where to hunt.
David decided to go to that area, found a few scraping spots and wait for him. As he waited, he spotted movement at one of the scrapes and for the first time saw him with his own eyes. He knew this may be his only moment so David got into position for the shot.
“The old buck had slipped in. He lowered his head to go under a branch, and I could see it was him. He stepped out into the open about 18 yards away. When his head went behind a tree, I shot him,” David told Gazette-Mail.
After getting him David gave thanks and celebrated with posting pictures of it to his Facebook. So far the post has gotten over 2 thousand likes, almost 1 thousand comments, and 580+ shares. Many congratulated him on the kill.