LAST UPDATED: May 8th, 2015
Chapter One. 09/17/2008
Set up on the North end of a standing corn field facing South back toward the field my game camera snapped a series of 24 photos on September 17th, 2008 starting at 11:02 PM and ending at 11:25 PM. This was my first “encounter” with the buck that I have come to know as “The 4 Beam Buck”. I never got another picture of him other than from this series, even while running two cameras on the property that year.
Chapter Two. 11/16/2008
On November 16th, 2008 not long after first light I could hear it…. The tell tale sound of chasing. A yearling buck ran a doe right underneath my stand with a big buck and numerous younger bucks lagging behind. I at first did not get a good look at the “big buck” because so many deer were converging on my location at once. I didn’t want to get caught glassing any of them and have a good buck come in range with my attention else where.
I was then able to start glassing the bucks I went from dink to dink to respectable 2.5 year olds than BAM…. It’s the “4 Beam Buck”! For the next couple hours he was chasing and putting on dominance displays toward these other bucks to protect his bedded doe. The encounter wasn’t meant to turn into a big buck and “hero” photos though as they left my area for good a few hours after they arrived.
Chapter Three. 03/13/2008
Shed season of 2008, I was lucky enough to stumble upon his right hand side shed. I was finally able to “get my hands on him”.
Chapter four. 07/21/2009
My trail camera was again able to get a set of photos of this buck on the evening of July 21st. The camera was located on a bean field, approximately 80 yards from where his photos were taken the year before.
Chapter five. 10/30/2010
With this evenings conditions, I knew right where I wanted to sit. This is a stand I was just speaking with Tim ( forum member TJF) about a couple weeks ago, I was really looking forward to the first sit here. A place I have never hunted before, though I was chomping at the bit to get into this time of year coupled with today’s wind coming from the SSW blowing into the 20’s MPH. The wind would cover my noise and allow me to get in there and set up my climbing sticks and stand. Throughout the evening I saw a few bucks sparring and working over scrapes, it was fun to watch. 10 minutes to 6 I hear crunch, crunch… Then I could hear that he was grunting with every step. I carefully slid my bow between the tree and myself to get into position for a shot. I hit full draw and released the string. A 7 yard shot yielded a 50 yard recovery, a happy bowhunter and the final chapter for this buck and I.
He is at least 6.5 years old based on my history with him.
