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Andrew Sankey hunted the identical buck for 2 consecutive years earlier than tagging it in November. He’s additionally the primary to confess that he would nonetheless be chasing the deer if it wasn’t for the assistance he acquired from a pair shut associates.
Sankey tells Outside Life that he went into the season targeted on a buck he nicknamed “Brutus.” His looking plans had been nearly derailed simply days earlier than the opener, nonetheless, when he broke one of many limbs on his compound bow. His pal Keneth Barschow knew about his obsession with the buck, so he loaned Sankey his crossbow to make use of.
As he thought of his plan of assault, Sankey reached out to a different one in every of his looking buddies, Damien Gajewski, who’d been getting path cam photographs of Brutus.
“Damian already had tagged out on a Pennsylvania buck, so when he discovered I used to be chasing Brutus, he shared with me 4 years of path cam photographs. He by no means truly noticed Brutus, however his tips about the deer and its patterns enabled me to determine the buck and at last get him,” Sankey says. “With out his assist, I don’t assume I’d have taken this big buck.”
Sankey’s personal data of mature buck conduct, mixed with Gajewski’s enter, helped him residence in on a pinch level to arrange his treestand close to.
“It’s a funnel sort location close to a river backside and a deer bedding space, and I checked the outlying space on the downwind aspect with out barging into the core area,” Sankey explains. “I believed the buck can be cruising the perimeter in search of does, and I used to be proper.”
After getting permission to hunt the spot from the landowner, Sankey snuck into the world at 4 a.m. on Nov. 4. He put up his hanging stand and settled in.
A half hour earlier than daybreak, Sankey heard some grunting and the sound of brush being ripped aside. It got here from close by, round 40 yards from his treestand, and he figured it needed to be a buck making all of the ruckus. When daylight broke, although, there have been no deer within the space.
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Early that afternoon, a small fork buck got here into vary. The buck was chasing a scorching doe out and in of the thick cowl that was solely 50 yards away from Sankey.
“That’s after I noticed a giant bodied deer. I knew it was a buck, and when he turned his head, I knew it was Brutus,” Sankey says. “He got here after the little buck at 35 yards, chased it again into the comb a bit, after which stepped out at 60 yards. It regarded like a whole tree was caught to his horns.”
Sankey opted to not danger a 60-yard shot with a borrowed crossbow. As a substitute, he watched and waited after which drew the buck even nearer.
“I pulled out my grunt tube and made a mushy name, and Brutus began strolling towards me,” he says. “Then he turned broadside at 35 yards. However there was a tree blocking my shot. He began strolling once more however stopped within the thick stuff. I had only a small gap to slide an arrow via some poison ivy vines.”
Wanting via the crossbow scope, Sankey may see Brutus via the keyhole within the vines. He threaded the needle and his bolt hit the buck within the vitals. The deer ran solely 50 yards earlier than falling useless.
Naturally, Sankey known as up his two friends Gajewski and Barschow. They quickly arrived in Gajewski’s truck with one other pal in tow and helped him get Brutus out of the woods. The buck received’t be scored till after the 60-day drying interval is up, however its heavy rack has a 23-inch inside unfold and break up forehead tines.
“He has stuff going in all places on that rack. There was somewhat velvet hanging on, and high-quality bark from him rubbing timber and bushes,” Sankey says. “I’ve lots of people to thank for serving to me get this buck, however particularly Damian for all his ideas and photographs, and Kenneth for loaning me his crossbow.”
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