Got him!

ltdann · Sep 21, 2018

I've been after this guy four years now. He's beat me twice before and we got burned out one season. Each time he got away, I learned something from it.

This year he showed up in the same place as always and I applied the lessons learned. I didn't see his antlers peeking over the brush until I got very close. I had the wind in my face, howling off the ocean and every step I took, a little more deer showed. Once I saw his head over the brush, I eased up over the brush and lased him at 55 yards.

He know something was up because he was looking around everywhere. I waited until he looked away, put the 12 ga on the sticks and aimed low to where I thought his body was. When he finally spotted me, I pulled the trigger....and promptly shot him in the face (so much for aiming low).

He jumped straight in the air about 6 feet, came down and started off at a trot, towards me. Shotgun jammed, cleared and reload. Three more shots on a moving deer that went high. Reload and waited for him to come out behind some brush and remembered to aim low and shot him in the neck, and down he went.

I took one step toward him, lost the bush and spent the next 30 minutes frantically looking for him. After the 3rd circle, there he was. I had to call my buddies for help and they all came. Still took us near on 2 hours to get to the truck. Game warden scored him a 5x4.... I'm still pumped!

canamrider07 · Sep 21, 2018

Great story and pictures,,,,,Congratulations.....

OPAH · Sep 21, 2018

Awesum, Buck shot? a slug would have taken his head off at 55 yards.

Moskinyca · Sep 21, 2018

Congratulations, thanks for sharing

imperial valley hunter · Sep 21, 2018

Glad it happened!! Congrats. the smile = mission accomplished

TheGDog · Sep 21, 2018

Oh! That's gotta feel good getting that specific animal! Got one in my mind that I botched it on last year during Archery. Sure hoping like you he shows himself again this year!

Man that's gotta feel so good. Congratulations Man!

cali deer hunter · Sep 21, 2018

Nice buck for sure. I thought killing a buck in the snow in California was something until I see you can kill them at the beach.

ltdann · Sep 21, 2018

Saboted slug, Federal Trophy copper. Near as I can tell, it entered the left side snout and exited right side cheek, below the right eye. You can see it below the right eye, that little discolored spot. He probably would have died since the lower jaw was destroyed. Frankly, I'm amazed he was able to move at all. By the time I got the neck shot, he was moving pretty slow, head down.

Generally, I like to take my shotgun shots around a 100 yds, but I've killed bucks at 175. Slugs have a ballistic arc like a mortar, so if I sight in at 100, I really have to remember to aim way low at 50. With my 11-87 rifled barrel and 3" slugs, Leopold ultimate Slam BDC, I can ring a 2'x2' steel plate at 300 yds. I don't routinely shot slugs at that distance, but it's nice to know you can, if you don't another option.

When I spotted this guy, he was at 211 yds above me on a ridge. I almost tried it, but it was risky as there was doe with him and I knew if I missed, he'd be gone. I knew how to get to him, so I pulled a J-hook on him, put the wind in my face and worked the same terrain features on him that he used to beat me twice before.

That particular spot is popular with deer because it is high up with excellent downward 180 degree visibility. The only clear opening is where they bed. Most of the approaches are waist high Manzanita and Sage brush. Since the wind was blowing pretty off the ocean pretty good, any noise I made was covered up. It was a hour from first sighting to first shot.

Terrible case of buck fever when I spotted the horns peeking over the brush. Only happens with deer though...I've shot hogs from 5 feet to 202 yards, nary a shake. Weird.

iupa1 · Sep 21, 2018

What zone wans this buck from?

genki619 · Sep 21, 2018

Nice!!! LT Dan

Jake F · Sep 21, 2018

Great buck! Whit a shotgun no less! Simply awesome! Congrats!

P304X4 · Sep 21, 2018

Congrats on an awesome buck!!

Huntin Dave · Sep 21, 2018

ltdann said:
I've been after this guy four years now. He's beat me twice before and we got burned out one season. Each time he got away, I learned something from it.

This year he showed up in the same place as always and I applied the lessons learned. I didn't see his antlers peeking over the brush until I got very close. I had the wind in my face, howling off the ocean and every step I took, a little more deer showed. Once I saw his head over the brush, I eased up over the brush and lased him at 55 yards.

He know something was up because he was looking around everywhere. I waited until he looked away, put the 12 ga on the sticks and aimed low to where I thought his body was. When he finally spotted me, I pulled the trigger....and promptly shot him in the face (so much for aiming low).

He jumped straight in the air about 6 feet, came down and started off at a trot, towards me. Shotgun jammed, cleared and reload. Three more shots on a moving deer that went high. Reload and waited for him to come out behind some brush and remembered to aim low and shot him in the neck, and down he went.

I took one step toward him, lost the bush and spent the next 30 minutes frantically looking for him. After the 3rd circle, there he was. I had to call my buddies for help and they all came. Still took us near on 2 hours to get to the truck. Game warden scored him a 5x4.... I'm still pumped!

View attachment 91465 View attachment 91464

Great job. I got my first SoCal deer on Palomar Mtn, with a sabot slug. Nothing beats a slug gun when you are busting brush. You must have been pretty close to the ocean with all those ice plants in the pictures. Again, great job!

ltdann · Sep 21, 2018

Yep, probably quarter mile from the ocean, A-zone south, Vandenburg AFB. It had a big rack, but not an especially big deer, probably went 130-140 lbs. Very healthy, though, lots of fat on all the deer taken this year.

In some of my pics, you can see the pacific in the background. Slug guns are the bomb! Those 300 gr slugs really tear through the brush. I just wish they weren't $3 a pop. When I shoot, I don't hear the blast, I hear a cash register cha-ching.

I really miss those winchester supreme, partion gold slugs....they pick up a deer and body slam 'em! Most of my deer in the last 20 years where taken with semi-auto shotgun at close range. Less folks in shotgun only areas and it points fast, with follow up shots, while kicking bushes during the slow times.

Planetcat · Sep 21, 2018

Good job and congrats on a really nice buck!

Bubblehide · Sep 21, 2018

Well deserved, congratulations!!!!!!

DAQ80 · Sep 23, 2018

Congrats on the great buck! Wish i could've made it up there this year, I'm in Rhode Island this month for school, otherwise i would've been there looking for the big one i missed in C2 last year. What hunt area was this on base?

Fredezee · Sep 23, 2018

Nice! congratulations on a great buck!

Willies270 · Sep 24, 2018

Nice Buck !! Great Job. When you don't have buck fever anymore you should just sell your hunting gear and go to bird watching....buck fever makes it exciting. now its time for Quail!!! look out

ltdann · Sep 24, 2018

Thank you, it was a long time coming. I made a conscious decision to go after a wall hanger this year, i.e. trophy hunting. I passed on a barely legal 1st year buck that morning. I only saw two legal bucks this year.

I almost didn't go to that area because the wind was howling and 4wd low needed in spots. I was really suprised to see his head pop up. In past years I've been able to pick his horns out, glinting in the sunlight, from over a mile away (love those Swarovski's). Now I gotta plan for next years rack....maybe another big boy will move into the area.

It's not easy getting them out of there, you can only get so far with the truck, then so far with a cart, then it's just brute force and busting brush.

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