A True Ontario Giant!! Splits
For the past 2 seasons there has been one buck at the top of my brother and I's Hitlist... A huge buck with split brow tines, we called him Splits. He has been a regular on trail camera for the last 4 years and would be 5.5 this fall... We put the cameras out early but with no pictures we were wondering if he was killed late last season, or hit by a car, or just disappeared?
On October 29th, we got our answer and not only did he have split brows, but a drop tine as well... He was back at the top of our hit list... Early season produced no sightings and that trail camera got stolen shortly thereafter but we were still hopeful that if we hunted properly we could get a crack at him.
On the morning of November 15th we went to our stands for any wind S-SW-W and got settled in... at 7:45 I hear a shot and quickly get a txt "Big Buck! Happened fast... Could be Splits"... I went back to the truck to change into lighter tracking clothes and made my way to my brother. He was pumped, thought he had made a great shot. He directed me towards the area where he shot and I found it instantly... Hair and great blood... We were PUMPED!! The blood was great for the first 50...75...100 yards... Then it started to be a little less and less... 150 yards later and approaching a thick swamp, we decided to give him another 1.2 hour.
We quickly got back on the blood and found a drop here and a drop there right into the swamp and then another 30 yards into the creek. Had he crossed it? Walked up or down? We spotted a beaver dam about 50 yards away so I went there to see if I could find any sign and much to my surprise, it was covered in blood... I crossed it and started making my way back towards my brother... It seems as though he crossed the creek but then crossed back our way at the dam. My brother got back on the blood at the dam and it was starting to look positive with more and more until it went back into the creek... This time the creek was wider and deeper with grass and cat tails up to 5 feet tall... We stood there looking around wondering where to next when something caught my eye... The cat tails and grass were blowing in the wind.. but something wasnt, All I could see was the giant rack, the buck was alive and bedded. I whispered to my brother "there he is" but he couldnt see from his position... "Right there in that clump...30 yards away" Unable to find him quickly, he handed me his gun and told me to shoot him... 2 quick shots and he was down... The buck of our dreams was right there!!
After a long drag and a both of us soaked we had him loaded up to head to my uncles and get him hung up... It was an adventure and a memory that will last a lifetime...
2012
http://i344.photobucket.com/albums/p...lsStand032.jpg
2013
http://i344.photobucket.com/albums/p...2013%20564.jpg
2014
http://i344.photobucket.com/albums/p...2013%20061.jpg
2015
http://i344.photobucket.com/albums/p...6/PICT1598.jpg
And Finally... My brother with his Giant Buck!!!
http://i344.photobucket.com/albums/p...6/IMG_7638.jpg
Thanks for reading and comments welcome!
