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Empire Bucks Club Member: Rob Taylor
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Ontario County, New York
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
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10 Point
Estimated Age: 4.5 years old (that is the general consensus at this point)
Green Scored (measured by me): 152 Gross, 3.50 inches of deductions, 148.5 NET
Left Beam: 24.5 inches
Right Beam: 23.5 inches
Spread: 18.5 inches
Bases: 4.75 inches
Like many others, I had a not so great bow season. I saw few deer but I did see a couple
of decent bucks. Late last week the bucks seemed to be running around good. I came close
on a couple of small 2.5 year old bucks with my bow a couple of times but not close enough.
During the last week of bow season I hunted from the ground a lot just looking to fall
back-asswards in to something big and stupid. I kept up that same approach the first
few days of gun season. This is the week that Alsheimer predicted the peak of the rut
would hit and with the weather and limited hunting pressure so far, I kept hoping to
get lucky and run in to something.
I did not get out until late this day. I started hunting at 3:50 PM. With limited
recent deer sightings, it was hard to be excited but I kept going. I did not get
far and I jumped two does, which I assumed were part of a threesome of antlerless deer
I keep seeing. Soon, however, two does became two more does and then, further up the
hill, two more does. One walked out broadside to me at 60 yards and I could not resist.
I dropped her.
Not long after taking the doe, I heard something go crashing out of the woods on the
other side of me. At this point, I was having a serious conversation with myself about
being more patient. There were a bunch of does up there during what should be the
peak of the rut. It probably was not the smartest thing in the world to shoot the doe
because there was likely a buck there someplace.
I had to find out what busted out on the other side of me so I cut out to a field and
walked around to the other side of the woods and started looking for tracks.
I found one running set and I followed them for a while until the deer slowed down.
It was a fawn. Not much further, I found where another deer had crossed this same set
of tracks (running). By all indications, that was a doe.
I looked to my left to see where the doe had come from and 30 yards away from me was
a deer laying down looking right at me. I figured, "What is this? A wounded deer
or a fawn?".
I put the scope up on the deer. Immediately when I saw it's face I knew that it wasn't
a fawn or a doe for that matter. I started looking for antlers but all I could see was
what appeared to be a beam coming off it's left side and maybe only 5 inches of it.
It was thick where he was laying and the higher off the ground you went, the more stuff
was in my way. Everything above his head blended in and was partially hidden by brush.
I was confident that I was staring at a mature deer with a decent rack at this point.
While I did not know how big, there was only one way to find out :)
I put the scope on him, took the extra second, and shot. The deer gets up and takes off
straight away from me. I got one glimpse of an antler that was above it's ears but that
is all I knew.
I walked over to it's bed. There were 5-6 beds in there, the snow was yellow with piss,
and there was a major thruway going down the edge of the dogwood where he had gotten
up and walked back and forth patrolling. From the tracks I saw, he had been in there with those
does all day.
I found hair in it's bed but no blood. I started tracking it - no blood. I go 20 yards - no blood.
I walk another 10 yards and look over to my left and there he was. I hit it dead center in the
front shoulder and he still got up and ran. By the way, that is not the first mature buck I have taken
with a gun, in snow, that did not bleed.
I had no idea that it was this big when I shot at it but I did know the buck was in the area.
I had seen him the week before after dark. I was just hoping to get lucky and find the right doe that
might have him with her. This buck had a harem.
This is how a buck like this gets to be that big - they let you walk by them. If there had
not been snow on the ground, I likely never would have been able to pick him out.
It was an awesome experience that I hope everyone gets to enjoy. Later, I found out that
a good friend of the family passed away earlier that day (rather unexpectedly).
I thought it was very fitting that I took this buck on that day. It will always be the
Dick Van Dusen Buck (he lived in Belfast, NY).
Special thanks to Carson Eltz(below) and his father Mark for their assistance!
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Ray
LaFayette, NY
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12/12/2008 8:32:28 AM
Rob,
A well deserved trophy buck. Inspiring story. Thanks for sharing it with us! Awesome.
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Rocco
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11/29/2008 3:43:34 PM
awsome buck emp looks like a nice shot too congrads on that monster
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BUCKRF
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11/28/2008 11:49:09 AM
Great story! Nice buck!
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buckstopshere
wellsville
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11/24/2008 8:00:27 PM
congratulations rob on a beautiful buck, great hunt and good story!
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marks parents
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11/23/2008 10:23:47 PM
congratulations rob, mark told us that he and carson got to help bring the deer out that was almost as exciting to them as getting it themselves(almost the key word there) it certainly is an awesome deer and certainly will be the trophy deer that you will never forget. and sorry about your friends passing.
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chillegeer
hemlock
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11/23/2008 4:29:32 AM
congrats, thats awesome
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andy hall
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11/20/2008 11:58:43 PM
great buck,
i wish every real hunter gets the chance to feel what its like to put their hands on their own true trophy. its like nothing else. glad to see it happen to you rob.
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andy hall
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11/20/2008 11:52:44 PM
the rack looks real, the teeth look fake.
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brandon
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11/20/2008 12:00:43 PM
that is a great buck, with a story that will be told for years i am sure.
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Anonymous
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11/20/2008 12:51:53 AM
good buck yo
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mike d
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11/19/2008 11:22:47 PM
tremendous buck congrats rob.sorry to hear about the family friend.nice gesture to name the buck after him
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trish beeley
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11/19/2008 11:16:55 PM
its beautiful = congrats!!!
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jp
canadice
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11/19/2008 11:08:18 PM
nice buck!!!!
great to see some nice bucks like that in the area.
congratulations.
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brian ameigh
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11/19/2008 10:00:12 PM
rob
nice nice nice, congrats on what sounds like a real good afternoon of hunting.
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mark
hemlock
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11/19/2008 9:07:34 PM
this is one awsome buck that rob took! i was fortunate enough to see this buck alive and running a week earlier. i knew then that it was one of the biggest bucks that i had ever seen. so, to see that rob took him, and then have the opportunity to help him drag him out of the woods was awesome and what a great experience for my 13 year old son. i couldnt think of a better person to bag this buck. cant wait to see him on the wall. congratulations rob.
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jeff
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11/19/2008 8:55:12 PM
cogratulations on a beautiful buck!!!!
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buda
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11/19/2008 8:04:16 PM
great buck!!! congratulations!
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bosco
rochester
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11/19/2008 4:18:16 PM
truly an awesome deer.
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hectorbuckbuster
hector
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11/19/2008 3:39:23 PM
wow what a buck.
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cspencer
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11/19/2008 3:32:34 PM
wow! great deer! congrats on an awesome trophy.
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