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It's been a crazy last few days. I've gotten all kinds of emails and phone calls. Thanks to everyone who has sent their congratulations. I'm sorry if I am slow to respond, but I will.
I killed the deer Monday evening (October 1st). I had been watching him for about a week hoping he would rub out. I saw him 3 times before I shot him during our legal MLD season, but my nerves couldn't take it anymore. I was just too afraid that he would break something during the entire process of "rubbing out".
I scored him that night at 280 1/8 and Los Cazadores scored him the next day at 273 3/8... which really isn't that much of a difference with 33-35 scoreable points. There is a huge margin of error. If you are off by 1/8 of an inch for every measurement, that is just about the difference. Personally, I think he will end up somewhere in the mid 270's when he is stripped of velvet and dry.
This deer was just the perfect storm. He had a huge rainfall year in 2004-5 when he was a 4 year old and made a monster jump over 200. We then had a mediocre year the next year but he put on some frame. Last year was just ugly. We had 11 inches of rainfall. You can look for yourself on the survey photos in the photo section from 2006-2007. He was still a big deer, but as a 6 year old... he scored less than as a 4 year old. I think he was below 195.
Then 2007 happened... 56 inches of rain and counting.
On a deer like this, you just have to get lucky. To our credit, we let him walk around until he was old enough and supplied him with supplimental protein. But in the end, there is still a huge element of luck.
:: posted by Marko
:: 7:33 AM
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