Bowsite.com

I started hunting a big 4x4 sometime after 2012, but 2012 was my first year that I knew of him. Strong suspicions would lead me to a genetically superior 2 1/2 year old at that time. I was hunting a 200” buck that year, and they seemed to feed together a lot of the time in the summer that year. That’s how I came to know him. I ended up killing the 200 that year, and the next year my focus was partially on the big 4. As a 2 1/2 year old, I figured him at about a 130” gross 4x. The next year he easily went over 145” as a 4 so he was a definite shooter if I could peg him. He was so crazy smart though, I only saw him once in person and once on trail cam. He hung up on my buck decoy on an alfalfa field at about 120 yards, and just locked eyes without moving for about 45 minutes before leaving with numerous does. I can’t remember now over the next few years exactly, but I would see him one year once, and then not the other. He was strangely weary, almost never moving in visible or huntable areas in daylight. I now know where he must have been, as in 2017 I locked up a new 80a parcel of permission, a half mile away, and my brother actually picked him up on cam. I saw him once for about 2 seconds crossing the pasture there, and then not again until after the season, he showed up where I feed deer throughout the winter on my property. The thirst was real though, as he was likely a mid 150s 4x4 with unreal MASS. In 2017 I arrowed a great deer grossing around the 170 mark earlier on, so I was content leaving him one more year, but with no big bucks around that I “knew of” for the upcoming season, and with this monarch approaching 9 years old, he would definitely be the primary focus for 2018. Shed hunting that year with the family, I found the matched set, and I figured him right around 155” with very little deductions, remember, as a 4x4!

I waited patiently for the snow to melt, and yesterday being a beautiful easter afternoon, I said to my wife, “well I’m going to go out and find the big 4”. Not an hour later I found him in a small opening in the middle of a thick portion of bush adjacent to where I figured him to be shot. More bitter than sweet, but at least I don’t have to go into 2019 wondering if the big 4 has relocated and he is still King somewhere else. He lived a good long life, but it was still a shame he wasn’t killed in in a fight with some other ‘up and coming stud’ of the forrest, or held as a warm body by hard working hunter, or enjoyed around a table as a family. But I guess as they say, nice to have closure.

So for now,. I’ll call April 21st Closure day! Happy Easter you guys, HE IS RISEN!!

Very cool on the find of the other side of your big buck! I found the right side shed of two years prior of my 210 net muley, but never could find the lefts. Did you figure out how the wolf died? Poison, maybe?

Those big eights are always impressive to me. Way cool that your wife’s first ever shed was from a buck that you killed!

Beautiful wolf as well. You don’t think that homicidal muskrat that was stalking Adam last winter, had anything to do with its death, do you!?!?

Thanks for sharing with us all

Good luck, Robb

Real sorry to hear Matt. That was a true Manitoba Monarch. I am super happy to hear you ended up with the antlers, not that they really matter, except that better you enjoying looking at them than the idiot who poached him.

Regardless it is an incredible story. Somehow I either forgot, or didn't pick up on him being a sidekick to the 200". Adds to the sadness now that the big 4 is gone too.

That is super cool Jordin found that other side!!!! Wow!!! Some good and some bad that day, but a crazy cool story all the way around nonetheless! You going to leave it green?

Fabulous story to document your interaction with this great buck.

Glad you got closure, even though a lot of sadness. Sucks that such an elusive buck just happened to be visible when that poacher was driving by.

Maybe consider planting a row of cedars or something along the road to block their view?

Would it be possible to set up cameras to get pictures of vehicles on the road?

That poacher deserves a serious ass kicking! You know that was not the first time nor will it be the last.

My mile road has quite a bit of traffic unfortunately so cams on the road would likely be around 150 pictures a day, and being in November with our temps I'd run a set of batteries every two days, so I don't think it's feasible.

It has been my plan all along to plant something at least there, but I am dealing with a mile of road frontage on my land so it's no small task and I keep trying to think of how to do it cost effectively and with good success. A fence will be going in this year at a minimum and hope this helps, as trees are more of a ten year plan anyways. Game wardens are now quite tuned in to my property and we are working together so I'm hoping next year we can put an end to this nonsense.

I would love to catch the guy and give him a good thrashing but the bottom line would be to get the poaching to stop.

If they think they is the potential for someone getting their picture, they will go where their are easier pickings.

These should add enough pucker factor to dissuade your local poachers.

You owe yourself a pat on the back for raising a family right.

You owe your wife big time for finding that special shed!

You owe some poacher several hard boots to the crotchel regions.

You owe it to yourself to take it in stride and keep enjoying God's daily and life’s blessings.

Yeah Tavis, that could help. I had signs this year "No trespassing Cameras in Place!!!" but only 3 of them. My plan is to hang a sign like that every 50 yards or so on my fence after I put that in this year. I could also ask for broken trail cams and just literally start strapping them on everywhere as decoy cams and keep two or three in operation, maybe even with one of those large external batteries. In the mean time I'd like to start some planting of trees.