About the Post

Author Information

Guest Blogger: You can share your stories here on VOM. Do you have a great Story or Video to share with us. Simply email us at curt.goettsch@gmail.com

Oklahoma Monster Buck

DSC_2223Oklahoma Monster Buck

Summitted by Mossy Oak Pro, Brian Beauchamp, Photo Credit Michael Munson

“Carya”
7.5-years-old
211 lbs, field-dressed
176 2/8″ Gross (Green)
100% Free Range

Opening morning of 2014 muzzleloader season in Oklahoma, I woke up with an eerie feeling of certainty and sadness as I prepared to head to the field. All of my actions felt guided, but deliberate. Everything was prepared; everything was ready. Before I headed out, I grabbed the antlers I had found in early 2010 from a deer had had since come to know as ‘Carya’ (pronounced Kuh-Rye-Uh). I just had the feeling that it was going to be the day we crossed paths for the last time.
DSC_2281This story, however, is not about the hunt; it’s about the story following the hunt. After I was fortunate enough to harvest this magnificent animal I had so much personal history with, I found out more about him that impressed me even more.
The story of Carya was one I knew would eventually come to an end in some way, but never really wanted it to happen. However, I am blessed and lucky to have been the one to have harvested him. I knew of several times he had dodged close calls with me and my neighbors in various instances. Following his falling though, I found out about a part of his past I had not known: he had been shot a second time the season before.
DSC_2127Word quickly spread that I had taken Carya. Texts and phone calls began to pour in. Neighbors wanted to see him, mainly to say goodbye to an animal they respected so much. One neighbor though wasn’t available right away and it was a couple of days before I was able to talk to him. When he was able to call me and talk to me about the deer, he made a couple of admissions I had not expected. The first was that he had his shed antlers from the previous year. The second was that he had shot the deer with his bow late in the season.

 

2012 Trail Cam

2012 Trail Cam

Finding out both of those things astounded me. I had searched and searched frantically over about every inch of our property for a sign that he may have survived the gunshot wound he received by finding those sheds. It, obviously, did not happen because he had hopped a mere feet onto the neighboring property when he dropped both antlers and they were quickly found. Since I did not find them and no one else had communicated they had, either, I assumed the worst had happened and he wandered off into a thicket on a neighboring property and died, his fate never to be known. Hearing that he had been shot a second time, made his survival last year despite his wounds and an excruciatingly cold winter beyond amazing.

 

2013 Trail Cam

2013 Trail Cam

Of course, I had to see those sheds, and as soon as possible. The previous year, his rack was nearly perfect on his typical frame, estimated by many to be around 180”. It took a couple of days of harassment, but I finally got to hold them. There were some obvious differences in the rack from last year to this, but the main one was that he actually gained mass from the previous year. It was a great feeling to see those antlers and know that my neighbors had a memento to hang onto after all the years after him as well.

 

2014 Trail Cam

2014 Trail Cam

Knowing about the first bullet to hit him in 2013, I asked the processor to check him out thoroughly for it. After caping him, he found it in his shoulder with very little penetration. This showed me that he was not only smart and lucky, he was tough. It was no wonder he made it to 7.5-years of age.

With him gone now, the woods definitely feel a little empty. I know though that other bucks are moving up in the ranks, many of which I am coming to know just the same as him. There will never be another Carya though and I will tell the story of this buck the rest of my life. To hear the full story before the harvest and about the hunt itself, be sure to pick up the February/March 2015 issue of Quality Whitetails magazine published by the QDMA.

Brian was blessed to have his feather join him on the recovery of this buck!

Brian was blessed to have his feather join him on the recovery of this buck!

 

 

Carya 01

Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Comments are closed.