A 100 Year Old Man

[ISP 5353]

Great story!  Thanks for sharing it with us!

[adkmountainken]

one of the best stories that has been posted on here, what a great read!

[jonsimoneau]

Those are some amazing photos. Thank you.

[ti-guy]

Awesome!

[frassettor]

Originally posted by Steve O:
 

"This old warrior was killed two years after this photo was taken. His teeth determined he was 13 1/2 years old so he was 11 1/2 in this photo."

Gene Wensel

Boy  this picture is worth a thousand words    Just to think how much he has seen and been through, amazing!

[Dsturgisjr]

Great thread! Thanks Barry  

[centaur]

Originally posted by frassettor:

Originally posted by Steve O:
[qb]  

"This old warrior was killed two years after this photo was taken. His teeth determined he was 13 1/2 years old so he was 11 1/2 in this photo."

Gene Wensel [/b]

That old guy looks like how I feel sometimes.

[stickandstring]

I saw an ancient deer like this once. Took a shot and clean missed him broadside at 18 yards. He kept walking, didn't flinch, was like he was a ghost. Could not believe what I had just seen.
Later, I met my friend, Joe, who happened to be hunting the same drainage about 1 mile away. He told me about a really old deer that came his way. He came broadside and Joe clean missed him at 12 yards.  Now Joe is an crack shot,  typically nails a Styrofoam coffee cup at 30 yards all day long. This deer just wandered off, undisturbed like nothing had ever happened.
Maybe, he just wasn't ready to meet his maker.

[kbaknife]

Heck, I got choked up just reading your post!    :(  
Where's my hanky?

 

Originally posted by Barry Wensel:
.......I honestly got choked up.  BW

[Greg Szalewski]

Great experiences Barry!! I enjoyed every word. Thanks for sharing.

[buckeye_hunter]

This thread makes me wonder how many times I have thought there were "no deer around" while an old timer like this one stood there and silently watched me.

It has probably happened a dozen times and I was clueless. I can picture an old buck or doe in some comfortable bed under a pine still laughing at me and wondering when I will learn my lessons.

Guess I should slow down and use my eyes more than my head to look around. Maybe someday I might get lucky and see one of the old smart ones. Especially since you have taught us UB that the big ones are usually "slow walkers". I genuinely wonder how many times a set of eyes has been watching me while I didn't have the slightest clue.

Good on you for the lessons passed on to those of us with less experience. Thanks for your insight, lessons on big bucks and an overall great post. Your top quality UB.

Thanks again,
-Charlie

[jonsimoneau]

This thread has me thinking a lot also.  The more I think about it I believe that outside a cruising November buck traveling long distance that you need to be setup within 100 yards or so of where a deer is bedded for the day in order to have a chance to even see the deer during daylight. I bet that more deer are spooked by entry to a hunting area than anything. I also think they will not necessarily run like hell. But rather just stay bedded knowing you do not see them and simply wait for you to leave before rising and moving. I actually witnessed this scenario this season while some bedded deer stayed tight while a couple of cross gun hunters were talking laughing smoking and building a ground blind within 100 yards of where the deer were bedded. The deer paid attention to them but were not worried in the least bit. These were public land deer that had obviously played that game many times and were confident they would win again.

[Fourfletch]

I think the old timer that told this fine story was looking into a mirror: saw himself - saw the old buck and thought : old age beats the alternative for BOTH of us.                                                    PS: Barry,you truly have a gift with words.

[Barry Wensel]

Well thank you. Maybe I should just write a book. Ha. It's 5:15 AM, 32 degrees, wind out of the north at 8 MPH... I'm outta here. BW

[1screagle]

Thank you Barry, I enjoyed listening to your words. I believe that everything starts and ends with the heart. If we take the time to pray for His will, He speaks to us through the heart. Trust in Him, you made the right choice.

[huntnmuleys]

cool as hell.  thanks for posting that!

[bornagainbowhunter]

It is a real belssing to be able to see an old timer like that.  Even greater to be able to pass and let him walk on.

God Bless,
Nathan

[Barry Wensel]

Just for those who think I'm not "normal", I got up this morning to a base temp of 14 degrees and chill factor of 9. Not that bad but the winds were predicted out of the SW and they were actually out of the NW. So while I thought about which stand I most likely would screw up I went back to bed. BW

[Rathbuck]

Awesome read, thanks for sharing these stories.  Just started re-reading "Buckskin and Bone" last night, and have to completely agree with Gene about storytelling in that one.  

Maybe I should go back and re-listen to my "Rambling Rednecks" tape today as well...you guys have a gift for telling stories.

"Heeeeyyyy...Carrots!"

[toddster]

Barry I feel your heart, though I haven't hunted these gritters as long as you, I been there.  About 5 years ago I set up on public land and had few deer come by.  Then about hour later off the beaten deer path, through a thicket was a deer moving.  I turned around and watched, it was a doe, she was huge for illinois, looked like a canada deer.  At first I thought she was picking her way through the thicket being careful, then I realized it was just her old age.  She had a vast amount of white hair on her, and seem to labor with every stride.  Now keep in mind she wasn't in exquisit pain, just like we look at a person whom is 90 and still healthy but arthitict.  I watched her move and slowly browse and noticed she studied the other animal movement.  Not just deer but squirrel's, birds and such.  Then like Barry, I thought of everything she lived through and how honored I felt to be in the presance of a queen of survival and evasion.  I felt she had the right to move through and that with all she has been through and gave to mother nature as well as us, she deserved to ride off in the sunset.  I felt blessed to have been able to fooled the sense's and see a great animal as her.  That is to me what hunting is about, the interaction with mother nature herself.