Mr. Fabulous - 2001

[WiFAL]

This is the buck that would have been my first deer harvested by FAL but for the fact that I just plain ran out of time to get the scope set up. So it was that on the morning of November 17, 2001 I went into the woods taking with me my virgin Model Seven in 7mm 08 - opening day of gun season - Zone 13 - Wisconsin.

It was dead still and bone dry. At 8:00 I heard one faint crunch. I looked in the direction of the sound. At the transition of the dense understory and the partially logged oak grove, about 75 yards away, stood the biggest, whitest deer face I had ever seen. It was looking right at me.

I pushed off the safety, raised the rifle and as the butt pad hit my shoulder let fly one 7mm projectile aimed square at the chest.

The deer was gone. Down actually. I'll be damned. It rose to its feet and broke into a run veering to my left. I chambered another cartridge and hit him broadside right behind the elbow. He slowed and kept going. Another round into the heart/lung area caused him to go head over heels. He regained his footing and still kept going. A fourth shot to the heart/lung dropped him, but he was hidden from my view by the deadfalls and the remnants of trees left behind by the loggers. I waited to make sure he didn't get up again.

It wasn't until I got out of my stand and walked up to him that I could appreciate what had been delivered to me. Thirty years of hunting. Four shots taken and thirty yards traversed. The deer of a life time.

Weighing in at 225 lbs. dressed with 13" G2s and 7 1/4" beam circumference. Presented for your viewing pleasure. Mr. Fabulous.

[WiFAL]

And now for a profile!

[Da Nerd]

Yes Sir, a prime massive great to behold whitetail buck..
You have every right to be proud.

[masman]

awsome buck!

[darkknight9]

Very nice.

Is Zone 13 by Spooner?

[cliffy109]

Holy crap! That's awesome! Nice job and nice gun.

[Bruce Allen]

Wow!!!

[WiFAL]

Zone 13 includes Hayward and largely the center of Sawyer County. Lots of other zones nip the borders of the county.

Man the stories I could share with you guys is endless. From the ride home to the processer. I was truely blessed to have harvested such a great deer.

I bought the rifle on consignment. It was totally tricked out by the previous owner. Why he let it go I will never know but I'm glad to have it. It was retired until my son can take it up and use its magic.

You won't believe what happened to me this year. I'll post it a little later. Suffice it to say, the locals hate me.

[Sig220]

Wifal, that is a beauty for sure! Almost makes me ashamed of our small deer here in East Texas!!
But I got one question on your pics................







why is that buck's tail up like that in the profile pic :confused:

[WiFAL]

Sig220

Kneeling as I was and looking at the camera I didn't notice that the tail was up. I think it's because his butt is facing west and that's the direction the wind comes out of 90% of the time. It wasn't intentional.

A couple of other people remarked that his tongue wasn't hanging out of his mouth either. Don't know why not but I didn't have to clean blood off of him for the picture.

The funniest thing I heard was this from some coworkers, "Is he still alive? He looks alive." That would be one wild ride holding onto this guy.

I've shot a fair amount of deer in my time. My early years were a bust but I've had much more success since subscribing to Deer and Deer Hunting Magazine. Cleaning this guy was like gutting a pony. He was just so much bigger than anything else in the woods.

[Sig220]

WiFal,

I knew it was inadvertant, but just had to ask the question:tongue:

I too, have shot my fair share of deer over the years, the biggest deer I have ever shot were taken in NE Louisiana when I was growning up. Again, we have plenty of deer here in SE Texas, but they just don't achieve the body mass of those in LA or in WI.

In my younger years, the deer in LA were huge, but as they reduced the amount of woodlands, it seems as if they don't get as big. You would think with the increase in bean fields in that area that they would be massive.

In SE TX, the forests are mostly pine except for the creek and river bottoms but there are not any bean fields. So the acorn crop is small and they have to brouse or eat corn at feeders. The antlers grow pretty well, but the biggest body buck I have seen was only 165 with the majority going 100 to 135.

Again, congratulations on that 2001 experience it is one to be proud of!!!

BTW, now that my wife, son and daughter have taken up hunting. I am relegated to that of a bystander! On my lease each family member gets to shoot a buck and then we get 2 doe tags. So if the family shoots 2 or 3 deer, I don't shoot as I don't think we should take more deer then that. In the past, I got my shots at hogs, but this year they are few and far between probably due to year round trapping by adjacent landowners.