Top_Heavy's World

The Chalupa buck of 2005

I slowly walked down the drainage ditch that led into the 1000 acre valley filled with CRP and willow clumps. This part of SE iowa is beautiful deer ground with lots of habitat and food, and genetics that are known across the country. I slow hunted down the deep ditch and into the level flood plain. I chose to move slowly toward the East as the world came to life in the dim morning light. Stopping to glass every few steps, I located a pair of does as they bounded along the river. They were heading west and their white tails were easily seen against the brown and tan colors of the long grass. I glassed the area and found several other does following the same trail. Knowing there had to be a buck with that many does, I kept searching. I found him, a really tall off the head buck, long tines and great mass, I turned to the west and as I ran, I was concockting a plan. I got to the ditch and crossed at the only tractor road and good crossing. I knew there was a deer type crossing close to where the ditch met the river, so I hoped to get within 100 yards of this before the deer crossed. I got to my desired hide, and there were no deer in site. I sat and watched about 10 minutes and I finally started looking farther towards the West. The deer got past me before I got into place and now I was looking at a monster buck over 200 yards away! He stood there broadside, stairing at me, sure the distance was his security. I spread the legs of my shooting sticks, laid my Knight muzzleloader on the pads, and tightened the gun to my cheek. The deer was tiny in the 9x scope, small enough to make me believe that he was about 225 yards. I raised the cross hairs above his back and waited until the cross hairs settled where I believed they should be. BOOM, the American Pioneer powdeer ignited and I watched the buck race off. He became visible again as he came up the far bank of the river. I watched as the line of deer crossed into a swale, each deer disappearing and then reappearing on the other side. The buck went into the swale and never came back out... "I got him" was all I could think. I started the long walk around the tall switch grass I had just shot over to where the buck had been standing. I decided to walk the bank of the river as I figured the tracks would be easily seen where the deer crossed the ice. I found the trail in a shallow crossing, the water was open here where the current was so fast. The ice on both banks was covered in blood and the trail was very visible as it went up the hill. I quickly followed it to the body of a Monster 10 pnt buck with a G1 split. I couldn't belive it, he was absolutely huge.
Jody Chalupa and I pulled him back across the river and field dressed and photographed the buck. We decided to back track the buck and range the distance to where I shot from. I couldn't range the buck from where I stood as he was too covered to get a good reading. We tracked him back and found I was 223 yards from him when I shot. I must say, that is a long shot with any rifle, and to place a bullet through both lungs at that range with a muzzleloader is unreal! I would not suggest anyone shoot this far unless they have spent many hours at a range and shot hundreds of round of ammo at extreme ranges.

This beautiful buck, my first over 170", was taken with a very long shot while on my way to a stand.