... almost 20 years ago! 11/19/89

I got both about 1:15 apart, adjacent fields. The fork was 130 yards, and he went to the edge of the field and dropped. I went to another field, got in the stand, and waited. A bunch of does came out at 80 yards across the field, then the owner of the harem followed. I put the crosshairs on him, and squeezed. CLICK! Forgot to re-chamber a round after climbin'. UGH!!!

The does scattered, but he stayed in the field! I chambered, as he walked around to my off hand way right, no chance to turn to him. He went to an overhangin' oak branch, stood up on his hind legs and rattled in the branch, then came to my front at about 30 yards. I don't know if he ever knew I was there or not. I hit him just behind the shoulder, and he fell right there - didn't take a single step.

He don't look like much, but he was. He was THE alpha male. 'Arnold' alpha. Medium height, wide as a tank across the head, shoulders, hindquarters. The 30.06 didn't go through him despite hittin' him square. He was about 210 - 215 lbs.

The next year before openin' day, me and huntin' buddies were drainin' ales, lookin' at the fork rack and the 8pnt rack. A buddy said both racks had the right antler tipped forward. The fork rack, sittin' inside the 8 rack had exactly the same angles. I got my cytology teacher to do a DNA matchup. We actually did that very lab later in that class on bacterial DNA.

The fork was first generation of the 8pnt. I asked him how he could tell first generation (first son?), He said remember that only means 'son', NOT 'grandson', and not necessarily 'first' son.

I had gotten father and son buck the same day.

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