hi guys...
not sure if anybody has ever seen a SE Alaska buck... they are not like lower 48 deer or even Columbia black tails. they are SE Alaska Sitka Blacktail deer. small bodied, very stocky and blocky, and very small antlered. there are very very few deer on mainland Alaska, and the blacktails we have are island deer, small and adapted. the deer I killed today is considered large for here. one look at the muzzle and eyes will show you that the deer was very mature. it is the largest deer i have taken this year and for several years.. they are ghosts at times due to the dense nature of the brush here. also notable is the darker brown color of thier antlers, although this old boy's antlers were a bit faded.
I killed him this morning with a shot through both lungs at about 95 yards with a 160g lee flat nosed boolit from my bolt action 308. he ran about 30 yards and fell over dead. thank you Lord that I diddnt have to go far to find him as I left my wonder tracking dog missy at home...
MarkoPolo