Hunting Big Game Hunting Deer Hunting

Buck Retrieve

By Michael T. Bible

Updated on Apr 20, 2021 3:32 AM EDT

1 minute read

My 14 year old son Ethan shot his first antlered buck at 7:30 Saturday morning, but we lost the blood trail. I had Ethan concentrate on trying to find more blood to track while I took our lab, Ramsey, downwind of the cover and started working in a crossing pattern hoping he would smell the deer.

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When I got to the top end of the lake, the mortally wounded deer jumped up and ran down the lake. Our lab, Ramsey, saw him and took off behind him out of my site.
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When I got to where I could see the lake clearly I could see the deer about 3/4 ways across. Ramsey was swimming back–with the deer.
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I was afraid he would give out and drown himself. I stood on the bank and called for him for about 5 minutes, trying to call him off the deer.
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Ramsey, with the deer's leg in his mouth, continued to swim.
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He pulled the deer all the way to me on the bank about 75 yards.
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All I can say is you should have been there. Ethan couldn't have been more thrilled with his first buck.

Man’s best friend saves the day and retrieves a boy’s first buck.