I've wondered about this many times. So many big bucks just disappeare and no one seems to know anything about what happened to them. I speculate that when it's time they go to some remote place and die. I know when I'm sick I just want to be left alone and to crawl into some hole until I feel better. Maybe critters are the same.

19 acre watershed pond
LMB, BC/WC, Bluegill, Crawfish, GShiners