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For most of us deer season never really
ends. As soon as the
season is closed in our area we are already making plans on how
we can get a shot at a monster buck next season.
Scouting continues so we can see which bucks made it
through the winter. Then there is shed hunting, looking at new
property, stand set up or moving, etc., it never ends.
I think that is why we all love whitetail hunting so
much!
I have been lucky enough to get to hunt a
variety of animals and whitetail hunting is by far my favorite.
There is just something about the feeling you get when
that trophy buck walks in and you send an arrow through his
vitals and he piles up within sight!
Being able to defeat all of the senses of a whitetail and
get within shooting distance is an accomplishment in and of its
own.
As I was out scouting a new piece of
property recently and setting up stands, I could not help but
day dream about what was to come this fall.
The memories of my hunt from last year were still on my
mind and I hoped to have another good season.
Last year my whitetail season got off to a
great start! By
October 10th I had my first buck of the season down
and he was a good one!
After a rough week at work I was finally
headed to the lease for my first hunt of the season.
I arrived with plenty of time to make it to the stand for
the afternoon hunt. I
had high hopes of connecting on a mature wide 8 point I had
photos of at my stand all summer long.
The afternoon hunt came and went but the
buck did not. The
only critters I saw that afternoon were a few racoons.
The next morning I had two does in front of
me shortly after shooting light.
I grabbed my bow and sent an arrow through one of the
does. On the shot my
arrow hit a limb and the arrow struck the doe high but I felt
like it was still a good hit.
I sat in the stand the rest of the morning waiting on my
buck but he didn’t show. For
the past three months I had photos of the buck I was hunting
almost every day and he was never at my stand any later than
10:30
. Once the clock
said 10:30 it was time to go find my doe!
After following a sparse blood trail I
found her in the bottom of the creek about 75 yards behind my
stand. When I say the bottom of the creek I mean the very
bottom! Now this
creek bed is not the type I am used to.
It is located in the bottom of a 75 foot ravine with
steep rocky sides. There
was no way to get the 4 wheeler down there to get her so I had
to drag her out! Dragging
a deer is bad enough but straight up hill is a whipping!
The next morning I was back in my stand.
When there was enough light I saw a dark shadow walk
through the clearing in front of my stand.
I grabbed my binoculars and quickly searched for the
shadow. It was him! The
buck I was hunting for!
I set my binoculars down and grabbed my
bow. I watched as
the shadow began to walk my way.
With every step the sky was getting lighter.
I could now see his distinctive rack with the naked eye
and I knew it was the buck I had the photos of.
The buck slowly worked his way in front of
my stand and began feeding at 19 yards.
I clipped on my release and came to full draw.
There is just something about making it to full draw,
just a little relief that you didn’t get busted.
I placed my pin low behind his front leg and sent the
arrow on its way. THWACK!
The buck jumped and high tailed it out of there.
Once again on the shot my arrow hit a limb and caused the
arrow to strike the buck behind his last rib.
I was sick! When
the buck made it to the clearing some 30 yards from my stand he
stopped and stood there looking around.
His back was arched up and I knew it did not look good.
The buck slowly walked another 20 yards and bedded down.
I sat in the stand and played the shot over
and over in my mind! I
never saw the tiny twig that caused a good situation to turn
bad. After I was
finished beating myself up, I situated myself in the stand where
I could see the spot my buck had bedded down.
Just as I got settled, he got up and tried to run but
fell over after a few feet.
When he hit the ground I lost sight of him.
After a long wait of several hours I
climbed down and slowly headed over to where I last saw the buck
go down. When I
eased up over the rise in the ground there he was!
White belly up, right where he had gone down!
I cannot explain the roller coaster of emotions I
experienced over the past few hours. If you are a hunter, I know
you have taken the same ride,
but it was all worth it when I laid my hands on those
horns!
The buck was the one I had watched grow
from velvet all summer and turn hard horned.
He is the one I selected from my trail camera photos that
I wanted to shoot. I
had scored him from the photos at 136 to 140 P&Y.
He taped out to 136.
What a great way to start my whitetail season!
If thinking about hunts from years past
does not get you pumped up this time of year, I do not know what
will. If you have
not planned out your hunt for this year, what are you waiting
on? Remember deer season is coming!
It will be here before you know it!
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