This is the story of my 2016 deer. Sorry if it's long winded but I thought it all makes for an interesting read. On Friday I sold my 2005 Tahoe to a couple. We are wanting a newer model and we had 170.8XX miles in it. After the sell was completed I had realized something. I didn't have a way of getting down to the bottoms for my all day sit? Not to mention this could be the last time I'm able to bow hunt on my ground because my friend is selling it. Well thankfully my parents were going to Chicago for the weekend and my Dads truck was at home. So my Dad dropped off his truck and I loaded it up. I was all ready to go except for one thing I hadn't considered, the cold weather. Like many of you I've been so used to hunting in 70 to 80• weather that I had completely forgot what it was like to hunt in true November cold. I had search for my layers and get thin washed and prepped. After getting all that done all there was left was simply waking up. 2:00AM alarm went off and I began the rituals. I was driving down the long gravel/mud road when I see eyes ahead. I get closer and realize it's a mature buck chasing a doe around. What a great sign. I meet my buddy at 3:30am he was doing a run and Gun sort of sit. We stop at my set of p 1st as it was on the way. I felt I needed to cut a shooting lane in this one place so I had brought my pole saw. I finished cutting the branches and headed back to the end of the property through flooded timber. No one has entered this part all year, so I had no idea it would be so flooded and I was wearing my regular boots. Gees... We finally get set up and I decided I needed to get back. I get about 200 yard from my stand and on dry land when I opened my Tink's hot doe. I start squiring it about every 5 yards until I get to my stand, then I just squirted the rest out. I start climbing my stand when I hear foot steps I quickly get in stand when I see a light associated with the foot steps. I also here the loud banging of medal as this guy picks a tree 50 yards in front of me. Now I'm near the boarder of the property but I'm pretty sure this guy is on my ground. I'm flashing my light at him but he's but responding or doesn't care. He's still banging around with his climber when I hear more steps coming from the trail I just came in on. The time is 5:45 AM when I see the large figure appear with his nose to the ground. He was following my Tink's trail. I mean talk about timing right. He is sniffing when he stops 5 yards from my stand. I pull back on my string but the pins aren't lit up. I can't place them and I withdrew. I had about 10 minutes till shooting light and I really wanted to force the shot but I decided not to. This was a very large buck and I pray he makes this same mistake next weekend but 10 minutes later. The guy in front is finishing making his noises, which this buck hadn't a care in the world about. The buck heads his direction then turns and disappears into the cut corn. I use my grunt call to attempt getting him back. I then hear the undoubtedly noise of a can call. I imagine this intruder is loosing his mind about now herring my grunts so morning comes with no more action. Once the light is out I can clearly see this guy he's in a climber facing away from me. 50 yards with range finder. Gees! After a couple of hours I hear the banging of his stand as he descend to the ground 8:30am. I shaking my head because last week I hadn't seen any deer here until 9:00. This guy left so I was thankful about that. About an hours later 9:45 I hear crashing a 4 wheeler coming across the field several hunter feet away. Then I hear crashing from the area the guy was set up in. It was 3 deer running away from the 4 wheeler. I tried stopping them but it was no use. One was a big doe at 50 yards out but she and the other disappeared. I'm thinking can my luck get any worse. Fast forward through a very long and boring set/day to about 4:30 PM when I removed my GoPro and pack up my bag. It's starting to get dark I'm ready to drink. All of a sudden I hear foot steps from my right. It's a deer coming down my trial. All of a sudden it starts heading in front but way too far. I go to turn on my GoPro but it's gone. Oh well! I now see it's a buck and good one at that. I grab my bow and once I hit my grunt call. He stopped and stared at me at 40 yards. He starts walking again when he gets behind some thick stuff. Now I really use the grunt call. As soon as I'm finished he turn right at me and starts coming I pull back at a 30 yards then let off. I'm thinking why take a long shot like that when he's clearly coming to you. Well at 20 yards broadside I couldn't resist anymore I pull back and stop him. My peep sight is now messed up to were I can't see very well out of it. I can still see enough to put the 20 yard pin just behind his shoulder and I take a deep I quickly go through the mental check list and release the arrow. I watched as the arrow went high and nailed the deer high. He went stiff and dropped to the ground. Now my dad always told us boys that you keep shooting until that deer is moving or your certain it's not going anywhere. Well this deer is trying to get up and he is making the most horrific noises. Sort of like a grunt but a gargling as well. I think maybe I hits his lung also I see the arrow and it looks like it below the spine. I put my pin on his heart and release I hit the deer in the exact same spot. Palm to forehead. He is trying to drag himself away I'm really feeling bad for it. I grad my coyotes arrow with a cheap broad head. He's laying on his side screaming out that grunt/gargle mix i put the pin just behind the shoulder in the center of its back and I send the final arrow and it nailed him right were I was aiming the deer twitched a bit then stopped my final arrow did its job I felt pretty crappy about putting this creature through such misery, but it was over now. I wait a bit and get down it's getting dark fast. I walk over and pull the fatal arrow out. I took a picture of the first blood and it appears it was a lung shoot. Bright red with bubbles. Well long story short. This is my largest buck killed with a bow. I felt robbed because I didn't get to track the blood. I know many of you think this was awesome but tracking is a sorta like a part of it all and not doing just takes a way from the whole experience. Another factor that makes me feel bad is that my hunting buddy shot at this buck first but missed completely. He has this left eye dominate thing but shoots right handed. He was upset because this would have been his first buck ever and it would have made us both happy if he would have taking it. We are splitting the deer at the locker. I'm happy over all and am thankful that I was able to hunt this ground for the past 7 years but this was a memorable hunt to say the least.
In the past I would have passed him but like I said this is the last year of hunting down there and I don't care about their potential for other hunters unless they will allow me to hunt. He only measures out at 96 1/4". So yeah. He's scoring me many points but I'm still happy even if it's the last buck I ever kill
