So I started hunting about 8 years ago. I had a rough time in the first 4 years. I only gun hunted and I never killed a deer until my 5th year when I shot a small doe. Since then I have been hooked. So my grandfather got me a bow for Christmas. He's been like a father to me since mine isn't around. He showed me how to hunt and it's the greatest thing that he could've ever done. The next year after getting a bow I shot a small 6 pt and hunted the rest of the season trying to kill a doe which I never did. I did see however, a ton of bucks bigger than the one I shot. I figured it was just luck. The next year I shot a small 7pt on opening morning. Then I shot a button buck. Then tried to kill another doe. That is when I saw huge deer all the time. At that point I decided buck fever wasn't going to get the best of me anymore and this year I have passed on several bucks. I have also spent over 120 hours in the stand. November 14th, my grandfather was tagged out and decided to sit with me and video my hunt. We went to a place that we hadn't touched all season. Walking in we saw 4 bucks before we were even in our tree. We climbed up in the tree and my grandpa is telling me to hurry up and pull my bow up there was a big buck. So I hurry and pull my bow up get ready and here he comes cruising through. We called at him and then another buck comes through. My buck comes and wants to fight him. The smaller one backed down and here this buck comes right behind my grandfathers tree. He steps out and I smoked him. Then he ran 80 yards and dropped. My favorite hunt to date and probably will be for years to come. He measured 125' if he hadn't of broken some tines he would've been in the 130"s. I'm hooked will never shoot a small buck again
Congrats bud! Great looking deer. Never say never haha I have 2 mid 120s on the wall and still can hardly keep it together when a spike comes walking in.
Sounds like a great moment you and your grandfather will be able to look back on for the rest of your lives. That's a great deer but the story is what makes it a trophy!
I have many wonderful hunting stories with my dad. Only a few involve actually harvesting game. As previously said, the most important trophy is the time with your grandad. That being said, in my opinion, when you stop getting buck fever you should probably stop hunting. Just my opinion. Your next great adventure (as I'm experiencing now) is when you get to sit in a stand with your own child and see the exact same excitement on their face that you have. its more fulfilling than you can imagine. Congrats on a great deer, great hunt and great time spent with your grandad.
