I started out last Saturday morning by hitting the Illinois North Zone duck opener. Most of my hunting time in the last few years has focused on birds and dogs. It was one of those bluebird mornings with not much was happening. I managed to shoot a pair of mallards but other than that it was really slow. My thoughts quickly turned to deer hunting and I decided to pack up, go home and dust of the bowhunting gear. I shot a few arrows and was feeling pretty good, so I decided to head out to a small peice of property in suburbia I have been hunting since I was a kid. As I was getting geared up in the driveway, I spotted a doe already moving through the property about fifty yards from me. I headed to my stand just beyond where I spotted the doe since the wind was favorable for the location anyway. I settled in the treestand about 2 PM. Once in the stand I realize I forgot my grunt call and start to stress about it. About an hour into my hunt another hunter with permission to hunt this peice showed up and tried to tell me the tree stand I had hung in this tree "fell out of that tree years ago" and that this was his stand! I had to remind him that the original stand I hung in this parrticular tree he had broken a few years back and I asked him to replace it. He then told me I need to ask for permission from him before hunting out of his stand and stormed off. I figured he was going to one of the other fine locations I had set up and shared with him for years. Or, maybe he would go to one of the spots he had setup that I had nothing to do with? Instead, he proceeded to fumble around in the woods in my hunt area and eventually ended up on the roof of a small shed about 60 yards behind me. [/IMG] After about an hour a doe came through at 25 yards on the opposite side of where the shed was. She gazed over her shoulder a few times so I figured there were more deer behind her. I was so frustrated with this other hunter deliberatley disturbing my hunt that I figured I would shoot her and leave. I was here to enjoy myself, not worry about some jerk ruining my hunt! I let loose and nailed the doe. She ran about ten yards away and piled up DOA. A few minutes pass and here comes this 10 point buck down the same path as the doe. I begin to get into position and wait for the perfect broadside shot setup. About 10 yards before the buck reaches my ideal shooting window, I hear "twang" and an arrow comes sailing through the woods and bouncing off the ground. I was amazed that this pesky hunter took an impossible long distance shot and was also a little concerned thinking that arrow could of hit me! You can see the sheds outline just to the left of the tree with the stand in it (thats a log pile with the tarp on it at the base of my tree): [/IMG] The shot was an obvious attempt to scare the animal away before I had an opportunity for a clean and humane kill. The racket the arrow made as it hit trees and bounced off the ground spooked the buck and he bolted. I was sure he was long gone, but I was wrong. He ran for where the dead doe was lying and stopped right on top of her. There was not a good shot here and I still had a feeling he was going to get away. The buck stooped down and took a couple big sniffs of the doe. After sniffing the doe the buck got spooked again and ran within 10 yards of my stand before he slowed down. At this point he was quartering away from me through some cover. I crouched down in the treestand and contorted my body to get a shot. I knew it was not the best shot but it was now about twelve yards away and I figured how bad can one really miss at twelve yards? I took the shot with fairly good confidence. When the arrow hit, the buck mule kicked and high tailed it away. A little time passed before I climbed down and went to my car. I gave the other hunter a few choice words in passing fit for the stunt he had just pulled as he sat on the shed roof. I went back up to the woods to take a look around for blood or an arrow. I could not find anything in the immediate vicinity. I began to get a sick feeling that I might of only wounded that amazing animal. I thought "how could I let another hunter compel me into taking a mediocre shot?" I called one of my good buddies to come calm me down and help look for the Buck. By the time he showed up I had already field dressed the doe and the other hunter moved off to another spot. He must of figured out by now that this area was a little spoiled! We scoured the area for signs of blood or an arrow but we came up empty. Just before dark I contemplated expanding the search but we decided to re-convine in the morning. I got out there bright and early the next morning. Still no blood and no arrow. After about a half an hour my buddy shows up and we spend a good hour looking for sign. At this point we decide to go into canvas mode and he heads off in one direction and I in another. A little time passes and I get a phone call from my buddy. He says "hey, I'm standing by a ten pointer!" I was so relieved and headed right over to his location. The buck had crawled into some bushes under a small tree. The arrow was still in him. It hit his back leg area and stuck about 24" into his body pointing up towards his chest leaving only a few inches sticking out. Now I know why there was no sign of blood or my arrow. The bucks body was still warm and there was plenty of steam coming out of him when I cut him open. We were very lucky we did not push him the night before because he probably passed only a few hours before. I field dressed him and both animals went to the meat locker later that day. [/IMG] [/IMG] Just to make sure I was not crazy, I went back to the shed and paced off the hail mary the other hunter threw the day prior. I counted 90 yards. This pic is from the bucks location when the other hunter shot at him: [/IMG] This is the biggest buck I have shot in my life and I am 38 years old. I think I will be giving my older brother deer sausage for Christmas!
Wow! Like I said in my PM....great buck!!!! Loved the story too. I can't believe another "hunter" would pull such a stunt. Just curious...did you leave the doe laying overnight as well? Congrats!
Goodness, what was that other guy doing? And congratulations on your fantastic buck and double kill. The memory of that hunt will surely last forever.
