Many of you followed me through the contest for years. I was always "no point Kristen" (though I did get one doe). This weekend I FINALLY, after 10ish years, lined everything up and got a buck with a bow! A few weeks ago I missed one by hitting a tree branch and sent my arrow directly into the dirt (and the buck stared at me and laughed). Saturday I got a babysitter early, took my shower and ventured to my stand shortly before 4. 20 minutes later a spike came through. I could hear the deer all around and could see them running across the creek. About 545 I hear crashing through the corn stalks (I'm hunting a corner of a field - standing corn, triangle of woods and a creek). I'm watching the field and see a flicker of brown. I watch and it nears the edge and pops out - spike. But I still hear crashing and see the stalks move and then brown. Out pops a buck. He literally stepped out of corn and stopped. Broadside. 20 yards. Just like the damn target I've been shooting for years. I get my pin settled and shoot - he mule kicks and runs. I hear crashing in the corn as he rounded the edge of field and looped back in then sounded like a crash. I text my husband- no response. So I sit...and I sit. Knock another arrow, guess I'll go for my doe. Eventually see, I believe the same spike as before, and then the deer start moving all around again. Of course only doe in range was a tiny thing that I let pass. I wait until dark15 and go to get down and I hear the tractor coming. I try and call husband again no answer. I didn't want him coming the way he did, but he didn't have his phone. He comes to pick me up and I'm like I shot a buck - I didn't look for my arrow yet. So he said let's go to the house and get lights....mind you it's been almost an hour and a half now. I'm impatient but to house we go. Go back out, find arrow at sight of impact coated in blood. Only found few drips of blood though. Follow it into corn and lose blood. Corn is so dry we assumed it was absorbing it. Back out call a friend and we go back out. This time we walked in from other side and friend is looking, blood blood blood all on the path. Weird. He did a loop in corn and ran back out. Straight down the path and into the other side of woods. Friend shines his flashlight and he's like there's a deer....at this point I'm thinking a live deer. He said it again. So I look...we walk up and its my buck. Stiffer than a board. Upon gutting him I made a direct middle of the heart shot and the top of one lung. He is surely not the "target" bucks we have and ground shrinkage is real to someone who has never actually shot a buck close up - but I'll take it!
So glad to hear this! It was not for lack of effort. Sometimes its just bad luck when the stars dont align. Congrats on a hard earned, well deserved, handsome buck.
All these years we have been following along, just hoping you get your shot on a buck. And now you just did it! Congratulations. Its something you will never forget.