So life changes as the years go by and the last few have lead me to focus on many things that seem to occupy every free second of time I used to take for granted. Anyways, pretending to be all grown up and responsible has made my time spent on these boards much less then it used to be. Hopefully that will change and all you guys are safe, well and shooting bucks. I do miss the interactions with all you guys..........Maybe I will fire up a location or Scent-Lok thread after this one My wife and I have worked very hard our entire lives and last year it paid off with us finally being able to locate and purchase our dream home. It sits on 25 acres and has everything we have ever wanted and will ever need................fortunately one of those things is bigger bucks. Lots of land surrounding me and very little hunting pressure. Couple guys with bows here and there but plenty of deer to go around plus we are in farm country so the deer have tons of food options for good nutrition. I have always thought of myself as a hunter with ability to kill "what's out there"..........well now I knew for a fact I had some bigger and older opponents then I was used to so game on!! Last season with moving in late summer and all the chaos I just didn't have the time to figure out the land and the deer won, I saw some really good bucks but my stands ended up being better for watching/seeing then killing. This year my strategy changed but I still hadn't had the encounters I was hoping for.........with the season opening for the first time ever on Oct 1st in NY I believe I let that get in my head and I felt like the clock was running out but in reality it was still days to a week from primetime. I LOVE hunting on Halloween........it just feels right, it's a special day for me and I always feel like the woods come alive around this time as well. Halloween 2012 lived up to the hype and then some. Off to the stand.......when I came home from work in the morning I saw more deer then usual in the local fields and plenty were bucks. I decided to sleep quick and hit the stand that afternoon. Weather in NY has sucked moose nads this year and my gear has been wet more then dry.............did I mention I hate hunting in the rain?? I sit down to a misty haze which is cooler because it's Halloween so it doesn't bother me much especially as I see a few does on their feet nice and early just strolling and munching as they move along. A short time passes and the mist turns to drizzle and my stuff gets wet for the 100th time in row. The date keeps me happily in stand waiting for some action and soon enough I see movement straight out and a nice 8 pt strolling right at me............again, not a care in the world. He walks right past me and picks up a few of the great acorns that dropped this year and heads off out of sight........cool encounter and I'm really thinking I had a great afternoon even though I still haven't even reached for my bow. Some down time passes and I see some movement........this time from the direction I "hoped and planned" they would come from when I set the stand. A couple does appear and I think to myself I will take the big one if she strolls by alone...........I hear some cracks and thumps behind them and hope it's a bruiser when I see the uggliest fork/spike this earth has ever seen come bounding out instead...........figures. I glance around and then refocus on the does as they are on the move right towards my lanes but still a ways out. Suddenly my eye catches an ear flip in the scrubby brush behind them and then like an old magic eye poster he comes into focus...........I honestly don't know if he was there the whole time and I just looked past or by him but I'm locked on him now and he is a beauty. He steps into the open and he IS the deer I was picturing in my head when spike popped out. I am a sucker for big 8's and he is perfect.........good mass, wide rack and just standing there with mud up to his chest looking nasty. I know the does will lead him to his doom but they are taking FOREVER!!!! I want to scream "COME ON"!!! as I don't know how much longer my poor heart can take this abuse. The doe he is most interested in finally works towards me and she is coming right down to my lane broadside at 20 like I drew her a map. I'm contemplating which pose I will mount my new friend above the fire place in when fate decides to kick me square in the junk yet again. As the buck nears my lane the spike jumps at one of the other does and spooks everyone...........the lead doe, not knowing what the commotion was picks up her pace and scoots away from the noise. The buck instantly doubles his pace and now cuts off his route to better keep up with his girl. I now have one shot chance left but it's farther yardage and a tight squeeze. the buck hits that lane as I am trying to compute all this on the fly and I stop him with a grunt. I see broadside vitals and I know my top pin on the Destroyer is money out to 30 so away the arrow goes and I follow that arrow right to his chest looking like I pinwheeled the spot I chose. THWACK!!!!..........and off he goes, we both know he's not going far. I gather myself and sneak back to the house and call my dad , brothers and anyone else who would pick up. My dad is so jacked up he jumps in his truck for the short drive over and even my wife threw on the rubber boots for a family tracking session. The track was one I will never forget as my wife was full of questions about what everything we saw was telling me and my dad was grinning like a teenager in anticipation of what was at the end of the red trail. I purposely hung back so my dad would find him and when he started yelling I remembered what a special treat it has been to spend 26 years in the woods with my dad and to have my treasured family with me as I walked up on my trophy...........on MY land. A Halloween I will never forget.
Wow what a nice buck. Congrats. Even more so congrats on a beautiful piece of property and house. I'm sure you'll have many many years of good quality hunting and living on such a nice piece of land.
Rage 2 blade chisel tip..........hit was a little lower then I thought but job done, big holes and lots of blood.
Great story, I'm very happy for you and your wife. We hope to do the same when the time comes. Nice looking bucks you guys have there, glad you can share it with your family. Your shot is fine, enough carnage to let a lot of light in and a lot of blood out, well done.
Wow Atlas! There are so many aspects of your story that are truly awesome, but the thing that I like the best is that your Dad was there to be a part of it. Congratulations on the dream home, the property and the great buck, but more importantly, congratulations on what sounds like the experience of a lifetime.
Great buck, great read and looks like a great property Atlasman, congratulations on all of it, from the buck, the family, your dad and the read.... Halloween is special, I've taken 2 bucks myself on that magical day.. sadly, this year I was done prior to... Congrats again.
