Yesterday afternoon my hunting partner and i talked for a bit before heading out and decided on a place to go. We decided to sit in a spot about 150 yds apart that we havent been to since putting up the stands in late July. It was a treebelt that ran east and west with corn on both sides and on the east end there's a small river that runs north and south with rushes along side it. I was positioned on the east end about 20 yds in on the south side. The wind was from the south. I was in an evergreen tree about 18 feet up, a shot to the south edge of the corn was 11yds and i had good shooting lanes in the treebelt to the east and west. I was set in my stand at about 5:30. I saw a doe come through the treebelt from the south at 6:00. At about 6:15 the buck i ended up shooting came out of the rushes to the southeast of me at 83 yds. Him and a 4 point fed there for a few mintues then proceeded to head south away from me. When they were about 150 yds away the 1st 2 bucks met a 3rd buck, a small fork horn, coming from the opposite direction. As they passed each other the 1st 2 bucks turned around and headed back following the the fork horn. As they got to the edge of the treebelt, which is 20 yds away, the forkhorn kept goin north and the other 2 turned and headed toward me. The 4 point came into the trees and my buck came right down the edge between the trees and the corn at 6:40 and gave me an 11 yd shot, he never knew what hit him. Now, due to the steep angle and the fact that i let him get past me a bit for a slight quartering away shot, the exit hole (which you see in the pics) went through and broke his left front leg, which provided for a terrible blood trail, 1 of the worst i've ever encountered and still recovered an animal. But i knew i made a good shot and i didnt hear him go crashing into the corn and he didnt make it down to my hunting partner. At 7:15 i called my partner and he came down to me on the north side of the treebelt and we started tracking. It was slow going, but we found him piled up in the treebelt about 60 yds from where i shot him. I havent scored him yet, though i thinking low 130's. This is the result:
Congrats on an awesome deer! I'll second Greg's comments on the cape. He should make an amazing mount.
