WVBOWHNTR
New Member
Well, I finally decided to take some time and share a very special hunt. With multiple family members helping out in different ways, I was able to take my best buck to date this past fall.
The story started in late July when I began getting trailcam pics of a really nice 9-point my daughters eventually named Nails. Over the next couple of months, I got hundreds of pictures of him, most times with his buddy, a wide four-point. However, it wasn't until October that I got a daylight picture of him.
The initial setup I had turned out to not be a great stand site. The steep hill leading down to the stand tree in the creek bottom created unpredictable, swirling winds and made it too easy for oncoming deer to pick me out as they came down the hill toward the corn field on the other side of the creek. I was frustrated and looking for a solution to get a crack at this buck.
In mid-November, I spoke an adjacent landowner and got access to the far end of my property by parking on his. On Sunday, November 17, I ripped my stand and sticks down and my oldest daughter helped me hang my stand on a nice location on the opposite end of the property. The buck sign was all over the place, and with my daughter's seal of good luck on this spot, I felt really confident for the next weekend.
The following Saturday, I climbed into the stand around two in the afternoon. I had several does and one small buck pass the stand. With about fifteen minutes of shooting light left, a doe came bounding out of the thick ravine below me. Just behind her, I could see a big buck in pursuit. It was Nails! It was so thick, he had to turn his head from side to side to get through it. He came up and gave me a broadside shot at about 20 yards. I let the arrow go and watched it disappear behind his front shoulder. He went on a dead run, stopped at 40 yards, and crashed hard into a thicket. I turned to see the doe he had been chasing walking back down the hill toward me. I knocked a second arrow and when she walked underneath my stand, I drove an arrow between her shoulder blades and dropped her in her tracks. I was a mess. I hung up my bow and called my brother. He does not hunt, but helps me with every other chore that comes along with it. He arrived about 30 minutes later, and after a short blood trail, I was able to put my hands on the buck I'd been watching and pursuing the last four months. Here's a cool pic I got with my trailcam when we were dragging him out.
While we were recovering and dragging out the two deer, it began to snow really hard, so I did not get and good field pics. Here's one taken the next morning.
To top things off, my cousin, who is more like a big brother to me, picked up the bill to get the big boy mounted as a house-warming gift for the new house my family bought and moved into in December.
After experiencing the ups and downs of the 2013 season, I honestly don't know how it can be topped. That said, I'll give it a try.
The story started in late July when I began getting trailcam pics of a really nice 9-point my daughters eventually named Nails. Over the next couple of months, I got hundreds of pictures of him, most times with his buddy, a wide four-point. However, it wasn't until October that I got a daylight picture of him.
The initial setup I had turned out to not be a great stand site. The steep hill leading down to the stand tree in the creek bottom created unpredictable, swirling winds and made it too easy for oncoming deer to pick me out as they came down the hill toward the corn field on the other side of the creek. I was frustrated and looking for a solution to get a crack at this buck.
In mid-November, I spoke an adjacent landowner and got access to the far end of my property by parking on his. On Sunday, November 17, I ripped my stand and sticks down and my oldest daughter helped me hang my stand on a nice location on the opposite end of the property. The buck sign was all over the place, and with my daughter's seal of good luck on this spot, I felt really confident for the next weekend.
The following Saturday, I climbed into the stand around two in the afternoon. I had several does and one small buck pass the stand. With about fifteen minutes of shooting light left, a doe came bounding out of the thick ravine below me. Just behind her, I could see a big buck in pursuit. It was Nails! It was so thick, he had to turn his head from side to side to get through it. He came up and gave me a broadside shot at about 20 yards. I let the arrow go and watched it disappear behind his front shoulder. He went on a dead run, stopped at 40 yards, and crashed hard into a thicket. I turned to see the doe he had been chasing walking back down the hill toward me. I knocked a second arrow and when she walked underneath my stand, I drove an arrow between her shoulder blades and dropped her in her tracks. I was a mess. I hung up my bow and called my brother. He does not hunt, but helps me with every other chore that comes along with it. He arrived about 30 minutes later, and after a short blood trail, I was able to put my hands on the buck I'd been watching and pursuing the last four months. Here's a cool pic I got with my trailcam when we were dragging him out.
While we were recovering and dragging out the two deer, it began to snow really hard, so I did not get and good field pics. Here's one taken the next morning.
To top things off, my cousin, who is more like a big brother to me, picked up the bill to get the big boy mounted as a house-warming gift for the new house my family bought and moved into in December.
After experiencing the ups and downs of the 2013 season, I honestly don't know how it can be topped. That said, I'll give it a try.
Last edited:
