bowman
Super Moderator
After setting a lofty goal for myself in 2016, three seasons passed without a buck harvest. My goal was to harvest a buck that would outscore my biggest buck. The problem........ I haven't seen one. The reality is that no matter how old a buck gets, he may never be a high scorer. But an old buck is an old buck regardless of score and no less a trophy. It takes a genetic freak to achieve that "huge" status. The past three seasons have been dedicated to a buck I called Bob due to his bobbed tail. That pursuit came to an end when my landowner found Bob dead while shed hunting. This is a pic of Bob taken from my video when I encountered him on the ground last November. Bob won and I had three buckless years to show for it. But the chess match was fun!
Going into my 4th season since I've shot a buck, I was anxious to get it done. I hunted hard 12 days out of my 14 day vacation with no sightings of anything that would classify as "huge". I then hunted nearly every day off from work. I logged so many hours I lost track.
I have to give my son, Hayden, the credit for this one. I was down last night and debating on whether or not to go the morning after Thanksgiving. Hayden told me that I would regret it if I didn't go and encouraged me to get out there. He even wrote me a note duplicating a note he wrote his brother Trent in 2018 when he got his biggest buck.
When this guy came walking in on the morning of November 29th, I got that excited feeling that I had been waiting for. With 6 does to my left and the buck steadily walking by on my right, getting my bow off the hook and turned in the stand was challenging. I was able to calm my nerves to get ready for the shot. My first shot at a buck with my new Ironwill broadheads flew true at 34 yards and he went less than 45 yards before going down within sight. I was pumped!!
After waiting for 4 years to harvest a buck, I'm super pleased with this guy!!! 143 6/8" 8 point. I've shot bucks that score much higher, but none got me more excited than I was that morning, and still am today.
Special thanks to my son Hayden and my future son-in-law Justin for helping me drag, load, and take pictures! What a day to be thankful for!
Going into my 4th season since I've shot a buck, I was anxious to get it done. I hunted hard 12 days out of my 14 day vacation with no sightings of anything that would classify as "huge". I then hunted nearly every day off from work. I logged so many hours I lost track.
I have to give my son, Hayden, the credit for this one. I was down last night and debating on whether or not to go the morning after Thanksgiving. Hayden told me that I would regret it if I didn't go and encouraged me to get out there. He even wrote me a note duplicating a note he wrote his brother Trent in 2018 when he got his biggest buck.
When this guy came walking in on the morning of November 29th, I got that excited feeling that I had been waiting for. With 6 does to my left and the buck steadily walking by on my right, getting my bow off the hook and turned in the stand was challenging. I was able to calm my nerves to get ready for the shot. My first shot at a buck with my new Ironwill broadheads flew true at 34 yards and he went less than 45 yards before going down within sight. I was pumped!!
After waiting for 4 years to harvest a buck, I'm super pleased with this guy!!! 143 6/8" 8 point. I've shot bucks that score much higher, but none got me more excited than I was that morning, and still am today.
Special thanks to my son Hayden and my future son-in-law Justin for helping me drag, load, and take pictures! What a day to be thankful for!
. Regardless of score I’d shoot that buck 100 times over. Congrats!
