gunrunr
Life Member
Finding a big buck from my treestand seemed like finding a needle in a haystack this season. Lack of preseason scouting and not enough time running trail cams because of my elk hunt left me scrounging for a shooter. Last night I decided to throw caution to the wind and climb into an old homemade ladderstand on a farm I hadn't hunted in two years. The spot seems perfect with 4 fencelines running together and 4 draws all intersecting at the same spot, with this stand on the edge of this hub overlooking a picked corn field - but it had just never produced for me. Got a late start to the stand working in the shop and finally climbed up about 3:30. I'm in a cottonwood that has about a 4-5 foot diameter so I have to stand up every once in a while to look around each side as the brisk wind prevented me from hearing much behind me. About 4:30 I spotted him, a heavy-horned large-bodied buck with giant brow tines following a doe and shredding trees behind me, it was game on! I thought for sure they would follow the trail and come out into the open in the corn field in front of me but the doe turned to go up one of the other draws away from me and I knew he would follow. I picked a spot where she had just went through with a small opening and drew my bow. Luckily he paused there and I let my Muzzy fly, connecting with a hard hit, leaving him down in the deepest ditch around in cold deep water to expire only 30 yards away. Haven't had a chance to tape him yet but we're guessing him as a 5 year old scoring around 145 - will have to find some time to check for sure. What started out as a hail-mary pass to hunt an area unscouted and non-productive in the past led me to a fine trophy. My advice if you are struggling to find deer, get crazy and try a spot that just seems wrong, you never know, it just may be right.
