Coach
New Member
Where do I begin, this was the most exciting hunt that I've experienced! I took vacation to hunt the past week. Between Mother Nature and the Mother of my child, the hunting conditions were not ideal. I gave it all I had, hunting morning, noon and night. I'm going to remember 2004 as the year of the 8 pointer. Every time I went out I would have a different 125" 8 pointer come in begging me to put it out of its misery.
On with the story. It was Sunday, November 14th. My friend and I went out in the morning. He shot at a buck and missed from a pop-up blind. I as always, saw a 125" 8 pointer and a handful of does. On the way home from the morning hunt we saw a really big 8 pointer just laying in somebody's front yard with a doe, I'll post a photo later. This big buck sighting had my blood boiling, I had hunted all week and hadn't seen a good shooter. I told my friend were I was going to sit that evening and I joked that had shot my buck from the same tree on Sunday 2 years ago on November 15th. He joked back claiming that I also shot my buck last year the day of their baby shower, and guess what, my wife had just left to throw a baby shower. All the cards were coming together. I was going to sit a spot that I call my ace in the hole, I shot a 10 their 2 years ago, and didn't sit it last year. I always save the spot for when the going gets tuff, and being that I could see my season coming to a close, it was time. All I needed was a East or SE wind, that prayer was answered.
I dropped Canjo off at another farm and headed for my Stand. The spot is just a narrow strip of trees with a tiny creek in it that runs N/S along the edge of standing corn. There is a bedding area at the South end and the deer spill out down the narrow draw in the evening. When I walked in at 2:45 it looked just like it did 2 years ago, a big scrape every 50 yards on the edge!!!
I got to the tree that I knew was in a proven killing spot, set up my doe decoy on the edge of the field next to a scrape, and gave her a little Ms. Doe PEE under her in the leaves. I cut a few branches and started up the tree with my climber, halfway up I heard some crashing in the standing corn. I snapped my head up to see 2 does and a little 5 pointer bust out of the corn and run right by me, then they stopped and starred at the decoy, the little buck started posturing and circling around my decoy, then they busted off across the cut beans to my West. I finished climbing up the tree and got settled in, time check 3:00 PM.
About 3:30 I heard more crashing in the corn so I stood up and got my bow ready, I could see movement. The 2 deer dropped into the creek behind a deadfall. I could see a doe and tips of rack!!! after about 5 minutes they walked in the creek far enough for me to get a clear view, HE WAS A SHOOTER. They were only 30 yards away, but there were branches and brush in between me and them. They weren't in a hurry at all, just milling around. They made their way up the side of the narrow creek and were standing 25 yards away, the buck was facing directly towards me, no shot. He saw the doe decoy and starred forever at it, not really interested, but intrigued. I was still poised for the shot, weight on my right foot, bow out front and release clipped on. My heart had raced up and back down 3 different times. The buck had great character and I prayed to the good Lord that I could get a shoot at this wise magnificent critter. I had been frozen like a statue for 15 minutes and then I heard some truck doors and equipment banging around to the South about 500 yards away on the next farm, the buck and doe snapped their heads up and looked, I thought the game was over, but after a minute they continued to browse. A couple of minutes later one of the guys working yelled really loud at his dog or something, and the deer snapped their heads up again, then continued to browse. Too close for comfort, I didn't know how much of this my heart could handle. It had now been 20 minutes into the greatest Texas standoff of all time. The buck was still standing in range, but facing towards me and behind a branch. Just then I heard more crashing in the corn and my buck and doe starred into the corn, here comes the 2 does and 5 pointer from before right by the deer I was watching. They circled the doe decoy for a couple minutes and trotted off. The big buck and hot doe just stood and starred as if they were saying, Meddling teenagers! I was now about 28 minutes into the stand off, my right foot going numb, my bow grip hand cramping from holding my bow in position. Finally the buck started moving toward me half a step at a time, I was searching for a pocket to shoot through. He turned broadside to me and stepped behind a tree and I drew my bow back and got on my toes on the end of my stand to clear a branch. He stepped out from behind the tree and I slid the sight pins across his shoulder, found my 20 yard pin just behind his armpit and tapped my release. The shot seemed faster than lightning, I remember seeing the arrow flash through the zone and hearing it stick in the ground. The doe busted out into the edge of the cut bean field and the buck followed, or at least was going to try to. He went down running 20 yards from where he was shot, it couldn't have taken more than 2 seconds. I have never seen a deer go down so fast that wasn't spine shot. The doe just stood there and looked like she was bewildered about why the buck dropped. She circled the decoy twice and trotted out into the field. I was going crazy, I had just shot my biggest buck to date after a 30 minutes stand off. I sat down and thanked the Lord for the gift of my hunt. It was 4 pm and my buck was down. I called my buddy from the stand and told him about the hunt, and then I called another buddy. I was leaving the friend a message and heard a grunt, I quickly put the phone away. I heard several more grunts coming up the draw towards me, then I saw him. Another buck showed up for my dream hunt. He was a great looking 8 pointer in the 140-145" range. He came out and circled the doe decoy. He was a buck that I filmed last season working a scrape across the farm. He had grown into a dandy buck and I look forward to meeting him again next year. He walked off with the hot doe that was still in the field. I sat there for about ten more minutes and could see and hear more deer crashing through the corn field. I called Canjo and told him that I had settled for a 125" 8 pointer because It was nearing season end for me. I told him that I would pick him up at his stand after dark, then go get my buck. I got down my tree and walked over to where the deer was standing and there was my lucky arrow buried in the ground, coated red, Muzzy stuck in damp, leaf covered earth. I used the same arrow that I shot my 150" buck from last year with, complete pass through, good as new once again. The buck was laying less than 20 yards away. He was great, 11 points, split G2 on the left, an extra point on his right side, good bladed brow tines. What a beauty!!!
I picked up Canjo and we drove down to where my buck was. We got out and he hit the buck with his flashlight, he started screaming and laughing saying he knew that I wouldn't have shot a 125" buck after filming me passing up several of that caliber earlier in the week. We had a great time and had several cold ones last night to celebrate. We measured him up with a soft tape and came up with 158" gross, I don't really care what he measures, he gave me the hunt of a lifetime.
I learned a couple of things from this hunt. 1 - I will always shoot a Muzzy, nothing gives better penetration, hands down. 2 - Always wait for a good broadside shot, patience will always payoff. I thought about taking a quartering to shot, but knew better. 3 - A good doe decoy is worth it's weight in gold. I have shot my last 3 bucks over this same decoy.
Take it for what it's worth. I have some skinning and butchering to do tonight so enjoy this great sport and I hope you all have a hunt as great as mine in the near future.
PS: I'll upload another photo soon from the other angle so you can see his great slit G2 on the left side.
[image]http://www.iowawhitetail.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=4826&size=big&password=&sort=7&thecat=500[/image]
On with the story. It was Sunday, November 14th. My friend and I went out in the morning. He shot at a buck and missed from a pop-up blind. I as always, saw a 125" 8 pointer and a handful of does. On the way home from the morning hunt we saw a really big 8 pointer just laying in somebody's front yard with a doe, I'll post a photo later. This big buck sighting had my blood boiling, I had hunted all week and hadn't seen a good shooter. I told my friend were I was going to sit that evening and I joked that had shot my buck from the same tree on Sunday 2 years ago on November 15th. He joked back claiming that I also shot my buck last year the day of their baby shower, and guess what, my wife had just left to throw a baby shower. All the cards were coming together. I was going to sit a spot that I call my ace in the hole, I shot a 10 their 2 years ago, and didn't sit it last year. I always save the spot for when the going gets tuff, and being that I could see my season coming to a close, it was time. All I needed was a East or SE wind, that prayer was answered.
I dropped Canjo off at another farm and headed for my Stand. The spot is just a narrow strip of trees with a tiny creek in it that runs N/S along the edge of standing corn. There is a bedding area at the South end and the deer spill out down the narrow draw in the evening. When I walked in at 2:45 it looked just like it did 2 years ago, a big scrape every 50 yards on the edge!!!
I got to the tree that I knew was in a proven killing spot, set up my doe decoy on the edge of the field next to a scrape, and gave her a little Ms. Doe PEE under her in the leaves. I cut a few branches and started up the tree with my climber, halfway up I heard some crashing in the standing corn. I snapped my head up to see 2 does and a little 5 pointer bust out of the corn and run right by me, then they stopped and starred at the decoy, the little buck started posturing and circling around my decoy, then they busted off across the cut beans to my West. I finished climbing up the tree and got settled in, time check 3:00 PM.
About 3:30 I heard more crashing in the corn so I stood up and got my bow ready, I could see movement. The 2 deer dropped into the creek behind a deadfall. I could see a doe and tips of rack!!! after about 5 minutes they walked in the creek far enough for me to get a clear view, HE WAS A SHOOTER. They were only 30 yards away, but there were branches and brush in between me and them. They weren't in a hurry at all, just milling around. They made their way up the side of the narrow creek and were standing 25 yards away, the buck was facing directly towards me, no shot. He saw the doe decoy and starred forever at it, not really interested, but intrigued. I was still poised for the shot, weight on my right foot, bow out front and release clipped on. My heart had raced up and back down 3 different times. The buck had great character and I prayed to the good Lord that I could get a shoot at this wise magnificent critter. I had been frozen like a statue for 15 minutes and then I heard some truck doors and equipment banging around to the South about 500 yards away on the next farm, the buck and doe snapped their heads up and looked, I thought the game was over, but after a minute they continued to browse. A couple of minutes later one of the guys working yelled really loud at his dog or something, and the deer snapped their heads up again, then continued to browse. Too close for comfort, I didn't know how much of this my heart could handle. It had now been 20 minutes into the greatest Texas standoff of all time. The buck was still standing in range, but facing towards me and behind a branch. Just then I heard more crashing in the corn and my buck and doe starred into the corn, here comes the 2 does and 5 pointer from before right by the deer I was watching. They circled the doe decoy for a couple minutes and trotted off. The big buck and hot doe just stood and starred as if they were saying, Meddling teenagers! I was now about 28 minutes into the stand off, my right foot going numb, my bow grip hand cramping from holding my bow in position. Finally the buck started moving toward me half a step at a time, I was searching for a pocket to shoot through. He turned broadside to me and stepped behind a tree and I drew my bow back and got on my toes on the end of my stand to clear a branch. He stepped out from behind the tree and I slid the sight pins across his shoulder, found my 20 yard pin just behind his armpit and tapped my release. The shot seemed faster than lightning, I remember seeing the arrow flash through the zone and hearing it stick in the ground. The doe busted out into the edge of the cut bean field and the buck followed, or at least was going to try to. He went down running 20 yards from where he was shot, it couldn't have taken more than 2 seconds. I have never seen a deer go down so fast that wasn't spine shot. The doe just stood there and looked like she was bewildered about why the buck dropped. She circled the decoy twice and trotted out into the field. I was going crazy, I had just shot my biggest buck to date after a 30 minutes stand off. I sat down and thanked the Lord for the gift of my hunt. It was 4 pm and my buck was down. I called my buddy from the stand and told him about the hunt, and then I called another buddy. I was leaving the friend a message and heard a grunt, I quickly put the phone away. I heard several more grunts coming up the draw towards me, then I saw him. Another buck showed up for my dream hunt. He was a great looking 8 pointer in the 140-145" range. He came out and circled the doe decoy. He was a buck that I filmed last season working a scrape across the farm. He had grown into a dandy buck and I look forward to meeting him again next year. He walked off with the hot doe that was still in the field. I sat there for about ten more minutes and could see and hear more deer crashing through the corn field. I called Canjo and told him that I had settled for a 125" 8 pointer because It was nearing season end for me. I told him that I would pick him up at his stand after dark, then go get my buck. I got down my tree and walked over to where the deer was standing and there was my lucky arrow buried in the ground, coated red, Muzzy stuck in damp, leaf covered earth. I used the same arrow that I shot my 150" buck from last year with, complete pass through, good as new once again. The buck was laying less than 20 yards away. He was great, 11 points, split G2 on the left, an extra point on his right side, good bladed brow tines. What a beauty!!!
I picked up Canjo and we drove down to where my buck was. We got out and he hit the buck with his flashlight, he started screaming and laughing saying he knew that I wouldn't have shot a 125" buck after filming me passing up several of that caliber earlier in the week. We had a great time and had several cold ones last night to celebrate. We measured him up with a soft tape and came up with 158" gross, I don't really care what he measures, he gave me the hunt of a lifetime.
I learned a couple of things from this hunt. 1 - I will always shoot a Muzzy, nothing gives better penetration, hands down. 2 - Always wait for a good broadside shot, patience will always payoff. I thought about taking a quartering to shot, but knew better. 3 - A good doe decoy is worth it's weight in gold. I have shot my last 3 bucks over this same decoy.
Take it for what it's worth. I have some skinning and butchering to do tonight so enjoy this great sport and I hope you all have a hunt as great as mine in the near future.
PS: I'll upload another photo soon from the other angle so you can see his great slit G2 on the left side.
