The morning of November 11th, 2006 started like any other morning I had spent in stand thus far this whitetail season. It was only 4:45 a.m. and I had a long wait ahead of me until the sunrise even began to peak. It was cold, a brisk northwest wind cut through the woods like a steel knife. A gentle drizzle was the only sound I could hear in the darkness that surrounded me.

At 5:30 a.m. I heard soft footsteps in front of me, to my left. They only lasted several seconds before the woods fell silent again. In the distance the loud hoot of an owl kept my mind busy as I still had forty minutes before the first shooting light. The whitetail rut had not hit my woods just yet, and I just waited patiently for the chance it would show itself to me today. I haven't slept much in nearly two months and was getting restless.

Fifteen minutes later my ears caught the faint sound of a grunt in the woods behind me. Within seconds another occurred somewhere in the woods to my left. Seemingly another grunt occurred directly in front of me within seconds of the last. I was standing still, trying to locate exactly where the grunts were coming from. The wind was 'moving' the grunts all around, giving my ears some difficulty in pinpointing the direction of the deer.

It was just after 6:10 a.m. now and I still would occasionally hear a soft tending grunt somewhere within the woods. At 6:15 a twig snapped to the right of my stand. I could see pretty clearly now, and turned my head toward the direction of the noise. A deer, a shooter buck! My heart jumped now, and my mind moved a mile a minute.

I reached for my bow, which hung on the tree to my left. The buck, a typical 8 point, stood there only 45 yards from me! It was still dark enough to move my body pretty easily to my left to face the buck head on. My bow was in hand waiting for the deer to make his next move.....and he didn't! He bedded right down, facing me! The long stare down just began, my hunt was far from over with no clear ending in sight.

For the next 50 minutes the deer laid only 45 yards from me, throwing grunts into the woods every minute or so. All the while I knew a doe was somewhere near him, I just could not see her. The northwest wind blew the morning's cold air directly into my face, turning my hands and body numb. In fact, I had to hold extremely still and rotate the hand that would hold my bow every couple of minutes. If I didn't my hand would begin to throb in pain from the cold of my bow!

The entire time the buck laid in front of me, I contemplated every possible move the buck and his doe would make. All the outcomes ended bad for me, the hunter. I just did not believe this doe (that I could not see) was going to come closer to me and bring the buck along. I was further up the ridge, and in the windy conditions, I knew she would seek lower ground. I knew I had to make a move.

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The buck stood up just after 7:00 a.m. and stretched for a minute or two, then bedded down, this time facing away from me. It was at that moment I knew I had to try a stalk, wait for him to stand again, then take a shot. The problem was that I still could not see the doe. At times I began to wonder if she was even there, but his reassuring grunts he tossed let me know she must have been.

The ground was still saturated from the light rain that fell during the night and early morning. The wind kept the trees constantly moving, leaves continued to fall, and I knew they would help to mask any unwanted sounds I may make. At 7:30 a.m. I made the move and unhooked my safety belt. I shimmied down the tree as quickly and as quietly as one could while holding a bow with an arrow still nocked. It was difficult, but within moments I was on the wet earth.

I peered at the buck, only seeing his antlers above the grasses. Silently I began my creep, staying low to the ground, one foot and then the next. Each step falling in between countless twigs, limbs, and small piles of leaves. I bounced on an angle toward the buck, going from one tree to the next as slow as I could.

At wwenty yards or so I stopped. I knelt down and made sure my arrow sat correctly upon my rest, then hooked on my release. My initial plan was to wait for the deer to stand, then to shoot. But in the back of my mind I could not escape the fact that a doe must be present somewhere nearby, one I could not see. What if she saw me first! The grass was still thin where I knelt. The tree I was near was thin and empty of any low hanging limbs. After several minutes it was clear to me.. I could not wait.

And then it happened, a mature whitetail buck actually made a costly mistake! The buck put his head down, almost as if to sleep! I had a clear vision and could not see the doe. My instinct took over and I made the next move. I continued to creep, all the while waiting for an opening in the grass. My mind completely forgot about the doe, and readied myself for the shot. I stayed low to the ground.

I was so close to the buck now I could see him breathe! And just then the doe threw up her head, staring at me! She was only 5 yards in front of him! I went down into the grass, drawing back on my bow. An opening appeared in the tall grass straight into the vitals of the buck. The buck threw his head up! My right hand now found my anchor point in my cheek, my pin found the mark! Within a moment I released!

Thirty yards later and only seconds passed and my buck fell! The buck I just stalked within 8 yards of was now dead, laying within 35 yards as I continued to kneel on the ground where I made the fatal shot. I laid down my bow and began to smile. The time was 8:05 a.m. and I couldn't believe what I had just done. It was by far the greatest hunt I had ever had, and did not want the feeling to ever end. On the 11th day of the 11th month in my 11th year as a whitetail bowhunter, I just had the perfect hunt.

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