This morning I shut both alarms off and slightly overslept. Waking again at 4:45 I hurriedly threw on my hunting clothes, put my safety harness on and headed to the nearest convenience store for a cup of coffee to go. Driving toward my destination I realized I had no watch and left the cellphone at home charging. I knew then I'd just sit for as long as comfortable and just guess when I would get down. The morning was foggy and I kept switching from brights to dim/foglights hoping a deer or another critter wouldn't run out in front of me. After parking at the end of a fencerow up the farmlane I made my way the almost 1/2 mile back to the stand I shot a mature doe from on Oct. 4th.
After reaching the tree and attaching the bow to the pull up rope I screwed the 6 treesteps in that made it necessary to reach the already steps I had in the tree. Light was breaking fast although layers of fog still kept everything misty and mysterious. After attaching my harness and pulling my bow up/readying an arrow, I stood watching and listening with my bow on a nearby stub of a limb I had cut off.......sure made a good bow hanger.
It couldn't have been more than 10 minutes when straight in front of me about 45 yards appeared a buck. At this point I could just make out it was a buck, looked to be a decent rack, but not sure. He finally moved toward me slowly and at the first instant his head moved in different directions looking for does and/or possibly danger I grabbed my bow and attached the release to the string loop. There he is not 20 yards away now but still facing me and I swear he was looking at me or at least at the tree I was in. He still looked to have a decent rack, no monster by any means but the best I had seen yet within bow range this season, or at any range for that matter. Finally starting down the trail where so many does, fawns, and smaller bucks had passed by several sits in this stand this season, he stopped as if knowing that danger lurked somewhere east, but not sure. It was funny really because he acted as though he knew he had to go on, but yet knew not to follow the heavily used trail from the old abandoned pasture at the point where 2 standing corn fields and a standing soybean field met. He turned broadside, stopped and acted like he couldn't decide whether to stay on the trail or enter the area through the thick brush which might take him in a circle past me, making a shot more difficult as I would have to turn completely to my right if he did so. I hate having to turn completely to my right on a stand. At this juncture I am standing slightly crouched with my feet positioned near the front and back of my old but faithful LocOn stand. My mind raced back and forth......is he the buck I want, should I let him go, maybe something else will come out later. I honestly think instinct took over on my part and I drew back steadying the 20 yard pin behind his right front shoulder. I let if fly and it seemed to be a solid hit, but I could not see fletching as he wheeled around running back the way he came. It sounded good but I was still apprehensive. What seemed like a minute was actually seconds and I was sure I heard him fall, a little thrashing and then stillness. But I could not be sure. Again, all within a few seconds.
Waiting at least a 1/2 hour I finally let my bow down slowly, climbed down, took out the bottom 6 steps, took the rope off my bow and proceeded to cautiously head to where he was standing as I shot. Success! The Muzzy MX-3 broadhead tipped arrow passed through and was sticking in the ground, blood from tip to nock. Just as good a sign was there was blood spattered initially. I always find that to be a good sign when there is blood spattered at impact. Taking up the trail there was blood on both sides, not heavy, but low on the surround grass, weeds and briars. That told me I shot him a little low. I was hoping for a heart shot after seeing this and..................45 yards later from point of impact...........I find him and it was a heart shot!!!
Certainly not what I was hoping to hold out for but I am happy. He has my respect and is worth as much to me as any deer I have taken. I also have another either sex tag/anterless tag and the rut just starting to get in low gear.
Preliminary scoring puts him somewhere around 108-110. I'll do a much more accurate check later this evening or tomorrow. Not the best pics, but pics nevertheless:
Foggy 9 pt. taken 10-15 minutes after on stand.
