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BIG BUCK DOWN............ Well as I guess I am canceling my vacation and save my time off for when I may need it. I did the unimagineable. After the past two months I finally had something go my way. OK here you go a 12pt, 212 lb BRUTE!!! I took it at 1150 AM today. Story attached.

Here is how the day unfolded. Alarm went off at 0500. Oh please just another 30 minutes I thought. Well I rolled off my best friends couch. Got dressed then immediately noticed Something out of the ordinary. A head ache yikes. I can't let this deter me. So hope in the old truck and head to the closest gas station/convient store. One sausage / egg biscuit , rolaids (just in case) diet Mt. Dew and two packs of advil. Now it is a sprint to "the hill". I arrive at about 0600. I got and hour and half until sun up. I drive through the pasture up the hill to about 50 yards to the wood line. I park and start assembling the needs for the day. Safety harness first. ( Told you MBM) Then coat on gloves , hat, grap fanny pack and make the 500 yard hike up to the top. My stand is attached to a tree sitting about 20 yards off the fenceline. I slide up about 16 ft. turn off the light and wait to see what the day would hold for me.

0650 leagal shooting light nothing. At 0915 pull out the cell phone and start playing poker. Check the weather and temp on the web. It is 41degrees. I text the wife and best friend to let them know my exact location in case something should happen.

1000 nothing 1059 Got movement a doe running about 150 yards on the other side of the fence. I could not see as to what was chasing or why she was running. Immediate instinct grunt tube and let out two short grunts. Deer diappears and nothing. 1130getting hungry and tired of watching enough squirrels to feed China, North Korea, and South Korea. I am almost getting ready to bail. Pull out binoculars and give a scan. "Man my eyes are playing tricks on me". Could that be. Nah. No movement then an ear flickers. Slowyly the binocuolars go down and the .300 win mag comes up. Where did it go? There it is. A deers face and neck. All I can see. It was in some thorn bushes and brush standing next to the fence staring at me. Is it a Buck or Doe? Can see antlers or body. Decision time. It is getting ready to hop the fence and I won't be able to shoot. ( I am a lot of things but poacher is not one of them.) Do I? Don't I ? It seemed like an eternity. Got a frontal neck shot or the head. I have NEVER EVER taken a neck or head shot. Too risky. It is going to leave I gotta do something. I picked my posion. The head through the left eye. I figured if it didn't drop I would miss totally. Take deep breath exhale half way BANG! Hit its mark. It falls. I immediately jack another shell. All I could see was its back and hind legs. I see its leg move.Bang through the spine. No movement.

I start to shake and hyperventilate. Calm down Steve or you are going to get to break in your new safety harness. I tell myself. I unload the gun and lower it down the tree. I make my way down. I reload just in case. I walk the the 100 yards down the fencline and look into the bushes and briars........I fell to my knees in astonishment. Oh my gosh. What have I done? It is a MONSTER! There before me was the largest buck I have taken in the 11 years I have been hunting. I start to count. 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10, one broken off 11, and behind the left main beam a kicker about 2.5 inches long makes 12! 16 inch inside spread 17.5 outside, 10 inch G2's. Good mass!

He is big I mean big. I am a 280lb man but this animal is a monster. I am afraid to put in on the ATV because it may raise it up. Go get the Massey Furgeson 135 and boom. I get him down ot the barn and get out the scales.........216lbs! WOW.

I then field dress it and donate the meat to a very needy family. The father was in a motorcycle accident and had to have his leg removed. No disability, no income he had obtained permission to hunt from his vehicle. They needed food in a bad kind of way. Besides that thing was soo old it was probably like shoe leather.

So I tkae my cape to the taxidermist where that cost me 478 dollars. Fed a needy family for quite some time. My heart feels good this evening. I will get some photos up tomorrow.

I must say I am very proud considering the year I have had. In hindsight I am not proud of the shot I took. I feel very capable with my gun. With the BOSS on my Browning I shoot under 1inch groups. I do not know if I would in the future take the shot. I defintely would not if I had another ethical shot. Lungs, Heart, Shoulder, maybe neck or spine.