Yes, and he was running straight at me!!! Early in my bowhunting career we did a lot of driving and they pushed a nice big mature buck out of the thicket that came running at me and jumped over the brush pile I was in 5 yards from me. That was a rush.

The first time I actually got to take it in was when I saw the monarch of our woods for the first and only time hunting. I had seen this buck on numerous occasions outside of the season and in the summer months, but seeing him in the woods, on stand, and in full rut was a completely different experience. I remember wondering how he was able to get his rack through the woods without it getting caught up. What struck me the most was how such a big animal could move so silently in the woods. He was the king and I but a mere subject on his land.