I hunted this buck all season. I saw him once in a bean field in the summer. Then found some monster rubs in the woods just before the 1999 season. I hunted this farm a lot and never saw him during the early season. Then in early November the farmer told me he ran a big buck out of the corn field while picking it. I hunted there during the rut with 0 sightings of the big boy. Then one night just before Thanksgiving, I was headed home from work and he crossed the road in front of me trailing a doe. He was headed right for the woods I hunt. I hunted thru December with no more sightings. Then on Jan. 2nd I got up early and was in my stand before first light. By 8:30 I had not seen a deer. Then I caught movement to my left. I slowly turned to see the monster walking up the ditch I was sitting over. He was about 60 yards out and closing. When he got to 30 yards there was a log laying across the ditch. The buck bedded next this log 30 yards away from me, with a small branch blocking any shot I had to his vitals. So there I sat for an hour with my bow in my hands waiting for him to get up. Every time he would turn his head and show off all of those points, I would get the shakes all over again. Man was I glad I never had a chance to stand up. I would have fallen out of the tree. Finally after just over an hour he stood up, stretched and started to walk my direction. When he got to the trail that crossed the creek, he made a right turn and walked 15 yards to my left and stopped. Being a right hand shot it was perfect. Somehow this was as calm as I have been. I drew, aimed and let it fly. I watched my arrow bury into his ribs and then into the ground on the other side. He tore out of there like a bulldozer, crashing thru the brush. In a few seconds I heard him crash and thrash for a couple of seconds, and then silence. I climbed down and walked over to the buck of my lifetime. He had made it about 75 yards.

I am proud of this buck because I had spotted him in the summer and then taken him during the season. I am also proud of myself for not giving up and hunting the entire season and forholding it together and making the shot after watching him for over an hour.

OK here he is.