I get 4 deer magazines, but prefer stories like those in this thread to any one of them (Rack magazine is close though)!

It was 1996 or 1997, I believe. I was either 30 or 31 at the time, and hadn' t gotten a buck before them because I was never introduced to it until several years before, and had to pretty much teach myself how to hunt.

Anyway, a buddy of mine took me with him to an area where he had shot a buck the year before on opening morning of shotgun season. We had struck out into the woods an hour or so before light, winding through a trail that he had somewhat trimmed to make walking through easier. Anyway, a hundred or so yards short of where he was going to set up (same place he shot the buck the year before), he told me to go over a hundred or so yards to the left and find a place for my climber.

At first light, I heard shots ringing out in the direction of my buddy, then saw a nice sized deer parallel me about 70 yards or so ahead. It was still a little dark, and I couldn' t get on the deer to see what it was and possibly shoot. I then heard another shot from my buddy' s area, after which he came over the radio saying " How does a 6 pointer sound!"

Apparently, the first volley of shots that morning were from him and another guy who were shooting at the same buck that was travelling with the deer I saw but couldn' t get on. Just after he had gotten set up, while it was still completely dark, another hunter came from the opposite direction we came in and set up not far from him (50 yards?). When the two deer came through, he took the first available shot, since he realized that the other guy would probably shoot at any time. Anyway, the buck ran toward him as the other guy shot several times at it. Finally, it stopped behind a tree for a minute or so only 10 yards or so from him. When it nervously stepped out to where he could shoot, he dropped it in the neck.


...so I' m still in my tree probably 120 or so yards away, as he and the other guy hashed out whose deer it was for a few minutes (I don' t think I could hear them talking). He won the argument, and proceeded to gut the deer. As he is probably halfway done (several minutes after he started), I heard something walking in the woods ahead of me. I strained to see a spike buck ambling toward me. My first thought was " Oh God, he' s going to see or hear my buddy and run off!" But as he came near, he stopped about probably 15 yards away quartering to me, and I aimed above the shoulder and squeezed one off. Immediately following the shot, the buck bolted toward my tree. Thinking I missed the first time, I cranked two shots at him as he ran beneath me. The last shot was made in haste, and I didn' t have it butted against me well. So it jolted the gun from my hand where it fell 20 feet to the ground. Stunned at the whole ordeal, I glanced back at the buck which was bounding away behind me now. It got about 30 yards or so, they staggered and fell. I found out after inspecting the buck that my first shot was good, and my others while he was hauling didn' t hit him.

The coolest thing was that me and my buddy both got bucks (my first!) by 8:00 AM or so on opening morning. We dragged them out and took back the double header to the check station. Incidentally, we both connected on bucks from the same stands (within yards) on the opening morning of each of the next two years.