Hunt in NW Florida in Blackwater.

Bow season sucked. Saw one big buck but he only got 96 yards from me. Never had a single deer within bow range this year. My daughter got her first deer, a button buck, with her bow.

Come rifle season I have had does galore all around me. Two of which have sniffed the tree I climbed. Can't shoot does during gun season. I missed a big buck the first weekend after Thanksgiving. Never found a drop of blood, hair, nothing. To say I was ticked off at myself is an understatement.

However, things finally turned around this past Sunday when I shot this guy at 40 yards with my .270. Not the biggest buck in the woods but a respectable buck for NW Florida in Blackwater WMA. He wasn't chasing any does and was all by himself. His hocks were barely stained indicating that he was just beginning to make scrapes. Hope the rut will bring another two for my son and daughter.