November 19, 2001

I have hunted this spot for many years with no success. I seen deer (running bucks, and does) the sign was always there but no shot. It' s about 6:00am, I stalk my way in to my ground stand. As I get close I notice one large rub and scrape. I change my location and set up shop about 15 yds off the deer run.
The woods were very thick and this as far as I could go and still have 2 deacent shooting lanes. I am amid a group of small pine trees branches above me and to the sides. I am watching in the direction where the deer bed down at night. I have been here for almost 2 1/2 hours.
I hear some noise over my left shoulder I move my eyes to try and get a look. It sounds like a small horse walking I can hear what sounds like hoof beats. The sound is getting louder now I hear some rustling leaves. The first thing I see is the most unusual looking rack. I say to my self " It has antlers I am taking it" . He has his head down sniffing and lick as he walks. He has no idea I am about 50 ft away.
Now I have to get my gun up for the shot. He turns to the left and checks the rub which is behind a small bush. I raise my gun and held it waiting for him to get around that bush. I hear him walking again. Now he is about 20 ft away with his head down and still has no idea I am there. I tilt my head and align the cross hairs on his right front shoulder. He was so close all I saw was brown fur.When I tilted my head I must have startled him he stopped suddenly and looked at me as if to say what the heck are you.
BOOM! My .30-06 goes off. I saw him jump and turn to the left and run. Crash...crash...then silence. I waited about 15 min. As I sat shaking and thinking I got him I got him really good. I thought this is my first deer. I was so excited my heart racing, sweating and full of so much emotion. I remember it all so clearly to this day. I got up went over to the spot where he was standing and I saw alot of blood. I am going to need some help. So I walked back to the trucks.
When I got back to the trucks my hunting party was already there. They knew by that smile on my face I got one. I said to them " I have blood, and he ran towards the stream" . We get to the impact spot and start following the blood trail. We found him in about 10 min. He ran about 30 yds and crashed in a huge blow down. What a big deer everone is saying. I stood in complete shock and awe at this animal.
The drag took about 1 1/2 hours for the 6 of us to complete. The deer dressed out at 190 lbs. He was most definately a non-typical. No tines are 12" long but they have major mass. All are 2" in dia or larger. He officially scored 177 and 0/8 with 19 pts scoreable and 5 pts just under 1 inch. Another unusall featuer about his rack was the two " pockets" one on each side in the main beam. The are about 3" deep and still have some dried velvet in them. The widt at these points are over 4 inches.
He hangs proudly in my livingroom. There is not a day that goes that I don' t look and think of that great day.

*Side note* My uncle was a retired meat cutter and he did all the butchering of the deer taken from the camp. He passed away the following year. My first deer was his last. " God bless you uncle Sal"