First Buck and it's and 11 Pointer on Opening Day!
Well, it seems that against all odds today between drizzle and 20mph winds with gusts to 30mph that I shot the buck of a lifetime for me. I started hunting two years ago and quickly knew I had accrued a new addiction to my already endless list of hobbies. Last year i shot my first doe on opening day and middle of the season I shot a 90lb spike(yes its a buck but not IMO). I have never even dreamed of seeing or hunting on a property where a deer this size would hang out.
I got to my hutning spot today around 4:20pm(sunset is 7:16pm) and found 6 does standing 20 yards from my stand. The stand is pretty close to some houses so i just slammed the door and they ran about 10 yards into the woods. I then grabbed my gear and went to the stand. I climbed on up and saw that the does were still just sitting in the woods feeding.
I watched them feed for about 10 minutes and slowly make there way into the woods out of sight. With the winds howling and the tree swaying i almost decided to call it quits but something told me to sit it out. About 10 minutes later at 5:00pm I saw some movement in the woods and it was a fawn making her way out to feed. I watched her casually stroll out carefree(young and stupid) and just feed behind me for about 25 minutes.
I would casually turn and see where she was in case she was wihtin spooking distance. At this point i turned to the other side behind me and all i saw was ANTLERS. The same set that I have on my trail cam from a week ago. That instant adrenaline rush was insane. My heart was beating uncontrollably and i started to shake lol. AT that point I didnt even count the points I just tried not to look at the antlers. He fed to me after making sure the field was clear. About 35 yards from me making his way up my left side he stops and looks into the woods. Next thing you know 4 does come hopping on out behind him. The big guy didnt care for that too much as he chased the fawns off for a bit. Eventually he fed up to the corn i had out but the does were behind him and i couldnt pull the crossbow up until he went behind the tree and the does did also. After what felt like forever they were all hidden 15 yards to my left behind a tree and branches. I readied my bow and had to hold it in the shooting position freehand for about 3-4 minutes until he finally took that oh so slow last step into the clearing. I let the bolt go and it hit perfectly behind the right front leg. He jumped in the air and i could see the blood spraying 5 feet out of him thanks to that spitfire 125grain.
He ran in the woods about 30 yards and that was the last I saw or heard of him. I let him sit for 30 minutes and climbed down and walked to my buddies garage and waited another 30 just in case. At dark we walked in where i saw blood last and never had to bend over to look for blood it was great. After about 35-40 yards I could see that great big rack sticking up and grabbed my deer. Nice 11 pointer dressed out at 164lbs. What a memory this will be. I had my two buddies help me track and gut him and dropped him off at the butcher. What a NIGHT!