I lost my father this turkey season. He was my hero and my mentor. He was way ahead of his time in trophy hunting and management in this area. He killed his fair share of monster bucks even though he lost his arm when he was 28. He bought this farm back in the 80's and went straight into management practices. He set aside a small 5 acre thicket in the center of farm as a sanctuary. We were not allowed to hunt or even walk into this area. This brings us to yesterday evening I got in a stand across the field from the refuge. At 5:15pm this mature buck came out of the refuge and gave me a 15 yard shot, and 80 yards later the buck was mine. This whole experience has been surreal while I was pumped there was a big part of me that was sad. My father wasn't there to share the story with. I know he was in the stand with me and was proud of the whole hunt. This is not my biggest archery buck, but is the most special. Sons don't forget to tell the people who got you in to hunting thank you. You are never promised tomorrow so take advantage of the time you can spend with your loved ones!