THE STORY OF THE HUNT......
09-18-2005, 11:30 AM
#1
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: IA/MO
Posts: 742
THE STORY OF THE HUNT......
Well here it is.....My first sighting with this buck was in 2003 while glassing fields during the summer months. I had seen him several times feeding in the beanfields during the summer of ‘03 and with really deep forks and some growing I figured he had some serious potential. I saw him several times that fall while hunting in the very stand I got him out of. Well during ‘04 I was very excited to see what he had grown into. To my amazement he had only started to put the crab claw off of the end of his main beam. He had tremendous body size by now and completely dwarfed a lot of bucks that I figured to be similar in age. I saw him a total of 4 times in ‘04 and he never offered any shot even if I had wanted one. Well rifle season and muzzleloader season came to pass and I had heard of nobody getting him so I figured he was probably going to be safe another year. Well in Feburary of ‘05 while driving the 4-wheeler along an old beanfield edge I saw a shed laying in the field. It belonged to him!! Great he man it. I was excited all summer to get a glimpse of this buck again. Summer was in full swing and I had not seen a buck that even resembled him. The beginning of Aug. I got two Moultrie digital trail cams and put them out hoping to catch a glimpse of this buck and see what was out there. I set up 3 feeding stations and started rotating the cameras around. There he was!!!! I started getting pics of him at all 3 sites. Man was I excited. He had put on some sticker points and a lot of mass and length. Not to mention his body size was enormous. I decided right then that this buck was mature and givin’ the chance I was definitely going to take him. Well about two weeks before season I pulled all my trail cams and decided I was not going to go back in until the conditions were right.
Here it was time to hunt September 15. The optimal wind to hunt the stands I had set would have to be out of the south. Well wouldn’t you believe it a cool front with rain had moved in and brought with it northernly winds. That first day I decided to hunt a couple of different properties I had that would be better suited for the wind conditions. That first morning about 10:00 I got a nice mature doe that came along feeding a ridge that was littered with white oaks. Got some meat in the freezer and now it was time to relaxe and hunt a buck. I changed stands for the evening and sat a funnel between a corn field and a clover field. After only about 30 minutes in the stand 4 does traveled thru and off into the cornfield. Only a few minutes had passed and a fork horn and a spike passed by on the same trail at only 12 yds. This was going to be a good night I thought. After being in the stand only about an hour I glance over to the left ;which was the total opposite way in which I expected deer to come from and there he was. A beautiful 10pt. was working right towards me from downwind. I thought to myself this is never going to happen. Once he was within 20yds and still coming I then realized it indeed was going to happen and I had better start getting prepared for the shot. Thats when it happened, my whole body began to shake and buck fever had set in. Once broadside at only about 14 yds. I drew back and at that instance he looked right up at me. I got the sights on him and let it go. I did just what I said "I got the sights on him and let it go" not picking a spot but rushing the shot and aimed for brown. A real AMATEUR move. After giving him about an hour and a half we tried to pick up a blood trail. Not much to go on mostly gut matter with little blood. We did manage to track him up to the edge of the corn field and thats where we decided to come back in the morning. It didn’t prove to be much better. After 5 hours of trying to walk out the first 10-15 rows of corn all the way around the edge he went in on we had no luck. A very,very,very sick feeling. I was sick to my stomach.
After returning home from trying to recover the buck from the night beforeand taking a little nap I woke up to find that we had southeasterly winds. PERFECT!! I was out the door and headed towards the family farm. I arrived at about 3:30 and changed into my hunting clothes and sprayed down and headed across the beans. Once I got in the stand it was about 4:15 and I was pretty warm from the walk in. I sat there for about 2 and a half hours while only seeing squirrels and birds when I heard something coming from behind and to the left. It was a steady walk and I figured it was either a turkey or a deer. I watched intensely as it got closer. I could see it coming and I saw a flash of antler. I told myself over and over to stay calm. He stepped out into the food plot at about 15yds. He stood there for what seemed like forever looking things over. He then headed straight for the tree my ladder stand was in. It was a big white oak tree and he scoured the base of it looking for acorns and even sniffing a couple of the rungs on the ladder stand. He was acting kinda nervous and the whole time I could hear some more deer coming up the same path he had taken. I knew that if he busted me or winded me it would all be over. Luckily he calmed down and just began feeding off into the food plot. Him being out there probably set the others about to come into view at ease because another 8pt. filed right into the plot and checked the tree I was in like the other then began feeding in the plot. The next deer was still coming and I could not yet see him but could hear him coming closer. I again caught glimpses of antlers coming and immediately got ready. He stepped into the plot on the exact same trail as the others and looked things over. He was the one I wanted. I drew my bow back and made sure to settle the pin right where I wanted it. I just pictured where I wanted the arrow to exit and let it go. It found its mark!!! He bolted across the food plot and piled up only 75yds away. Then it set in I was shaking so uncontrollably that I had to sit down and collect myself. I had a hard time just getting my release off so I could climb down. Putting my hands on him was the greatest feeling ever. The history I have with this buck and the maturity not to mention how it all just came together makes this a definite trophy in my book. I hope this wasn’t too long winded and that you enjoy it as much as I liked sharing it.
Here it was time to hunt September 15. The optimal wind to hunt the stands I had set would have to be out of the south. Well wouldn’t you believe it a cool front with rain had moved in and brought with it northernly winds. That first day I decided to hunt a couple of different properties I had that would be better suited for the wind conditions. That first morning about 10:00 I got a nice mature doe that came along feeding a ridge that was littered with white oaks. Got some meat in the freezer and now it was time to relaxe and hunt a buck. I changed stands for the evening and sat a funnel between a corn field and a clover field. After only about 30 minutes in the stand 4 does traveled thru and off into the cornfield. Only a few minutes had passed and a fork horn and a spike passed by on the same trail at only 12 yds. This was going to be a good night I thought. After being in the stand only about an hour I glance over to the left ;which was the total opposite way in which I expected deer to come from and there he was. A beautiful 10pt. was working right towards me from downwind. I thought to myself this is never going to happen. Once he was within 20yds and still coming I then realized it indeed was going to happen and I had better start getting prepared for the shot. Thats when it happened, my whole body began to shake and buck fever had set in. Once broadside at only about 14 yds. I drew back and at that instance he looked right up at me. I got the sights on him and let it go. I did just what I said "I got the sights on him and let it go" not picking a spot but rushing the shot and aimed for brown. A real AMATEUR move. After giving him about an hour and a half we tried to pick up a blood trail. Not much to go on mostly gut matter with little blood. We did manage to track him up to the edge of the corn field and thats where we decided to come back in the morning. It didn’t prove to be much better. After 5 hours of trying to walk out the first 10-15 rows of corn all the way around the edge he went in on we had no luck. A very,very,very sick feeling. I was sick to my stomach.
After returning home from trying to recover the buck from the night beforeand taking a little nap I woke up to find that we had southeasterly winds. PERFECT!! I was out the door and headed towards the family farm. I arrived at about 3:30 and changed into my hunting clothes and sprayed down and headed across the beans. Once I got in the stand it was about 4:15 and I was pretty warm from the walk in. I sat there for about 2 and a half hours while only seeing squirrels and birds when I heard something coming from behind and to the left. It was a steady walk and I figured it was either a turkey or a deer. I watched intensely as it got closer. I could see it coming and I saw a flash of antler. I told myself over and over to stay calm. He stepped out into the food plot at about 15yds. He stood there for what seemed like forever looking things over. He then headed straight for the tree my ladder stand was in. It was a big white oak tree and he scoured the base of it looking for acorns and even sniffing a couple of the rungs on the ladder stand. He was acting kinda nervous and the whole time I could hear some more deer coming up the same path he had taken. I knew that if he busted me or winded me it would all be over. Luckily he calmed down and just began feeding off into the food plot. Him being out there probably set the others about to come into view at ease because another 8pt. filed right into the plot and checked the tree I was in like the other then began feeding in the plot. The next deer was still coming and I could not yet see him but could hear him coming closer. I again caught glimpses of antlers coming and immediately got ready. He stepped into the plot on the exact same trail as the others and looked things over. He was the one I wanted. I drew my bow back and made sure to settle the pin right where I wanted it. I just pictured where I wanted the arrow to exit and let it go. It found its mark!!! He bolted across the food plot and piled up only 75yds away. Then it set in I was shaking so uncontrollably that I had to sit down and collect myself. I had a hard time just getting my release off so I could climb down. Putting my hands on him was the greatest feeling ever. The history I have with this buck and the maturity not to mention how it all just came together makes this a definite trophy in my book. I hope this wasn’t too long winded and that you enjoy it as much as I liked sharing it.
