My FIRST Buck Bowkill Illinois 8 pt.
11-07-2006, 07:32 AM
#1
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Southern Illinois
Posts: 44
My FIRST Buck Bowkill Illinois 8 pt.
Well, Sunday Evening's hunt was AWESOME! I have a special permit to hunt some land that is a state park and this is only the 2nd time it has been opened up. I set up on the northern side of the property just north of a funnel the deer MUST use to go from their bedding to the fields they frequent. There is an old Railroad bed that runs east-west they must cross, and it is elevated about 15 feet and grown up real bad on both sides. I was 25 yards north of this railroad bed. For 2 days I watched smaller bucks and does chase each other around. I could hear the deer on the other side of the RR bed but couldn't see them. I knew they were coming, but I always had to wait to see what it was, and by then, they were only 20 yards away. Well, Sunday evening I watched around 15 deer throughout the day come past me, some stopping to sniff around, some getting a little spooked, but none busting me. At 4:50 PM I heard a bunch of noise, and 3 spikes came out of the rr bed brush one by one, and stopped under me! They were sniffing a tree I had cut down for a shooting lane and looking up at me. I thought," Man, I am busted." As this is happening, the guy below in the picture appeared 10 yards behind the 3 spikes!! I was already standing and holding my bow and facing him, so I SLOWLY tried to hook by string-loop, but I was shaking so much with buck feaver that I didn't think I would get it hooked. Slowly Mike, pull back slowly, take your time, breath, aim, take your time, BAM!!! I hit a little high, and my arrow could be seen sticking out of him as he ran off. My excitement was so great that I had to hold on to the tree I was shaking so much!! I though I didn't put a good shot on him, and for the next 2 hours I was sick at my stomach thinking I had only wounded him. I would have let it go 'till morning before tracking, but it was starting to rain. After 2 hours we tracked him with a GREAT blood trail only 75 yards away!!! Here is a picture of him. He grossed out at 124 2/8 and field dressed at 155 pounds. I have his head in my freezer to become my first mount. I started hunting last October, and I have taken 7 deer total, 5 does with a bow, 1 small buck with a shotgun, and this nice 8pt. Thanks for a great forum!
