HuntingNet.com Forums - My 2007 buck and a season I will never forget.

Not really sure where to start. This season has provided me with a roller coaster of emotions.........my patience, knowledge and skills were put to the test, all of which I certainly did not pass. I learned a lot and feel like I am a better hunter for it. One thing for sure is it was an absolute blast and I wouldn't trade these memories for anything.

This year I was given permission to hunt a dairy farm about 40 minutes from my house but for various reasons I didn't scout it out until right before the season. The farmer had told me about a "good deer" he had seen by some thick brush a few mornings and so I went to check it out. I found some large tracks but the terrain was less then ideal for a hunter. Really thick brush with nothing really to climb. I decided I would set up a few times on the fringes of the nearby woodline and just watch to see if I could get a look at him. A week of sits at both first and last light showed me nothing other then no less then 4 other hunters bumbling around trying to find a way in and out of this area. So much for hoping for low pressure..........upon discussion witha neighbor I found out he threw 28 "hunters" off the property last year alone that were trespassing. My outlook was dim and truthfully I figured I was just wasting my time. As November approached I questioned the wisdom of my ways...........as I looked over some aerial photos I had one last idea and hoped that the pressure from the other hunters would alter the movement patterns of any deer within that area so I located a spotthat was in the opposite corner of the same lot and set off with a lock on. I found a tree that was OK at best as a stand tree but it was right where I wanted to be so I decided it would have to do. I made a decision to wait until the wind was perfect for that stand (a goal I set for myself this year was to pay more attention to the wind). Halloween night I worked 9pm-9am for a friend who wanted off to trick or treat with his children........when I got home at 9:30am I noticed the wind was PERFECT for that stand so I went to bed for a quick nap and it was off to give it one good try. I was awakened by my best friend calling to tell me he was bringing over a doe he killed that morning for us to butcher. I walked outside and the wind hadn't changed............I told my buddy to ice her down and I would be home at dark.

Off to the woods.........and I am running late. I hurry as fast as I can but still don't put my butt into the seat until 4:30pm. Fortunately, I was right on the edge and made no noise getting in (another goal for me this year) and the wind was hitting me squarely in the face........I settle in and stare out over the thick brush thinking to myself that I have less room to shoot then I even thought........one good lane from 15-20 straight in front of me about 25 yards wide......anything closer or farther would be sketchy at best and left and right were jail. While staring straight ahead my eyes bulge as I see a racked buck slipping through the heavy brush about 80 yards directly in front of me........I saw him for about 1-2 seconds as he crossed a small opening, I honestly believe had I been looking elsewhere I would have never known he went by. I yank out my buck growl and hit a few short grunts.......I hear and see nothing so out comes the can and I drop one short estrous bleat followed by another couple grunts. Couple seconds later the buck breaks through the scrub about 50 yards to my right and he is looking for the source of that noise...........one more grunt and he IMMEDIATELY heads straight for me. I put my grunt away and grab my bow......20 more yards to go and I draw, as I do I realize that I never stood up.........I have never shot a deer sitting down in my life, I don't know why I didn't stand but I didn't. I don't watch antlers on deer and have always had the ability to focus on the vitals and get the job done. As this deer approached I won't lie..........I didn't look at the antlers but knew they were better then average.......but I DID see the body coming and he just looked big to me..........All sorts of emotions rushed through my mind and seriously I could not believe this was actually playing out the way I planned it.............my heart was pounding so hard I thought he would hear it and my bow hand was shaking...........I let out my breath and whispered "focus and aim" to myself as he stepped into my lane. My bow hand steadied and my 20 yard pin glowed on his chest right behind the shoulder.........he was walking fast enough that I knew I wanted to stop him so I let out a "meaaa" and to my shock he didn't stop but merely looked right at me and kind of angled towards me with his next step..........my arrow flew and struck him squarely in the center of his chest but I could see it hit about 4-6 inches further back then I would have hoped. He bolted into the scrub about 20 yards to my left and just stood there. I could see him shifting his weight from side to side and I was sure he was gonna wobble and go over right in front of me. I was horrified about 3 minutes later when he slowly walked away. I felt like I was gonna puke...........but I kept watching and he walked right past that same window where I first saw him only he was moving VERY slowly now. As I sat and watched this nightmare unfold I could not believe my eyes. Was the hit bad??.......did my broadhead fail??......did I just choke?? I look at my watch (5:00) and give myself a mental slap in the face, can't change what happened so I need to focus on what I saw. I sit until 6 and see nothing else so I get down and go look for my arrow. I find it right where I know he was and it is covered in nice bright red blood with plenty on the ground all around.........I also see what appears to be bits of lung on some of the bloody leaves. Now I am totally confused. I was hoping for dark red blood at best and fearing green guts at worst judging by his reaction to the hit. The only thing I knew for sure by what I found at the arrow was he was dead..........the only variable would be how far he would go and how long it would take. Every fiber of my being wanted to pick up the trail and go get that deer......I kept saying, "he probably went down right after I lost sight of him"........."he is probably laying right over there". No matter how bad I wanted to go get that deer I KNEW it was the wrong thing to do based on what I saw. The forcast was a cold night and I had the next 2 days off.............but I am not alone out there and what will the blood look like in the morning?? I knew I was in for a night of heartache but compared to a life of regret it was an easy choice. I stuck the arrow in the ground and and went back to my truck..........once darkness fell and I was sure no other hunters were there I went home.

Bar none...........it was the longest night of my life.

After butchering my friends doe and going over my hit 1,000 times with everyone who would listen I spent a tortured evening trying my best not to go insane. I second guessed myself without mercy and on more then one occasion I was gonna head out with flashlights. I fought every urge I had and kept telling myself I was doing the right thing.........I KNEW I was, but that didn't make it any easier. I didn't sleep a wink................dawn approached and I had more energy then anyone working on 5 hours sleep in 48 hrs ever should.

Off to the woods with my best friend and my brothers hunting nearby............they were coming if more help was needed. It was as cold a night as we have had this year and the frost was heavy. This made me nervous as I was afraid the blood would be tough to see. When we reached my arrow I was not happy as all the blood that was so evident the night before was now covered in frost and not even visible. With no other choices at the moment I climbed up into my stand and directed my friend to where I had seen him last. We scanned the area and found nothing........it was obvious that no blood would be seen in this frost.........I was overcome with regret for not going after him the night before. Knowing that a mortally wounded deer will usually bed down not too far if not pressured I was still a bit hopeful. We continued on his path and figured we would scour for sign and hopefully catch his brown body in the white frosty ground. We got to the end of the scrubby field and decided to move 10-15 yards further and go back. As we did I saw an area that just stood out in my eye.......scrubby brush around a bushy low tree. I walked through the brush and was thrilled to see my boy laying right near the base of the tree......I yelled to my buddy that I found him and went up to put my hands on him like I had imagined so many times in the 15 hours that had passed since my arrow flew. As my friend comes through the brush and sees me holding the deer's head up he says something I would never have guessed if given a million chances.........."He's still alive". I almost burst out laughing knowing the hit and that 15 hours went by.......until I saw his belly twitch and his leg move.........then as I held his head in my hands he let out a grunty breath. Barely believing my eyes I put him down and told my buddy to watch him while I went back for my bow. When I got back the only thing I needed my bow for was the pictures.......my buddy said he let out his last breath right after I left. Another unreal pieceto a puzzling hunt.

As happy as I was I wanted some closure on what happened. My entry was right where I thought it was.........however the exit was farther back then I thought it was.........he must have turned more then I thought when I tried to stop him. When I opened him up I was amazed to see one of his lungs as black as coal with a hole right through the back and a big hole gashed through his liver.......the other lung as pink as could be. He went 15 hours on one lung and a trashed liver. I have seen deer with less damage fall in 10 seconds. I still can't believe it. He ended up being exactly what I thought he was, a better then average rack on a BIG body. He field dressed at 150 lbs which is really beefy for around here.

This deer is very special to me. I had a plan and executed it almost to perfection.......My willpower was put to the test as I stuggled with what I saw unfold. My ability to stick with what I KNOW is right vs what I WANTED to be right is something I am extremely pleased with. I wanted SO BAD to go after this deer and fought it for 15 hours............I have little doubt that going after that deer any earlier would have been a disaster. I made mistakes on this deer without a doubt and it makes me sad to think the longest night of my life is nothing compared to what he went through. The words of Matt/PA from earlier this year still echo in mind as I too feel like I failed this deer by not making his end quick. As comforted as I am by what I did right that day I am just as haunted by what I did wrong..........I grabbed a live deer for crying out loud. I'm as humbled as I am happy.

Oh my god..........I just scrolled back through this and it is way longer then I thought. Sorry for the ramble.......and the Butt-Out picture.........dang that thing works well.