HuntingNet.com Forums - Posting DaveH's 8pt

Thanks for the nice responses.

FINALLY I can reply! I haven't been near a computer since I killed my buck and when I finally got the chance today . . . I couldn't get the reply box to work - with dial-up as the only thing available in my area, it was frustrating to say the least!

Here's what happened . . .

About 11:50am Wednesday, I was working in my garage and turned around to see a small buck (looked to be a 6 pt) standing in my front yard looking my way. My dog saw it at about the same time and started to go that way until I yelled for him to stop. With a large German Shepherd running at thim and me yelling, the buck ran through my foodplot and into the woods. I called the dog back and praised him for listening to me and when I looked up, I saw the back end of a much larger deer entering the woods after crossing my driveway. I decided to head to the stand that was in the area they were headed.

Thatafternoon, I wasn't able to getto my tree until 3:00pm because I got caught up working in the back yard and it was later than I'd planned when I headed to the shower. When I got to the tree, I realized that, in my haste, I'd forgotten to put on my harness, first time I can ever remember that happening and it made me feel naked, but it was already late so I decided to sit in the stand without it. I saw a doe feeding 40 yards away while pulling up my bow so I felt good about my chances.

Just before 3:30pm, I saw a small buck walking in an overgrown field along a fence line. He crossed the fence and came into my woods.I looked immediately to see if a bigger buck was following him -- nothing. I looked at him for a couple minutes with binoculars and saw that he was a 5 point, but when I put them down, I saw an 8 point following him! As luck would have it, he came in the woods closer to me than the 5 point and I drew when he was behind a tree about 5 yards in front of me. I followed him with my bow waiting for an open shot and a good angle and he finally gave me what I was looking for at under 10 yards. I hit him perfectly and watched him run about 30 yards or so and stop. I expected him to fall over right then, but he stood there for a few seconds, then took a step or two forward and kind of layed down very quickly, but without actually falling. I was hard to see him through the brush, but I could pretty much tell that he was done seconds after that. I still waited 30 minutes (with the wait, I was in the stand for an hour total!) and got down, I found my arrow (pass through) and went to him. The autopsy revealed that I caught the top of the closest lung, sliced a 1 1/2" deep gash through the heart and clipped the bottom of the far side lung - he didn't suffer!

He weighed 150 lbs dressed and I was pleased that the Lord allowed me to harvest him. Since I already took 2 does, my second buck tag is open and I have a week and a half left to hunt with the rut really starting to kick in. Now if this weather would only cooperate. ;):D Guess I can't complain too much huh? :)