HuntingNet.com Forums - Illinois 2008 BUCK

Not the big one I was hoping for but I'm happy with him and I still have another tag!

I got in the stand about 5:50am saturday. At 6:20am it was light enough to shoot so I decided to do a little rattling 15-20 seconds into it a 6pt came running in to see what was going on. I started hanging up the antlers and another BIG buck started coming off the hill down the ravine. He stopped about 45yds out in the thicket just tearing up a tree. I grunted a couple of times and he came out looking for "the buck". He wouldn't come in very close and started angling away, I stopped him at 38yds and released. For the 3rd time this year I watched as my arrow missed its mark! Unbelieveable!! I had been practicing a lot in the past week, I just blew it!

At 3pm I saw a buck cruising about 100yds out. I hit the antlers together and he jumped the fence heading my way! He stopped and saw a bedded doe and went after her. After a couple of minutes she lead him over the hill to my setup. I had a doe and a buck decoy setup. The doe started walking towards my doe decoy but heading straight towards me, the buck noticed the buck decoy and started going to him stiff leg and bristling his hair up.

The doe was only 10ydsawaywalking right at me and the buck was 30yds out and now broadside. I decided its now or never as he wasready to attackthe buck decoy. I drew and did a "maaah" with my mouth and stopped him and released. I see it hit and him do a big kick, he turned around and trotted slowly back up the hill. Hemade it another 35yds stopped for a couple of seconds and fell over 65yds from my stand. It was a great day and a great hunt!

I'm going back Wed. and Thurs. to try for one of the BIG boys that I missed before the guns start going off this weekend.
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