Well I let areally nice one walk last night, I left work at 4 and drove to a spot I hunt a few times a year. I parked got dressed walked all the way back into the edge of a pine flat that borders a small cutover thicket that two monsters have been bedding in for the last 3 years. I got up in stand and got relaxed.. there were a whole mess of doe tracks around the stand and on the way to it. So I was feeling half way good about it..especially after not seeing any thing but bear poop on Saturday after driving all the way to Farmville to see that lol.

I had been in there awhile and the sun was getting ready to start to set so I pulled out my grunt and gave a few social grunts waited a few minutes and did it again.. did this like 4 times..well after a minutes I think I hear a twig snap but it was hard to tell with all the acorns dropping..so I kept watching toward the bedding area when something told me to look behind right where I had look about a minute ago. I saw the outline of a deer.. it started making its way around me to my left well after it got out toward my front I saw another one behind it.. I could not tell what they where since they were in the laurel still.. well the first deer worked its way into an opening about 18 yards from me and I saw it was a very nice buck..well he worked his way until he was getting ready to come into an opening about 8 or 9 yards from my tree.. well I was getting ready to draw so I could take the shot when he came out into the opening but I happen to look back to see where the second deer was not wanting to get busted and noticed him in the first opening... my heart which was already pounding almost came out of my chest.. it was one of the two monsters.. drop tines and all!!!!(which is not common around here) he was following the same path that the 8 pointer under me was on!!!!! (the 8 pointer under me was by no means a slouch I would say around 19 to 20 maybe inside spread,, his rack was well past his ears and nice heavy mass a good 3 year old!! ) well the 8 kept feeding right in front of me then started feeding over the hill so I was now watching the monster.. he was slowly picking his way toward the opening he was very relaxed. All of the sudden he whiffs the air and heads off at an angle in front but away from me.. but he wasn' t spooked, it was then that I noticed the other deer about 50 yards off..well I never did see them but I assume they were does since he grunted a few times on his way over to them. I sat there until well after dark until I could not hear them in the leaves anymore and got down and made the walk out very careful as not to spook him.. I am sort of kicking myself for not shooting the 8 pointer. But I wanted the monster and have been hunting him for three years. I am the only one who knows where he beds at, my dad has a general idea and my brother isn' t close lol I wont tell them.. I have jumped him and the other monster that I did not see last night out of their beds every year for the last three during gun season and they are always within 100 yards of the other beds they were in last time.. it is very very very thick so they are pretty safe. My mom is the only one who sees him after black powder starts.. I usually catch a glimpse of him during the early rut during black powder but during gun season I have only seen him running from his bed.. lol My mom has seen the both of them from her stand every year a few times a year during gun season but its never on the weekends it is always on tue, wed, or thur, and they are always just out of her range... so who knows maybe I can get him soon.. I will leave the spot alone for the next few days and maybe try again the first part of next week.... sorry so long but figured I would share, and see what you all would have done!

I would' ve done the same thing. Sounds like you have set your goals, why come up short when you are soooo close.

Can' t kill a big one when your tag is on a small one, but be ready to eat " tag soup" .

I have been trying to get him to let me come down and stick that dink 8 point for him to where he can stick the big boy! For some reason he won' t put up glow tacks for me to where I can find the stand in the morning.

Howler - I was sooooo close to letting it fly, I mean we are talking a 9 yard relaxed broadside shot... but I want that big one so bad I cant stand it, and to be lucky enough to harvest him with a bow would be all the better espically since I have never taken a whitetail with a bow!!!! thats why it was even harder to let the other one walk!!

btomlin - I know what you mean about tag soup lol but thankfully here in VA we can harvest more than one buck espically on private land because you can keep getting bonus tags.. I was afraid of spooking the big boy out of the country.. since there is no pressure but me in there right now!

Tazman - Do you want me to lead you right too the stand?? lol I told you what land.. where to park... what trail to follow... and on what side of the pine flat the stand was in lmao... I suppose you would like me to help drag it and skin it for you too!!!!! j/k

Man you know those directions were accurate enough to get me in the general area, but innacurate enough to keep me from finding where he beds!

WOW!!! That' s a great story. You didn' t get him (yet) but what a hunt. That has got to rank right up there with any hunt that ended with a deer down. Keep us posted...Jim

Tazman.... I tell you what I will put you in the tree but you can not shoot any deer orther thaan the 8 pointer... so that means if all you have in front of you are one or both of the monsters you have to pass them up ! lol

Or I could just hang a stand about 20 yards from mine so you can watch!!!!