HuntingNet.com Forums - 10-19-03 9 point(pics)

Well guys, I' ve been waiting on my pictures, before I filled you in on what happened last Sunday night. Anyways I finally got the pictures backs so here goes. Last Sunday, I headed to my hunting site with very low expectations. The temperature was around 83 when I left the house around 3:00. The wind was good however for a spot that I had scouted the week before that had lots of fresh rubs, including several rubs that were on pretty good sized trees. I arrived at my spot and got out of the truck to find the wind blowing right in my face which was perfect. I got dressed, put my climber on my back and headed towards my stand spot. Well about half way to my stand, a good quarter mile I suddenly noticed the wind hitting me on the back of my neck. This was not good, not good at all. I just stood there for probably 5 minutes thinking that maybe it was just a weird gust and that it would staighten back out of the north west. Well it didn' t. I decided instead to go to a different spot where I had found a staging area just inside the woods about a half mile from my truck back to the south. I already had a stand up and waiting on me the wind switch was perfect for this stand. I finally made my way to the stand and was very happy that I had made the trek without spooking any deer that I was aware of. Of course by now I' m sweating like crazy in the 80+ degree heat. I sprayed myself down liberally w/ vanishing hunter after I got in my stand. The time I arrived on stand was about 4:15. About 15 or 20 minutes after I had gotten settled in, I heard a pretty loud commotion on the other side of the ridge from where I was sitting, maybe 100 yds away, but due to the thick canopy, I cannot see a whole lot of the ridge other than about 40 yds around my stand. The commotion was short though and then once again all was quiet. I wasn' t sure what it was way to much noise for squirrels chasing each other to make. Well about 15 minutes later I heard it again, but this time much closer. I immediately grabbed my bow and squinted in the glaring sun that was beating right down on me through a break in the canopy above. I noticed movement definitely a deer, and then I say tines, LONG TINES. The first buck however was 35 yds away on the other side of a fallen tree top. Immediately after I saw the first buck, I heard more foot steps, then I saw movement. It was another BIG BUCK this one was following behind the long tined monster that came it first except he was on my side of the fallen tree top. He quickly made his way on a stiff legged walk towards me, about 20 yds out he started to turn to head in the direction of the other buck. Well I drew my bow when he went behind a tree, and gave him a bleat w/ my mouth to stop him. He stopped immediately and after getting a steady hold I let him have it. Yes!! Right behind the shoulder. Found out after a lengthy track job however that my shot was a bit low and that I had only caught one lung at the angle. The shot was at 4:45 and it was hot!!! I don' t have a clue what those deer where doing out of there beds at that time of the day let alone it that heat. The buck field dressed 215 lbs. I' d say he was the dominant buck of the two the way he was walking stiff legged behind the other buck, however I still think the other buck has bigger head gear even though I didn' t get a great look at him.