---

jason asked for the story so here goes......it was a dark and stormy night....lol. actually the story is anticlimactic. you see, i am very fortunate. there are two pieces of land that i hunt on....one that i grew up on and have hunted for 40 yrs and the land that i own where i have lived for 7 yrs. the point that i'm trying to make is that for many years i spent a lot of time on my belly (that's hard with a belly like mine) with a pair of binoculars trying to pattern the deer. after so many years hunting the same spots you become intimate with the land. so i kinda know every stick and stone. the deer on my property i see constantly from my back porch. so, the real hunting is already done. all i need to do is pay attention to changes and the mast crop, how many apples, etc. the actaul hunt is a matter of sitting still...hehe. this buck had been running withthree 8 points and a3 point with no right antler. i ahd only been in the tree for about 90 min when he came inat 15 yds. the 3 point was with him but this deer led the way. he caught me off guard as they often do. i managed to get the bow from the hanger but had to freeze cause he was so close. each time he would pick up an apple i could begin to move to prepare for a shot. i believe that deer have a sixth sense as we do.....the feeling that someone is staring at you....so i don't like them under me too long and i try to squint my eyes and never make eye contact. sounds silly....but i think there's something to it. the stand i was in is trimmed for shots with a vertical bow.being new to xbows....i had a devil of a time getting lined up on him....had to lean way out over the stand and hit him a few inces farther back than i wanted. managed to hit 1 lung and liver. sounded like a soft hit but, he acted like he was hit hard. was able to see him run 30-40 yards and, heard him crash at about 50 yards. that was really nice it made for an easy tracking job. the pic does'nt do him justice. he is just a big deer and i've gotten some nice ones. too heavy to drag so i got the tractor....he broke the drag rope....hehe....big deer. sorry so long winded guys. was a nice hunt.

---