HuntingNet.com Forums - BIG Ohio Buck down

Story:

I had taken all of last week of work to hunt. Started hunting the 7th.

I hunt in southeast Ohio (Athens County), on my private 100 acres. I took a very large 11-pointer last year there during pre-rut (Oct. 28th).

All week I saw a ton of deer, more than I could track including a significant number of immature bucks. Some of these bucks were "decent" 8-pointers, but nothing I would get excited over.

I was gettin a little frustrated after hunting for a week hard (8+ hours a day) and Saturday rolled around and I woke up to a pouring rain storm. I had to muster all of my courage to drag myself out there, luckily I had a covered stand, but would get drenched getting to it. I crawled in my stand just before dawn and sat down. Just around daylight a large buck came out and crossed the small field I was set up over, I couldn't make out his rack, but he was a big bodied buck. He came out sniffed my estrous lure and walked away before I could get a look at him. More frustration!

About an hour later a doe came out to feed in front of me. I was excited by this, because I knew what "could" follow. About 5 minutes later a "shooter" ten pointer comes following my estrous trail I layed down. The trail was over my shoulder, but curved back in front of me. This wasa great deer by any measure and I picked up my cross-bow (Excalibur Vortex) and waited for him to cross my path as I chose to take him if the opportunity existed. Just as he came into my shooting lane I caught a glimpse of the BIG 8-pointer to my right. My heart started racing and I turned my attention towards him.

Doe in the middle and two mature bucks on either side (15-yards). The doe took off in the woods away from me and the bucks followed quickly. The 8-pointer hang at the edge of the woods at 30 yards looking dead in, butt-end towards me. I gauged him and decided if he would quarter at all I would let my slick-trick fly.

He quartered ever so slightly and I lauched my bolt, it entered him just in front of his calf and stuck completely into his chest (THUD). He ran 125 yards downhill and crashed. No blood, but I could smell his tarsals a mile away when I went looking for him about an hour after the shot.