Finally, after hunting hard for the better part of a week, usually 3 hrs on stand day(light) and evenings-all day long, once-and passing on scores of lesser deer (7, eight pointers) for a shooter buck, I scored late last evening on a nice 10 pointer. Unlike the tedium of watchful waiting, it was over in seconds. I was set up on unharvested beans left for the the deer they had been using. But wind and location requires that it be hunted from a distance: across the beaver pond, in a stand of pine where one can sneak in and out undetected to avoid turning them nocturnal. I had discarded my flo orange vest on a nearby bush (safe, only way in is the way I came) and waited in my bowhunting camo, on the ground, partially covered with fresh pine boughs. In contrast to the hours of tedious watching at various stands I'd hunted previously during the week (it was only the second evening the wind was right for this spot), it was over in seconds. He came to check out the 'girls' in the beans. Their bolting told me he was on his way; one unlucky fawn doe, that was prevented from reaching the woods, actually lay down in the cover to hide hoping to avoid his advances. He ambled down the brushy hill, neck rut-swollen and **** sure of himself, to check their vapor trails for what he had in mind. The 280 Rem. 700 MTS (aka "Black Bitch") settled on it's bi-pod, it's Leupold crosshair settled on the shoulder's leading edge of the walking deer, a gentle touch of it's tuned trigger unleashed the hand-loaded 140 gr Barnes X stoked to just over 2950 fps, and it was over. He never left his last tracks. And, unlike most 'up north' shots this one was well over 200 yards. Overall, my most memorable hunt. Not the kill, that's become anticlimactic using a gun in stead of the usual crossbow. I hunted hard for only a mature buck.The preparation for each hunt, the discipline of waiting quietly, almost motionless, while the woods come to life-I'm on-stand at 6:15 AM-and watching animal behavior for such protracted periods of time, taught me new things about them-and me-that I'll find useful for future hunts. And I found a few turkey lodes in the process; can't wait for spring.
No pictures yet, it was rather dark by the time we got him out and hung.That will wait until morning.

Congratulations Boris!

Congrats on getting yer deer

Congrats Cossack and nice write up....
Picked up a rifle tag so I could take my 11 yr old out and yep in and out he was...of the stand hee hee hee......was a good time for me even though we didn't get a deer I saw 7 does and 2 nice Bucks,didnt have a shot due to where the land is I hunt and how they came in but now its back to bow in witch I can shoot any direction I want.....

Here he is: Click on Thumbnail to enlarge