Hi all,

I've lurked here for some time so it's about time I post something. I've been hunting for the past four years on 70 acres that my buddy owns just south of Duluth. Two years ago I got lucky and dropped a big bodied nine point that I thought would be the biggest I would get there. Fast forward to this year - We could only hunt the first two weekends this season with this past Saturday being the last time. Weather sucked and there was nothing moving for all of my sits.

I headed out to a stand at 3:00PM with a hind leg from a doe my buddy got the previous day. Once inside the wood line I started rubbing the tarsal gland on all small twigs on the way to the stand and hung it in a tree about 20 yards away. The stand was facing upwind so I was concerned I may not see something coming up from behind. At 4:00 I sent my wife a text message frustrated with the lack of even seeing anything. In desperation turned my can call over a couple of times at 4:25 to see if anything would respond because my season was over at 5:12. At about 4:40 I heard a branch snap over my right shoulder so I slowly turned my head to have a peak. I spotted a deer walking towards me with his nose on the ground then saw his wide rack. He was positioned directly behind me heading towards the doe leg hanging in the tree in front of me. I lifted my .270 up and waited until he turned to be quartering towards me because I didn't want a direct shot. At seven yards he turned giving me the quartering towards shot I wanted. I lined up my scope on the right side of the base of his neck and pulled the trigger. He jumped and took off back to where he came from and piled up 15 yards from where he was standing when I shot him. The shot took out his heart and I found the bullet just under his hide on his left side which you can see in the picture. Because I was sitting down while wrapped around the tree my scope hit me between the eyes so now I am sporting a nice cut but it was worth it. It all happened in less than five seconds but I got him!

Sorry for the long rant but I think it's worth it to point out that you should never give up hope when it seems hope is gone and that scent control is very important. Had this guy not broke a branch he would have walked directly beneath my stand.

Cheers and have a safe season!

Nice buck! Im from Duluth myself, i was looking to lease some land south of Duluth this season (Wrenshall) when I found some for sale up in Cotton. Good for you man, Ill be going out this sat again, I shot a big doe the monday of opener. Congrats, Russ.

nice buck man!

Welcome to the forum! Heck of a 1st post too. I'm your neighbor to the west about 2 1/2 hours. That's a great looking buck. Nice photo.

It's interesting you mentioned about never giving up hope and telling the forum members that. Just this evening coming back from sighting in a new gun, I was driving through the woods and thinking of the forum... thinking how some people are down in the dumps because they are not seeing anything, but at any moment they are out there during the rut, anything can and does happen!

By the way, a front on shot with a .270 is a very deadly shot. I dropped a nice buck like that coming right at me and it was the only shot I had at the moment, so I aimed low at the heart and squeezed the trigger.

Congratulations for getting a fine buck at the last minutes!

iSnipe

Great buck bud, and welcome to the forums!! I as well I am from MN, and hunt pretty much all over the state, from St. Cloud area, Ely area, Park Rapids area, and Roseau area. Great story, and glad to have ya!!!

Very nice! Congrats!

Thanks everyone!

I'm lucky to have a great friend that lets me hunt his land. It's not far from Kerrick and there isn't much hunting pressure. Of the five neighbors only one really hunts there land and another one feeds but doesn't hunt. The frustrating thing about the neighbor that does hunt is that he is the kind of hunting neighbor you don't want to have. Neighbors have found his stands on their land and they drive their ATV's all over the place during the season. In fact, opening morning just as the sun was coming up I'm scanning the woods and I see this shiny ladder just on his side of the property line. 30 minutes after the sun came up I see the orange walking down the property line and he climbs the stand. He was 70 yards away from me hunting the same clearing as me - on my buddy's land. That afternoon I approached the guy and let him know that under no instance can he take a shot on a deer that is not on his side of the property line. I ended up moving my stand after Monday's hunt before I left for the week. Oh, and the stand was a homemade job made out of shiny aluminum ... they didn't get anything from that stand.

iSnipe - if I had to I would have taken the front on short but I didn't want it turning into a gut shot. I love my .270!