Fast forward to Sunday afternoon, I had not been able to hunt due to cutting firewood with the inlaws so I can hunt this spot. We got done early so I thought I would shoot my bow some and then slip out for an afternoon hunt. I shot my bow and missed the target 3 foot wide to the left and lost the arrow completely. I was always unsure of the sight because it had a lot of moving parts, so I took it off and put on my old one that has very few moving parts. I resighted in over the next hour or so and was good to 35 yards when I said good enough. It was too late to really hunt but I knew the wind would be the same the next morning, so I ran up the hill (where we were just cutting wood mind you) and I figured I would set up the Lone Wolf that evening so I didn't have to do it in the morning in the dark. I knew the spot was good from years past, but had not recently hunted it. I put my stand in the thermal tunnel and backed out. Normally I am not one to do this ahead of time but there was already so much ground scent and disturbance I thought I might get by with it.
I slipped in during gray light and got set up yesterday morning. I slipped in with virtually no noise at all because the tractor had packed down all the leaves on the logging trail. It was just passed legal shooting light so I decided to rattle right off the bat and see what happens. As soon as I put the horns down I heard noise on the ridge and saw a buck coming in. He came in fast and then stopped, surveying the situation. After about 5 minutes he came in and offered me a 20 yard broadside shot but was too small, a small 1.5 year old 8 point. A few minutes went by and another smaller buck came by at 30 yards cruising in what would be the thermal tunnel once the thermals cranked up. A few minutes later some does came down the hill and came by in range, I was not after a doe of course but figured their scent couldn't hurt later on in case one was in heat.
About that time my little buddy the 8 point came cruising right under my stand, were talking 2 foot from the base of the tree, maybe less. I thought to myself that is the closest I have EVER had a buck to my tree, just wished he was bigger. He joined up with the does below me who were now running around with their tails straight out, I knew they were in heat and figured my chances just skyrocketed if a big boy cut their trail, because they walked right passed my stand as well. The little buck chased them all over and they finally left , that was at about 7:45. About that time I got a text from a buddy that smoked a nice one the night before, I told him I hope to redeem myself soon. I didn't know it but less than 15 minutes from that text I was gonna arrow my best buck with a bow.
I was sitting down in my stand and I saw a doe come trotting over the hill straight at me, she stopped and took a 90 degree turn and went to her left. I grabbed the bow because I know what happens when does trot by with their tails up or out during the rut. I started watching where she came from waiting for the buck and about 30 seconds later he topped the ridge, I could see he was outside the ears and had good mass and a huge body. He kept coming on a fast trot and instead of turning like the doe he was coming straight at my stand head on. I let him get to 15 yards when I drew figuring on taking the quartering away shot. He was on pace to run within 3 feet of my stand and I decided I was gonna take that shot instead, so I grunted and he layed on the brakes stopping literally right under my stand and slightly to my left perfectly broadside. I put the pin on the middle of the chest and squeezed the thumb trigger. I saw the arrow slam into him and stop at the fletching, it was high but of course it would be considering the angle. He jumped and I saw the broadhead sticking out his armpit on the other side and blood SPRAYING out. He made a 20 yard loop behind me and then trotted up hill and stopped 70 yards away, I saw the rear legs get dizzy and he flopped over and did a few rolls. I knew he was done when I could hear him gasping for breath and within 15 seconds from the hit I saw the head go down. I came unglued!!
I didn't know it at the time but my little 8 point buddy had snuck in behind me and saw the bigger buck get shot, he turned and trotted to 15 yards away and stopped, I said smarten up buddy or you wont make it long with the other hunters here and wished him well as he walked under my stand. I mouth grunted him when he was right under me and he stopped and looked totally unaware what was right above his head.
So I got down and went up to him after sending all my BBD texts to a lot of fellow beast buddies and my other buddies. Here is what I found:
You can see the stand in the background here and some of the hill I was hunting, it carries down the hill quite a bit but you get the idea.
Here is the view looking up at the stand from the shot
and the view looking down, he was just passed where the leaves are ruffed up, that was from his hind legs when he jumped.
He is my biggest buck with a bow, he is gonna fall short of p&Y due to his tine length but I am extremely pleased with him and have zero regret shooting him. I said all season I wanted a 3.5 year old and I'm 90% sure he is, he weighed 190 lbs field dressed and has a big blocky heady, big front shoulders and smaller hindquarters but not a lot smaller than the front. He carries his mass pretty well in the tines and that which I have found 2.5 year olds seldom seem to do. Most of my 2.5 year old bucks on the same property have weighed 150 field dressed so I just cant see a 40 lb swing. Either way I am back on cloud nine, bowhunting is a roller coaster, last week the cart crashed into the ground and today its back on the very top of the ride!
