November 4th was my first hunt, I shot my doe just before dark, it was my first archery kill ever. She came in to feed on the crabapple trees that were in the parking area and I shot her at 20 yards. Being the first time I ever let an arrow fly at an animal, I made a mistake and didn't realize the tree she was behind was an elm tree with small branches sticking out. The arrow clipped a branch and deflected back...hitting her in the spine. You have never seen a fat guy come 20' down out of a tree so fast, I quickly nocked another arrow and shot her through the heart. I felt really terrible for how it went down, but promised myself I would not let myself make a similiar mistake if I could control it.
The next two weekends were my wifes birthday, and a pre planned family get away, so hunting was pretty much out the window. I told my wife I was going to hunt the two days before Thanksgiving, and probably the following sunday evening if time allowed. I hunted public one afternoon with no success, and I hunted the draw area the day before Thanksgiving with no success. What I learned at the draw area was the south property line was covered with fresh buck sign, nice rubs and scrapes that had been recently worked.
I checked the forecast for the upcoming Sunday and noticed I had a SW wind forecasted which was going to be perfect for the bedding areas and cruising ridges I suspected the bucks were using that were laying down the sign on the southside of the property.
I planned to get out of the house around 10am so I could work my way through the draw area to a ridge and bedding point that was located on the public hunting ground to the west of where the draw area was....as usual, it was a little hectic around the house and I could tell my wife was short of patience with our son, so I stayed to help her out. I hit the road at 1:30 and got to the draw area around 2:15PM.
I threw the lone wolf on my back and started working my way in. We had a strong SW wind that was probably 10-15 mph, so I was moving through the thick downed leaves when the wind would cover my noise. At 2:45 I made it to the creek that was at the bottom of the ridge I was planning to set up on. I heard leaves crashing and I quickly stepped behind a tree and pulled up my binoculars. I could see a buck coming out of the suspected bedding area heading down towards the creek I was standing next to. Why was he coming down so early!!! Why didn't I get here sooner!!!
I gathered myself quickly and quietly slipped my stand off my back and set it down. I nocked an arrow and waited patiently to see what he was going to do. In the meantime I reached into my front pocket and let some milkweed go...the creek was sucking my scent the opposite direction of the buck!!! He made his way into the creek about 45 yards to the South of me. He stopped on a small elevated hump in the middle of the creek bed and stood in some thick brush...and stood...and stood...and stood. He was standing there like a statue smelling the air. Finally after about 10 minutes he started to take a step off the hump, but he stopped and just started feeding on some browse. I knew where he was standing was very close to the border of the private ground that was to the South, and in my mind I was afraid if I did stalk up close enough for a shot he would have been on the private side of the property line. There was a boundary marker real close to him, but the angle I had I couldn't tell if he was on the public side of it.
I told myself that I had to make a move on it, 11 years of failure really gets into your head, and I kept thinking, be aggressive, give yourself a chance to make this happen.
I inched towards him, It took me about 30 minutes, but I moved 10 yards closer to him, I ranged him at 32 yards. That is 2 yards beyond my comfort zone and the brush was too thick on that hump. I got down really low behind a tree and blew my grunt call at him a couple times, he looked in my direction, but remained on the hump...at this point I had that feeling of defeat starting to come over me again, but I didn't let it overcome me this time, I just kept telling myself I had to find a way to seal the deal on this buck. I watched him feed and smell the air forever.
It was 4:00 now, the wind noise was gone, the squirrels and birds were silent...the only thing between me and the buck was 32 yards of dry leaves and loose noisy rocks!!! I knew I had no chance of taking another step. I was throwing milkweed this whole time, and it was always going to my north down the creek bed the opposite way of the buck so I knew he couldn't smell me. I kneeled there thinking, if I hadn't found the Beast I would be up there on that ridge I just came down, wind in my face, set up in a tree...never knowing that buck was below me smelling me, never coming out of his safe zone in daylight. About 20 more minutes passed and the buck decided to make a turn and start coming down the hump in my direction...holy moly!!! He stopped at 23 yards to eat some more browse and do some more scent checking. I decided to snap a picture...just in case I didn't seal the deal, because nobody would have believed me
He turned broadside to me and I stood up and drew my bow back...I didn't like the shot so I quickly kneeled back down and let my bow down. He took a few more steps towards me and stopped to drink out of a puddle in the creekbed. He was at 15 yards now, facing me. I took a look over my right shoulder and I clearly saw an opening I would be able to shoot him at if he kept walking the creek bottom. He hit the opening...I stood up and drew back....he was at 3 or 4 yards, the grass on the creek bed was too high, I couldn't get my self to let one fly, all I could think about in that moment was the spine shot on the doe a few weeks earlier. I quickly let down and kneeled back down.
I told myself to get my act together, I took a deep breath, I surveyed the surroundings and realized there was a large tree down across the creek, if I shot this buck and he ran forward he would run right into this tree and I could get another arrow in him if need be....he took one more step, I rose from my knees, settled the pin on him and let it fly. He ran directly into that tree 10 yards from where I shot him and he died...he died at 4:45PM, 10 seconds after I let my arrow fly.
It seriously happened, 11 years of failure coming to a head in a creek bottom, playing cat and mouse with a nice 2.5 year old public buck for right at 2 suspense filled hours. This is how I always envisioned myself arrowing a deer...not on a game farm, not on a stand someone set me up in, on something I worked hard for, something I deserved. I did it, I finally did it
I notified my friends and loved ones...the responses were funny...April Fools? Are you serious???
My brother and our good friend and fellow Beast showed up and helped me get him out and to my truck. It was all real at this point
How he lay when I found him
Couple of pics...not the monster KS buck you thought you were going to see but he's a monster in my eyes
Aerial of how it went down
