Next time I went back they showed again. This time light was almost gone and I could see less than the first encounter. However, I knew they came out of one of two bedding areas on that side (public land) as I’d scouted there several times the last few years. I've shined good numbers of deer there, but not once in 5 years did I see a shooter on that side of the property. I didn't spend a whole lot of time there, as there are delicious looking bedding features elsewhere.
I was blinded by them.I have permission to access the public on the back side. I ran a cam in some bedding just off the public that I don’t want them to use. It’s very small but super thick, hard to hunt, and tough to know which way they’ll leave. So I was hoping the cam and my multiple intrusions would keep the bigger smarter bucks out, and bedding in other areas that were more predictable. All while getting a little inventory.
The bucks came through once. I was pretty sure it was the same bucks I’d seen. Camera was a little under a half mile from the bean field bedding.
I left them alone trying to locate something bigger on other properties, but there wasn't much doing. 1 big one NEAR some low odds public with no classic terrain based bedding. I wasn't even positive he bedded there.
The night before opener I had obligations and talked my Dad into observing the bean field for me. Couldn’t believe it, but they were still there! I told him where to sit and exactly where to watch so I knew which bedding to set up on.
I didn’t have any sets prepped, and there are no suitable trees for a stand unless you like 40-50 yard shots. Not to mention climbing one of the few trees might get me busted if they were bedded just inside the thicket and could see out. I see that a lot. They're typically 10-15' inside the edge or buried in the back. Setting up a stand can potentially mean extra noise too.
I re-hashed things on onX, made a game plan and went in early. It was a dead end grassy travel corridor with some marsh bedding on the sides. It pinched down a little bit in one spot. That put me anywhere from 70-125 yards from where they were bedding. (Depending on where they chose to lay). There was one tiny point that worked perfect for bedding on a SE wind, and I figured that's where they'd be. Realistically they could be anywhere in those thick dogwoods and willows. The thought occurred to me that they could be across the little creek on the parking lot side of the water. I'd scouted that in the past too, and there were definitely a good number of beds there, and also more rubs than I expected, but nothing crazy or that said "big buck". It's only 250 yards from parking, and the property line forces you to walk right next to those willows. I didn't see why they'd bed there when they could stay on the "safe" side of the water hazard. In the end it didn't matter, as I knew which direction they'd head.
I snuck in and hid behind a big dogwood bush. I had some wind cover and got in REALLY clean. I was at a legit risk of getting busted if I didn't see them first though. I stood the entire time peering over that dogwood bush. I kept my head still and scanned with my eyes. I was loving my set and super focused.
Once I saw them I planned on kneeling and shooting them after they passed me. That was the only shot choice I had.
I didn’t see or hear anything until it got dead quiet when the sun hit the horizon. I heard them sloshing across the creek heading my way.
It was then that I had my biggest ah-ha moment yet. I chalked that bedding up as doe bedding with buck sign. It's not. It's EARLY SEASON BEDDING!! It all made so much sense now. Early season/velvet rubs on small saplings. This place gets next to no pressure early season aside from myself. So why wouldn't they lay there?!? I thought the water boundary would keep them on the other side, but it had no effect on their movement.When they appeared, I was surprised to see the 8 still in velvet
. (Dad said he was white racked 
no idea what happened there) He looked just as big as the ten, and I decided to take either one if offered a shot, but deep down I wanted the velvet 8. Dad said there was a yearling with them. He was present too.The trio was closing ground FAST. I slowly hunkered down and readied for the shot, hoping they couldn't see me move through the bush. The 8 stepped out and when I tried to stop him, he went right through my lane and turned directly away. The grass was too tall for a 30-35 yard shot everywhere but one spot and he'd passed it. Not going to lie I panicked, as I wanted the velvet buck. He had nice long 8-9" tines but was narrower.
In seconds the ten pointer hit the opening. I tried to stop him and same thing!
I quickly did another “meh!” But WAY louder than I should have had to. He finally stopped, just barely in the lane.(I tried ranging some milkweed ahead of time but the grass spears interfered.) I guessed him at 30, settled the pin, and touched the shot off. It felt good.
He was quartering away more than I would have liked and I put my pin on last rib. I was horrified to see I hit high and had a lot of arrow sticking out
I thought I somehow hit him in the shoulder blade. 
The three bucks tore off into the beans and stopped. After a few seconds the ten wobbled and tipped over. THANK GOD.
I ranged it afterwards and it was only 24 yards, so that explains the high hit. Here's where he was standing. Red arrow was my hiding spot. They had no clue I was there until I stopped them.
The arrow entered high at last rib and buried into the off side shoulder blade. Took out the femoral arteries below the spine, and lungs. He didn't even make it 100 yards.
I had him patterned, hadn't killed a buck with my bow in MN since 2015, it was public, from the ground, a beautiful evening, and my first opening day buck ever. Not to mention I passed a buck like this opening weekend last year and ate my tag
. So with all that rolled into one I decided to take him and I'm glad I did. It was a fun hunt that I won't forget any time soon.
