This gun season was like most for me. I had all my gear packed and ready to go days before opener. I constantly checked over things, trying to find something I forgot. Don’t ask me why I do this. I had already spent over 120 hours in a tree in the month of November bow hunting. If I didn’t have everything together by now, I should just stay home.
I had plenty of encounters with my bow but never released an arrow. In fact I had my bow drawn four times but things had a way of not working out. I had set my goals before archery season that I would hold out for a 4 ½ year old buck. Honestly, I never intended to hold true to that. I figured if a big enough buck came by, I would forget about my goal on age. As the season progressed and I had some chances at some really nice bucks, it started to get easier for me to not get so worked up about antlers and more worked up about body size. Don’t get me wrong head gear lasts forever and is a nice display on any wall. Weight is usually just written on the back of the picture. What started to interest me was the fact that some of these bucks were going to be not just big next year, they would be BIG!
Opening morning was one like I have never experienced before and may never again. From the moment I could see the outlines of the landscape I was seeing and hearing deer. By legal shooting light, I had a big doe come through and a lone fawn that decided to make the bottom of my tree his command post. By the first hour I had a basket 6 point come by hot on the heels of a doe. Shortly after, 5 more does came through up wind. The wind must have swirled in their direction as one of them snorted a few times. After 10 minutes or so, they all calmed down and browsed down the ridge.
I caught movement off to the side of them and could immediately tell it was a bigger deer. Within a few steps I could see he had some headgear and could count 4 tall points. At this point my heart is pounding out of my chest and the safety is off. Thoughts of the buck I shot last year kept running through my head (He was a good 9 point but not exactly what I was looking for). So I held off shooting until I could clearly see this buck was what I was looking for. He stayed behind some small oaks which still held enough leaves to block my vision. I had a few small openings with a clear shot at his vitals but still was unsure of age. Just before he walked through my first good opening, he made a 90 degree turn and walked directly away from me in the lane. Now I can see he is without a doubt a 10 point I had some encounters with during archery season. If I was strictly going by antler size, this guy would be hanging in my garage. I know he is pushing 150” but I had reservations about him being 4 1/2. Lucky for me he walked out of my lane and into the brush without ever offering me another shot. Maybe I should say…..lucky for him.
I was not upset with myself for letting that deer walk. It’s a 9 day season not counting muzzleloader and I was confident I would have another opportunity. Little did I know it would be sooner than expected. Within 15 minutes of my last glimpse of the 10 point, the woods just exploded with activity. I had deer all around me. It was a steady parade of 1 ½ to 3 ½ year old bucks chasing does. All I could do was sit and giggle. I was in heaven! I have never seen so many bucks in such a short time. There was no way I was letting my guard down. I wasn’t going to let a mature buck slip away.
As I watch a 9 point and an 8 point chase each other around below me, I could hear more deer coming from my right. A big doe crested the ridge to my right and hot on her tail was a big buck. The first thought that entered my head was that it was a mule deer! He stopped on top of the ridge broadside and I had a good picture of what he was. I was confident he was 4 ½. He made his way down the same path the doe had went, stopping a few times offering me some good clean shots. Why wasn’t I shooting?!! I guess in the back of my mind I knew he wasn’t as big antler wise as the 10 I had seen earlier. I knew there were bigger deer around too. He made his way into some thick brush so I had a moment to go over what I was about to do…..Should I shoot or let him walk? Is he big enough? How does that saying go— don’t pass something the first day that you would be happy with the last day?? I finally got my head together and decided that the second he offered me a shot I would take it. When he stepped out of the brush, he was on a fast run heading for the last possible opening I would have a crack at him. Now all I could think of was, “Please God let him stop!” Well, he must have been listening because the buck stopped perfectly broadside right in the middle of my lane. I settled the crosshairs on his chest and squeezed the trigger. With the bang of the gun he humped up and did a big mule kick. I watched him run down to the bottom of the ridge and make his way back up the other side. I watched through the scope, trying to get another shot as quickly as possible. He ran a total of 70 yards before I watched him tip over. Then the nerves kicked in. I was shaking so bad, I could hardly keep him in the scope as I made sure he was down for the count. I waited 3 hours before I walked over to him. As I got closer, I thought about all that I had set out to accomplish this year. I could not be happier with the outcome. I enjoy my time in the woods whether I harvest something or not. I feel I’ve already won the second I get in a tree. The pursuit is what drives me, not necessarily the outcome. I can’t wait to break out the bow again and chase down another buck! Good luck guys!
Thank you God, Dad, Mom, Grandpa, and Jesse for molding me into who I am today. I am truly blessed to have such a great family.
He was aged at 4 1/2 by Michelle Windsor from the DNR and weighted in at 178 lbs.
