BBD pics and story - Deer Hunting - Deer Hunting

This summer was not much different from the rest a packed agenda of planning, preping, then sowing in the foods plots followed a covert collection of Trail Cam photos of the bucks that were roaming the lush farm land and densly wooded swamp edges. As spring turned to summer some really nice deer started showing up on almost all my farms. This had me very pumped up going into the 2010 bow season. I would be slightly disapointed not long in after my best man missed a “Hit List” buck at 23 yards but we got over it. As October quickly changed to November I had yet to even have a glimpse of a shooter at the same time a different buddy on one of my sets had a GIANT buck come in to just over 20 yards and only offer a head on shot before turing into the brush rather than the foodplot and disappearing! That was November 4th and marked the day that I would go 17 sits before SEEING my next DEER. November 15th of 2010 I LOST the greast MAN in my life Harvey Gilbertson my GrandPa. While sorting out lifes sader details I still attempted to keep at the deer as I knew Grampy would not want me over him and between the wake and funneral I started to see some really nice shooters moveing on a couple of the farms while scouting the week before Muzzleloader. This brings us to Tuesday night… Gust over 40 sustained winds of 20plus out of the northwest and the mercury siting somewhere around 5 We made our way location to “scout hunt” the edge of a 3 acre standing corn bean combo plot. Finding some fresh tracks dispite the blinding snow and heavy drifting we set the blind up and brushed it inat 2:30.My buddy had any buck in bow range and I had any thing out of his range. Not long after settleing in a 5 point came out of the corn and stood next to the blind heading in and ot of the woods I suspected was housing the main herd. About 45 minutes later a doe broke the edge of the cover running threw the plot and out of sight. For a bit nothing was seen on till sun set when my buddy glances out his window and starts trying to imitate a Pileated Woodpecker on my arm with his finger while whispering with golfball sized eyes “BIG buck just ran into the plot”! I quikly drop to my knees scaning through the blizzard to see if I could see this buck! After what seems like an hour I catch a bit of nonmovement in the sea of waving corn leaves he is heavy quartering away from me at 40 yards lifting his head up and down as he worked over an ear of corn giving me on a quik couple seconds each time to figure out if he was a older buck or a non shooter. After 3 or 40 lifts of his head I couldnt take it anymore and took an ill-advised shot by following his neck down into the corn and slightly back to his vitals. Upon hearing the report of my muzzleloader I listen for my favorite sound the thud of a solid hit with a giant peice of copper!

The shot felt good it seemed the buck jumped and went down hard in 2 steps! After giving him my standard half hour we went to “find” him, no deer!! Back to the truck for a light to stalk the corn with, upon reaching the sight of the hit we could not see any tracks, they had drifted in!! Thankfully Buddy found lots of blood on a stalk of corn and then another until we reached the edge of the feild and had no more. At that point I fear that I would loose ths buck to a blizzard much like the doe I lost early this bow season due to a monsoon rain! Not long after I noticed a rock in the feild a ways down that looked odd and had to check it out. Not until I stood over it did I relize it was MY buck!! He had almost an inch of snow on him and had piled up inot a drift about 3 ft deep at the edge of the plot! He had a little bit of ground shrinkage but will look great in the Trophy Room!! He very unoficaly scores 124 B&C and I’m very happy to end the season with him! Well not totaly end I also shot a doe tonite and have the best part of Metro deer hunting to come! My Barnes Expander Mz found its mard 3 inchs infront of the back leg going all the way though the chest cavity destroying the lungs and cliping the heart before exiting the ribs and lodging in the far shoulder! I want to thank every one in my life who makes my dreams a reality! This will be the last season of staying at the farm with Grampy and Grandma. She is moving to town and the cousin is taking over the farm. BUT there is already an awsome hunting cabin awaiting the finishing touches next spring, because whats deer camp with out the sportsman channel and IDO!!! I will replace the pics with the good ones tommarrow, I’m BEAT!