Well the season isnt finished yet but with a new house getting ready to most likely move in mid January I probably wont have much time to get out anymore. The bow season started out great with a Colorado Elk hunt roughin it on public land. No one in our party got any shots but my hunting partner and I had a herd at about 80 yards and saw several others, which made the trip worth while . I then hunted Mn and took 4 weeks off to live in an 18ft camper in Wi starting the 2nd week of Oct. I hunted four weeks with missing one evening hunt because it was raining and several trees were blowing down around Camp. Of course I call Coppertop who is a die hard and he tells me hes going out…so i regreted not going out after talking to him. I saw more big bucks this year then the past 3 since we had the property. I had several encounters with 150inch plus deer and had one that had to be close to 200 inches in and open crp field with 1.5 hrs daylight left. I walked to my stand late one evening at 2:15 only to see a shooter Ive been chasing walk past my stand as Im approaching from the other direction 
. Then the last week comes and Im about ready to give up bow hunting and pick up the rifle which I havent done in years. It seems I was seeing a shooter every sit but they were either too far away or I didnt have a good shot at them. Its about 9am with a week left and a 150ish 10pt comes over a ridge chasing a doe. He stops at 41 yards which should be an easy shot because I practice up to 70. Im thinking this is it, he stops slightly quarters away and is facing up the ridge just a bit. I pull back and “Whap” Looks like a perfect shot. 
. As he turns I see my arrow sticking in maybe 4 inches. Still looks good as far as the position of the arrow but its barely in the deer. Long story short I find the arrow with no damage to it or the broadhead. I track it for 2 days with good blood for the first 100 yrds off and on and then eventually dies off with no deer 
. I still have 3 days left to hunt and almost called it quites. 2 mornings later I see the same deer chasing a doe 80 yards away with dried up blood that I would saw is in a perfect position for double lungs. No idea what happened..I shoot a Mathews z7 maxed out and Cant believe what happened. Ive hunted every year with a bow since I was 12 and am now 37. Never had this happen and after putting all the hours and passing up so many deer I was ready to cry…But its alive.. ohh well… I end up shooting a smaller 130ish 9 pointer and that was my Wi hunt. I also took a good doe in MN but thats it. Here are a few deer that made it through the year and I would see these guys almost once a day. It was a good year because I saw so many big deer that never made it on camera and I know they are still alive as well..Time to invest in more cameras and get ready for next year. It just amazes me how “emotional” bow hunting can be for a person. Good luck on the rest of the season Im calling 2010 the “almost” year..everynight I would recap the days hunt with friends and I usually had one word that described the hunt “almost”…Jay
December 8, 2010 at 7:01 pm
#202224
Hope the big boy in the pics is around for you next year. 
Yes they will be bigger next year but they will also be a little smarter 
Congrats on the new house 
Man you’ve got some good lookers on that property. Most seasons tend to be “almost seasons.” I’m begining to think now it’s just a bonus to get a good buck. Thanks for sharing your season during and after! 