To say my 2011 bow season has been a roller coaster would be an understatement. I guess being between jobs during deer season isn’t the worst thing in the world. The first couple weeks were uneventful. Getting big bucks on trail cameras is not the same as shooting them.
The first couple weeks of October were pretty slow as they normally are that combined with high temperatures in the 80’s. Made those few weeks very uneventful. Last year I was lucky enough to harvest a great buck on October 21 to say I was excited for that week to get here was an understatement. I sat the same stand I shot my 2010 bow buck from on the morning of October 21 and had a great morning, passing a few smaller bucks and seeing some chasing and hearing some grunting. Game on ! So I thought.
I hunted hard 8-10 hours a day everyday from October 21 – November 2 and this so called rut was no where to be found. Some days I would see a little rutting activity but nothing like I thought it should be. Then while walking out after a November 2 morning hunt I notcied a couple deer bedded in one of my food plots. It appeared to be a buck tending a doe. Right there the plan was made to sit there the next morning.
November 3 found me in that stand and finally some action as I passed 3 bucks that morning that were cruising with their noses to the ground. One of the bucks I have quite a few pictures of and named him the “busted 8” as both of his G3’s are broke clean off. This may have been the largest buck I have ever let walk. That afternoon was good but nothing special as a couple small bucks were on the move chasing does and grunting. Finally some good action.
November 2 found me back at the same food plot where I had the action the day before. This morning was different. Cold and calm but no movement at all, hardly a squirrel. By 930 my patience were being tested but I stuck to the plan to sit until at least 10. At 945 I hear something and look over my shoulder to my “holy crap” moment. The moment you see a shooter buck in your book that makes you say “holy crap”. He came into the food plot like he was the king of the forest. And went into mad buck mode ripping up everything in sight, so much for my composure.
He hung out on the left side of the plot where of course I have no shot then he started to move and angled behind me in my 17 ft ladder stand. This is where things got interesting as I had no plan for a shot behind me. He stops and mauls a scrape grunting like a little pig at less than 15 yards. Composure lost again. He takes a step forward and I see my opening just slightly larger that a softball between a “V” in a tree, but at that distance I know I can get it done. Well I’m not sure if I didn’t bend at the waist when I leaned over the arm rail for the shot but my shot drifted a little right which made a blade from my broadhead catch the tree and kicked my arrow sideways and strike the buck right in the juggler. As I watched him run off I was just sick and then I saw the blood pumping out the wound and thought “that was ugly but he can’t hold that”. He got about 70 yards out and did a couple 360’s and then disappeared my thoughts. . . he was down right there.
I waited 30 minutes climbed down and bailed out. Called my hunting buddy and wife Lori to come up and help as she was in town cleaning up her truck/deer accident mess from the night before. Then I gave another buddy a call as he hunts about 3 miles from where I was and he was excited to get in on the track. It had been about an hour and a half when we returned and it was an absolute blood bath. from start to finish he was not where I thought he had fallen but about 200 yards farther. How he made it that far I have no idea. Turns out he was a nice 9 that I have quite a few pictures of including a 3-shot burst working another scrape 30 minutes before I got him He is 18 inches wide and has good mass and he is a 4.5 year old that grossed 138 2/8 and he weighed a ton. In the end it was a shot that I am not proud of but you know what they say. . . “It’s better to be lucky than good”.
Not always an easy accomplishment, none the less doing it multiple years in a row. 
can’t wait to see what the gun season brings for you 
Start stackin up the milkers now 
Way to make the most of your opporunity! 