The story of my 2013 archery buck traces back to mid season last year. I had been chasing a big framed 9 in which I had come charging in the first morning of slug season. With only a bow in my hand, one last branch kept this buck in safety for nearly 5 minutes; that is until a neighbor harvested him the next day with a slug. At this point I went back and began trying to figure out how old the next couple bucks inline really were. Scanning through multiple years of pictures, I had determined that there were 3 different bucks that we had been getting pictures of throughout portions of the summer that were potentially 3 1/2 year olds. Knowing that one had alot of potential, one had alot of character, and one (this guy) was just a solid looking buck, I told my self I would take an opportunity given on any of them and not second guess it.
Last year was the 3rd year with our new piece of river bottom land. With 15 acres of food plots a year (14 different plants/species), timber stand management efforts, hinging trees and building buck beds, CRP burns, etc., that I do all on my own; coupled with not pulling the release in 2 full seasons, I was ready to put one down!
That opportunity came just a few short weeks later when this buck stepped out into the turnip plot. A brisk blue bird afternoon had many does and fawns picking away at the bulbs. Walking up against the 4 rows of corn between the turnips and trees, this buck made his way to what I had ranged to be just over 35 yards. As I pulled back and gathered my self, this buck kept slowly working the corn line. I pulled the release on a shot I thought was a sure heart shot only to watch my white vanes slide right under him! 
Fast forward to the last couple weeks of 2012 bow season, same plot, same stand, same path! he walks out again sporting only portions of his rack
At that point in time I realized my tag was again meant for a last weekend doe and tried to stay positive knowing I had more opportunities than I should have to get it done. Even though the winter drug on and shed hunting yielded virtually nothing, I had it in my mind that this was the buck I would be hunting in 2013 regardless of what showed up on camera.
The 2013 preparations were as normal, however, being surrounded by over 400 acres of corn we knew we would not get many pictures. Just as anticipated, pictures were few and far between in regards to bigger bucks. While I was out fishing in SD, my brother pulled camera cards and sent me a picture that set this year in motion. The buck I missed was back, and he had put on some bone 
With no other pictures going into the season, I had an idea that he was likely living in the corn in the middle of the section and using an old abandon over grown drainage ditch connecting good bedding and our food plots to the block of trees and water in the river. A camera move right before archery season showed that my assumption may not be perfect, but he was certainly using that ditch to travel occasionally.
Fast forward to last weekend, I took Friday afternoon off as my brother mentioned all the corn in our section but one small piece was harvested last Thursday. With a good wind for the stand, I crept into the ditch early and knew that even though it was not prime time, the loss off all that cover would make a difference. At around 5:30 my #2 buck (a solid 10 point that has some mass, and higher scoring than this buck) stepped out of the trees at around 100-125 yards in the chisel plowing which got the blood going. Around 6:15 I heard some movement coming up the ditch my direction and grabbed the bow. The deer that passed was shockingly this buck that I was after! With no shooting lanes cut that direction (just yards over property line) I drew on him hoping he would cut into the ditch and work to our food plots. Unfortunately he did not; however, I knew for a fact he was not long for life since he walked up the ditch down wind of me and got drawn on in broad daylight.
Camera pictures that week had shown that when the corn was harvested, he did indeed move his bedding, and also showed the second time he had moved in daylight in a week 
I was riding the fact that all of this cover was now gone, the bucks were out making scrapes for the upcoming rut, and that I needed to be where he traveled. So Saturday night, I again crept into the ditch stand as the wind was right.
With a driving wind out of the northwest, I did not see much for deer movement. In fact I only had a doe and fawn travel south down the ditch and head into the river bottom block of trees in nearly 2 1/2 hours in the stand (pretty dismal). With sunset approaching, I was standing in the tree looking down the ditch (~6:10) when I heard a deer approaching from the south. I was listening to this crunching trying to figure out if it was in the ditch or along side it when I heard what I thought was a grunt. I started to reach beside me to grab my bow when I heard what I knew was a grunt for sure. I figured it was just another anxious 2 1/2 year old but I pulled my bow around my safety strap just in case. As I started to pull my bow in front of me and square up to the tree edge, he stepped out. Not knowing for sure that it was him, I put my release on the loop and squared to my shooting lane. At this point he looked up infront of himself and I knew it was indeed the buck I was after
In a split second I was at full draw and the buck I was after was dead to rights in front of me at just over 30 yards. He stopped shortly in a small patch of the corn that the plow missed and seemingly looked around for a loose ear of corn. He was a touch quarter and too me and I did not want to take that shot after whiffing last year. As I watched him through my peep knowing he was quarter and too, I just stopped for just a split second and took it all in. Here was the buck I set out to shoot almost a year ago, put in the work, figured him out, beat him without the wind and with the wind… I just recall thinking “heres the season, its now and I better enjoy this moment cause it may be awhile before it happens again.”
His head came up, he squared north again giving me a perfect broad side shot. I settled in to the pin even more and gave a short grunt. As his head snapped up and looked at me as I focused my 30 yard pin high on his heart and squeezed. With a loud twap I knew I smoked him as he ran off half speed, tail down, head out, rack out beyond his body; I felt the adrenaline finally kick it. As I instantly began second guessing every last move because of how fast it happened, I saw him stop in the CRP hardly 45yards from impact. Seeing nothing but his hind quarters I got to watch the buck I was chasing for 11 months tip flat over in the eye high grass.
With all the work that I have put into this piece of land in the last 4 years, and all the money my brother has invested into bigger equipment, I was really just always satisfied being out there and seeing all the wildlife. However, with this being the first mature buck we have taken off of this piece, and having my brother hunting just 500-600 yards away so we could share the recovery; it all really made it special.
Pic 1: The “Cheater 8” finally down! (He had a little cheater tine last year and the name stuck after I whiffed on him last year)
Pic 2: Another pic (May not be the highest scoring buck I’ve shot, but he’s certainly the biggest bodied. At 6’6″ 270lbs I was two hand back pulling to get him outa the CRP)
Pic 3: 2013 velvet picture that ensured I had by set my goals on the right buck in 2012
Pic 4: He’s where I thought he was living this year!
Pic 5: 2012, same season when he stepped out for the second time all busted up
Pic 6: Heart shot, and an ethical quick kill to my 2013 buck (Kooty, take down if needed)
