Practice makes perfect!

The author of this report is Scott Banks (scottb).

This story starts out in August when I first got a few trail cam pictures of this deer. My initial thoughts were that this deer is only 3.5 years old and would have loved to see him make another year. At the same time I figured he would go in the low 150″ range and I had set my goal for this year at around 150″ so could I pass on this deer if given the chance?!

Fast forward to the morning of Nov. 7th, opening of gun season started by washing all my hunting clothes the previous night and taking a shower with unscented soaps early opening day. As I trecked the 3/4 mile back to my stand in the dark that morning I tried to move along slow and quiet to keep from jumping any deer and to try and prevent any sweating. I got to the stand about 45 minutes before shooting light and settled in. The first sighting was a doe with triplet fawns and they had been spooked. They stopped directly downwind literally 15 feet away and didn’t smell me, I knew it was going to be a good day! On a side note here, one of the fawns was a button buck with a double white throat patch and he was twice the size of his sisters and not much smaller than his mom! I will be keeping my eye out for him in a few years!

After they had meandered off I hear a noise to the east and immediately see a gorgeous looking coyote. I raise my gun and can already picture this rug in my “man” room. I squeeze the trigger and MISS! What the heck! Only minutes later again from the same direction another coyote comes and its even closer, surely this one is mine. I pull up and at 55 yards pull the trigger, not again! Now I am a bit shook, what if a big deer comes, was it me, the gun or what!? I was soon to find out.

Not 10 minutes after the last coyote misshap I see a doe at about 100 yards through the brush. Suddenly I see another deer, its another doe. “Wait what is she looking at?” I catch movement but all I can see is the nose of another deer. Suddenly he turns his head and does a lip curl and I see a chocolate left beam with some character. He is a shooter!

I don’t think he is going to come any closer so I give a couple grunts his way. He is staring in my direction but wants no part of it since he has his ladies already. I still cannot see his body. Take two more steps big guy and you will be in the open. The does then turn and head back to the east and I know he is soon to follow. I settle the crosshairs where I know his body will appear as soon as he takes his next couple steps. Luckily instead of running he does take his steps and I squeeze the trigger as his front shoulder appears.

Off he goes and I cannot get another shot. I don’t know what to think! He was a bit over 100 yards away and I had just missed 2 coyotes much closer. I make a quick call to my dad and tell him the story and he gives me a boost. He says, “I know you got him, great job, call me when you find some sign.” I walk over to where he was standing and immediately see blood everywhere, “YES!”. The blood trail is easy to follow and he didn’t go 40 yards, its now that I realize he is the buck that I thought was 3.5 and have the pictures of.

Some of you said that you thought he was 3.5 others thought 4.5, well I believe he was 4.5. He had put on a lot of weight and his neck had some serious girth to it. Many of you thought he was in the 150″ range and you would be correct but he was a bit bigger than I had guessed. He basically is a low 150″‘s buck with some extra junk. He ended up having 12 scorable points and scored 159″ gross. My biggest buck to date!

My personal goal was achieved and I couldn’t be happier. Last Sunday night when I grunted in that 135″ 8pt. to 15 yards and passed is why I had this opportunity. I am not saying that is what everyone must do but that was the goal I set and stuck with it. Of course that is made easier when you know whats out there and you have a chance at something much larger. Good luck to all the rest of the way. All I have left now is to do my part for QDM and put the smack down on that doe!

Scott Banks

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