(http://i725.photobucket.com/albums/ww257/boonetrad/DSCN1375-1-1.jpg)
I have had a very blessed season this year that started in Illinois. We have the privilege of hunting some good property's in illinois and started this year in mid october. I hunted several trips down and it was a bit slow with few shooter buck sightings in our group. I decided to sit a tree in a piece of woods that I hadn't hunted as much in the last couple years but was a proven track of river bottom in the past. About an hour after first light I heard a doe running 100 yards or so over my shoulder and looked to see a nice 120 class 8 point on her tail. They went off behind me and I sat for a few minutes enjoying the beautiful morning, something very special about a crisp early November day. As I glanced behind me towards were the buck had gone I about fell out of my tree as I noticed a big buck standing in the hardwoods a couple hundred yards away. I gathered myself, reached for my rattling antlers and cracked them together a couple times. Instantly he whipped up his head and looked, then ran right at me! :eek: I grabbed my bow and got ready as he came right to about 15 yards on the only side of my tree i couldn't shoot. He stood there bristled up and ready for a fight for a couple minutes but after not seeing any bucks he walked off a little suspiciously in front of me never offering me a shot. As he walked away I picked up my grunt call but never grunted because watching him he seemed a bit uneasy about coming in to the rattling and finding no other bucks. I figured I would watch him a bit and see what he did. He went about a 100 yards and bedded down. I could see his head and he was looking around not resting, I believe he was still looking/waiting for the source of the fight he heard. This went on for about an hour as I sat in my tree freaking out about having him so close and not being able to do anything about it, then he got up and started to walk away. At this point I had nothing to loose so I let out a loud snort wheeze, he stopped looked my way postured up and came right to me again. I went oh boy! all over again only to my dismay he circled in from down wind. He came to about thirty yards and locked up. I was pretty scent free and I think he only got a little whiff, but he froze up for about 10 minutes. I had swung in my tree saddle into position and was keeping my cool that is for about 2 minutes, something about a big deer that eventually unnerves you. After getting shook for a few minutes I regained my composure and put my game face on. He decided that he'd had enough for one morning and turned to leave offering me a perfect quartering away shot at about 35 yards. I would say that's on the far side of my comfortable range but he was looking away and sometimes you just feel right about a shot and your gut says, you got this. I said a quick prayer and drew back, I remember coming to anchor, picking a spot on him feeling really good about it, then letting go. The arrow flew perfect and buried to the fletch right behind the shoulder. He ran about 70 yards, crashed down a ridge and was done for. I couldn't believe it, I started jumping up and down in my tree and saying thank you Lord! couldn't believe it all came together. I called my brother who was nearby and he and my friend Tom came to help me get him out. It was an awesome hunt that I'll never forget. I will have the story's of the other hunts soon. Thanks all for reading
OUTSTANDING :thumbsup:
FANTASTIC!
chris <><
Way to go! :clapper: :clapper:
Awesome animal! :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
congrats :clapper: :clapper:
Great buck, great story. :thumbsup:
Heck of a buck Boone. I don't know if I could have held it together. Awesome!
Awesome buck, looking forward to hearing about the rest of your hunts. Congrats.
Gotta love the snort wheeze...congrats!
Great buck and a great shot. :clapper:
Congrats on a great buck!
Nice shot and deer. Been in the woods off and on for three days just seeing squirrels and was gonna take tomorrow off. But darned if I didn't come across this thread. Alarm clock set for the A.M. I must...shoot.... deer!
Great deer and story!
AWESOME!! :thumbsup:
EXCELLENT!! :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
That one is a Dandy for sure, great job, awesome buck.
:thumbsup:
WOW!!!!!!!!! Gorgeous buck.
Only in my dreams......
Congrats on a nice deer. Not that it matters but I'm curious as to how wide that deers spread is ?
WOW! Just awesome Dan. Score on the two biggest? Curious??
Dan in KS
Im with greg. In my dreams. Good on you.
Congratulations! Way to be patient.
YOU DONE GOOD....REALLY, REALLY, GOOD!
Awesome!
Awesome spread on that bad boy.
Congrats on making the shot count!
Just curious, what would he score? He looks massive! :notworthy: :dunno:
good shot! :thumbsup:
Wow , nicely done :clapper:
Well done. I'm gettin' me one of those snort wheeze thingys!
Thanks for the congrats, His inside spread is 20'' and best I can tell he scores about 175 give or take, I'm not a pro with the tape measurer, the 10 was around 130, my best michigan buck . I've had a few people ask about the camo I'm wearing, It's a day one asat wool pullover and I have matching pants. LOVE! it, best hunting garb I've ever had. It's very warm and high quality, those guys do a great job.
Very nice deer.
(http://i725.photobucket.com/albums/ww257/boonetrad/DSCN1410-1.jpg)
I shot this buck on a property that I just got permission to hunt this year. I set up a new tree with my saddle in a corner were the deer come out of the bedding area and hook around the back of a swamp heading out to the hardwoods at night. I got set up and again was enjoying the evening with geese flying into the swamp overhead and critters running about when about an hour before dark out came the single file line of doe's coming right for me. I watched the doe's as the group of about 8 came into my area, I was thinking wether I should shoot one of the bigger one's when I looked over my shoulder and saw Mr 10 standing surveying the situation. I was very excited and started to focus on preparing for a possible shot. He sat there watching the doe's for a while and then circled around in to their downwind and followed them at a distance as they started to walk past my tree. It had been about 20 minutes since I first saw him and the one thing that jumped out at me was how smart and weary he was, every move he made was planned, I fortunately had the wind in my favor and he finally started following the doe's on a trail that would bring him by at 10 yards. Then It happened, into the scene walked a flock of turkeys. They walked right at me and started to mingle with the deer, I was freaking out because I was hiding behind the tree but at any moment they would see me, alert the deer and the whole thing was toast. That is what happened, one saw me then the whole flock. They ran clucking, the doe's spooked and ran, the buck was outta there. But he made one mistake, he cut a corner following the doe's past my tree. I swung around and came to anchor as he stopped for a second quartering away at 30 yards, picked a spot and let it fly. The arrow buried to the fletch in the back of the ribcage and he tore off crashing. He went only about 60 yards and fell, thrashed around and was done. Again I was jumping around in my tree and quickly calling my friend Tom who was hunting the other side of the property to yell my excitement through the phone. At this point I should point out the doe that I missed at 15 yards earlier this year so you don't think I can shoot an apple off your head if I ever meet you. For me it's all mental, I know how to shoot fine enough and if I'm focused and feeling the shot it doesn't matter if its 5 or 35 yards, likewise I've missed deer at very close that I wasn't there mentally and so I was blessed to have it come together on the second buck of the year. My buddy and I had a great time dragging him out and I was again thankful for a great hunt.
Very nice buck and a great hunt, congrats!
Great Job Dan, what a great season!
David
NICE!! Congrats on having a great year.
I gotta be honest with you ,son, after the year I just had, and I realize I'm becoming a cynical and grumpy old man, when I see a young guy like yourself stacking up big bucks like their firewood I gotta wonder if your bow goes "Bang". Poaching in my neck of the woods seems to be reaching epidemic proportions, especially with the younger generation. I believe there's a special place in hell for the killers I've had to deal with around here. I AM IN NO WAY ACCUSING YOU OF POACHING. You seem like a upstanding citizen, a real role model and I applaude you. Thanks for sharing. :clapper:
Congrats, and thanks for the stories. Those are dandy's!
That is just awesome! Congrats again! 130 in MI- WOW!!!! 175ish- a dream!!
Dan in KS
Great deer and story. You give me hope that although you wouldn't want me attempting an apple shot off your head either, sometimes I too get in that focus, be it 5 or 35 yds....Phil
Congrats on a beautiful buck!
Owlgrowler, I see these brothers and their father semi-regularly at the local bowshop. I can tell you they are hunting fools and have been shooting whoppers for years...check out their website. PM him for the address
Great story and great buck!