I sat a very cold morning - low 20's and a stiff wind across my face. Saw one dink buck. Very disappointed there because the area is SO good. In fact, after I removed the stand and got back to the house, the land owners had seen 3 big bucks and another GIANT not 1/4 mile up the creek from me.

Dang, wish I'd left the stand and hunted it, instead the plan is to go back to where I've hunted almost the whole hunt - where I saw the big 8 3 days ago I guess?

I can't sit like I use to - my back hurts a bit. But here I go into the stand I stabbed my eye in at 12:15 pm. I had to get down and pee not long after, dropped my book, 2 guys parked on the road and came in to about 40 yards before seeing me and finally leaving. At 4 pm I was really questioning this whole thing!

Then I look East and see a doe running - nice. Buck can't be far behind. So I'm watching them, get my camera out .... put it away, glance to my left and dang, there is that big 8 I saw 3 days ago, standing 50 yards looking at me. But he isn't boogered, and keeps drinking.

This buck ...... when i watched him the other day he was SO cautious. One step, stand motionless, wait, look, take a step, repeat. I watched him for probably 40 minutes, and he didn't move 75 yards. He did rub a cedar hard. He didn't respond to my grunts. I had him broadside at 35 yards, looking away ..... not a shot I can take and make.

So then he starts going away, and when he's 100 yards I grab my antlers and rattle pretty aggressively. I had 3 bucks off to my right - but I wasn't concerned with them.

It worked.

Here he comes. Taking the trail and coming straight to me. He took a second to rub the telephone pole in front of me (yes, its a rubbed pole, a licking pole) and then comes straight at me.

Right as he gets to where I can make any shot I take it.


And I hit a limb, deflecting the shot. I grab another arrow as he takes one bound and he looks RIGHT UP AT ME. Stare down time. He drops his head, boogers a bit, looks back up .... I'm still in half get my arrow nocked position and when he dropped his head again I nocked/drew and shot.

At the shot he bounded, and I could see fletching as he tried to make the top of the little hill in front of me. He didn't make it, almost falling before coming back down and going down very quickly.

Unbelievable. Never thought I'd get him to come to me, never imagined I could shoot and get another arrow on the string and shoot again.

My arrow hit farther back than I wanted, probably him jumping at my motions? I hit him in front of the right ham, angling forward and cutting the two ribs on the left side. I cut liver too - I don't think I've ever seen a deer die faster.

Gorgeous buck, over 24" main beams, 10" tines, nice mass, 15" inside spread ... he's going to score around 140" I imagine for anyone interested in that.

Zipper recurve, 53#, CX Heritage shafts, Zwickey broadhead sharpened with KME, weight tubes, probably 550 grains total weight.

we think he's a 4 1/2 year old buck, over 200 pounds live weight. The bucks are so silly right now, but this one acted so differently. Just very very cautious. I am tickled to death, he's my best traditional buck and he's going on the wall.


I'm so lucky to be able to come to where I do, the people who invite me out are great to have me, exceptional hosts, great hunting partners and I can't thank them enough.

Congrats! Now that is one nice buck. Great job!

Congrats Brad! Real nice buck!

Nice..!

I leave tomorrow morning for a week in Kansas,I been getting some good reports!

Good job Brad.  

Great buck Brad!

Whats up with all that mass? steroid food plots.

Beautiful deer sir!      
Thanks for taking us along!

Wow

Great Deer. Congrats  

Way to go, Brad!

Thanks guys - Alvis killed a 8 point tonight with his home made recurve that makes mine look like little!

I'll post pictures when I get them, but he's like a 155" or better 8

Super nice deer Brad.

Brad

One heck of a buck man!  Very excited for you, and really enjoyed following this hunt.

Wishing you more and more success!

hillboy is hunting about 70 miles south of where I was ..... Tuesday was their 1st day, so far no bucks down that I know of

Great job Brad!!      

Very nice.  Man, I live in KS and never have that much action and big buck interaction.  Congrats!

KSdan      3 years ago was an unbelievable year. This is the biggest buck I saw in the field in 7 days of hunting.

Looking back .... I hunted this same stand 6 mornings and 6 evenings - averaging 5 hours a sit that's about 60 hours I had invested in this stand. I saw this same buck on Monday evening I think it was. I had that one nice 10 come through but nothing else as big.

Now, the guys I hunted with on the farm we are so lucky to hunt, they've seen big bucks two days in a row. I'm trying to get good photo's of the buck Alvis shot with his recurve.

This is the only one I got - in the 35 minutes after he shot it and they tracked it (it didn't go 100 yards) coyotes had found it and at 1/2 a ham. unreal.

Congrats!
The dang coyotes can be a real pain in places....

I was getting ready to shoot a "doe" this morning...until I saw it was a spike.... and he had a coyote run him HARD out of a ravine....no shot on the dog either.