**I apologize in advance for the long winded story as I tend to get carried away with backstory/details. I promise I love the hero pics as much as anyone, but the older I get, the stories I read on here stick with me as much if not more then the pictures do, so here ya go**
Over the past two seasons, I have put a TON of time into prepping, scouting, and trying to keep all the deer anywhere nearby well fed and on the places I can hunt. On the flip side, I have actually hunted much, much less the past two seasons then I have in years past, mainly due selling and moving from the one place and trying to fix up the new one.
Anyhow, last year (2020) once things finally settled down a bit late in the season, I was able to get out and hunt late December. Having not checked cameras at this particular spot over the previous month, I had no idea of what was around or survived rifle season and had zero expectations going into the hunt other then I was finally going to be in the woods with my bow in hand! I pulled a camera card walking Into the stand, and threw out a little hand corner. As I settled in, I began going through the camera card and was surprised to see a beautiful typical 6 x 6 that had been frequenting the area quite a bit over the previous couple weeks. I’d had pictures of him the year before and he’d grown considerably as a 4yo this year and really got me excited about the evening’s hunt.
Not long after settling in, a nice young 8 point and a beautiful young 10 point made their way in and found the corn I trickled out along the trail. Watching them, the 10 was definitely the bully of two, but the 8 was smarter as he would periodically throw his head up and takeoff running with the 10 following suit not knowing what was going on, then while the 10 sat looking for whatever the 8 point had seen, the 8 would circle back in and eat in peace. This happened multiple times over 30 minutes or so till finally, something really did catch the 8 points attention. His whole body posture changed as he turned and walked away. Catching movement in the timber, I couldn’t believe my eyes as the 6x6 I had on camera started making his way towards the two bucks right under me. I finally got myself calmed down as he made his way all the way into 16 yards and I started putting pressure on my bow string. One horizontal limb about half way between me and him didn’t block his vitals, but it did come very very close to the trajectory path of my arrow and I was afraid I’d clip it and miss (or worse), so I patiently waited for him to take a me more step. As if on cue, the buck started move forward and I began to draw back. But just as he’d done before, my little 8 point friend decided to throw his head up and take off into the timber and pulled the 6x6 away right behind him! Of course, the 8 point circled right back in as he had done multiple times before, but the 6x6 stayed leery of the situation and didn’t come into range until after dark.
A couple weeks later and a handful of failed attempts in between with personal no sightings (other than trail cam pics) of the buck I was after, I switched up areas a bit and moved to a feeder I hadn’t sat at all season. Again, going in blind, I had no idea what was coming in, but all the conditions played favor to this spot as bummed as I was to not be there in the 6x6 buck’s core area. Like clockwork, the feeder spun and the woods came alive like nothing I’d ever seen other then on tv. A single file line of bucks started working their way in with each one being bigger then the next. Multiple mature shooter bucks were all within bow range, but the wind had completely stopped and they were all on super high alert to everything and very edgy keeping me from ever getting drawn back. I sat in awe not believing I had at least 5 different mature deer in front of me and I couldn’t do a thing! One deer in particular though caught my attention as it didn’t fit in with the rest of the crowd surrounding me. What appeared to be a big doe was actually a shed buck. Once darkness set in and I was able to crawl down, I pulled my camera card to find that the 6x6 had been coming there the past 5 evenings before with many of the bucks I had seen, but the night I sat, he showed up with both horns missing. I couldn’t believe of all the deer around, the buck I was after had already shed both antlers with close to two weeks left in the season and used another one of his “9 lives”.
Fast forward to this season, I had no pictures of the 6x6. I was a bit bummed, but also knew he was a late season deer and I’d not gotten pictures of him the previous two years until late season. Finally getting a chance to make it down to the place 2 weekends ago for the first time since mid November, I was ecstatic when an old familiar rack appeared on one of my cameras, the 6x6. Although he’d kept the same frame and grown, he’d dropped back to a 5x6 this year, but none the less was at the top of my list!
On my first evening sit for him (1/3/22) I was perched up overlooking some open timber along a creek with a feeder back behind me. Deer moved early feeding on clover all throughout the timber and got my hopes up for a good sit ahead. 4:17 rolls around and I hear deer coming from behind me and to my surprise, it’s my old buddy I had my heart set on, the now “5x6”. Pictures I had of him this season did him no justice in person as his cape with a double white throat patch was glowing and his rack was shining. My heart went to pounding in overdrive as he inched closer heading my way and as fast as he appeared, he disappeared in an instant as the feeder behind me spun sending him bounding away through the timber, but thankfully not completely out of sight. For the next hour, I could see him feeding along with other deer, but he’d shifted to my downwind side and just didn’t like something and slowly drifted away. About 5:30, several does filtered in followed by a super nice wide 4x6 buck. As I saw him come in, it was all I could do to keep my eyes off of him as he made his way into range because I knew if I looked to hard or too long, I’d be flinging an arrow at him. After about 10 minutes, a couple small bucks filtered by, with none other then my target 5x6 buck bringing up the rear. The wide buck instantly postured up towards him causing him to sweep around again to my downwind side. Thankfully, this time he didn’t quite make it to my wind line and as soon as he cleared the brush, I was already drawn and letting the arrow fly. Instantly, I knew my shot was good as I saw the fletching bury up right behind the knuckle on his shoulder and he barreled away into the brush like a speeding race horse. I could only see him the first 60 yards or so after the shot, but felt like I heard crash at the end of the line. Giving him a bit I eased down and made my way towards where he was standing. Only a few sparse drops of blood were on the ground, but once I got the direction figured out, I was able to follow the small drops fairly easily for the next 100 yards to find my buck piled up at the end of the trail.
To say I was a bit excited would have been an understatement. For this property that I’ve hunted the last 20+ years, this was definitely one of the biggest deer I’d had on camera or seen on the hoof in all my time of hunting here. I couldn’t believe on my first sit for this buck he actually showed up and I was able get a shot at him. My arrow hit exactly where I wanted it to, but since he was slightly quartered away, the arrow exited through the front of his shoulder decreasing my blood trail a bit. Even with the somewhat sparse blood trail, the end result was exactly what I wanted!

(Broadhead exit site)
After a long walk back to the truck to retrieve my game cart, I finally made it back and got him loaded up. I was very hesitant to put much pressure on his horns gas I was afraid of them popping loose considering he shed last year on January 6th, so getting him maneuvered onto the cart without grabbing a horn took more effort then expected.

After the LONG drag out and getting him loaded into the truck, finally made the long trek back to his final home!

Primaltech 4pc longbow
400 spine Widowmaker arrows
150gr Ironwill original solid head
Over the past two seasons, I have put a TON of time into prepping, scouting, and trying to keep all the deer anywhere nearby well fed and on the places I can hunt. On the flip side, I have actually hunted much, much less the past two seasons then I have in years past, mainly due selling and moving from the one place and trying to fix up the new one.
Anyhow, last year (2020) once things finally settled down a bit late in the season, I was able to get out and hunt late December. Having not checked cameras at this particular spot over the previous month, I had no idea of what was around or survived rifle season and had zero expectations going into the hunt other then I was finally going to be in the woods with my bow in hand! I pulled a camera card walking Into the stand, and threw out a little hand corner. As I settled in, I began going through the camera card and was surprised to see a beautiful typical 6 x 6 that had been frequenting the area quite a bit over the previous couple weeks. I’d had pictures of him the year before and he’d grown considerably as a 4yo this year and really got me excited about the evening’s hunt.
Not long after settling in, a nice young 8 point and a beautiful young 10 point made their way in and found the corn I trickled out along the trail. Watching them, the 10 was definitely the bully of two, but the 8 was smarter as he would periodically throw his head up and takeoff running with the 10 following suit not knowing what was going on, then while the 10 sat looking for whatever the 8 point had seen, the 8 would circle back in and eat in peace. This happened multiple times over 30 minutes or so till finally, something really did catch the 8 points attention. His whole body posture changed as he turned and walked away. Catching movement in the timber, I couldn’t believe my eyes as the 6x6 I had on camera started making his way towards the two bucks right under me. I finally got myself calmed down as he made his way all the way into 16 yards and I started putting pressure on my bow string. One horizontal limb about half way between me and him didn’t block his vitals, but it did come very very close to the trajectory path of my arrow and I was afraid I’d clip it and miss (or worse), so I patiently waited for him to take a me more step. As if on cue, the buck started move forward and I began to draw back. But just as he’d done before, my little 8 point friend decided to throw his head up and take off into the timber and pulled the 6x6 away right behind him! Of course, the 8 point circled right back in as he had done multiple times before, but the 6x6 stayed leery of the situation and didn’t come into range until after dark.
A couple weeks later and a handful of failed attempts in between with personal no sightings (other than trail cam pics) of the buck I was after, I switched up areas a bit and moved to a feeder I hadn’t sat at all season. Again, going in blind, I had no idea what was coming in, but all the conditions played favor to this spot as bummed as I was to not be there in the 6x6 buck’s core area. Like clockwork, the feeder spun and the woods came alive like nothing I’d ever seen other then on tv. A single file line of bucks started working their way in with each one being bigger then the next. Multiple mature shooter bucks were all within bow range, but the wind had completely stopped and they were all on super high alert to everything and very edgy keeping me from ever getting drawn back. I sat in awe not believing I had at least 5 different mature deer in front of me and I couldn’t do a thing! One deer in particular though caught my attention as it didn’t fit in with the rest of the crowd surrounding me. What appeared to be a big doe was actually a shed buck. Once darkness set in and I was able to crawl down, I pulled my camera card to find that the 6x6 had been coming there the past 5 evenings before with many of the bucks I had seen, but the night I sat, he showed up with both horns missing. I couldn’t believe of all the deer around, the buck I was after had already shed both antlers with close to two weeks left in the season and used another one of his “9 lives”.
Fast forward to this season, I had no pictures of the 6x6. I was a bit bummed, but also knew he was a late season deer and I’d not gotten pictures of him the previous two years until late season. Finally getting a chance to make it down to the place 2 weekends ago for the first time since mid November, I was ecstatic when an old familiar rack appeared on one of my cameras, the 6x6. Although he’d kept the same frame and grown, he’d dropped back to a 5x6 this year, but none the less was at the top of my list!
On my first evening sit for him (1/3/22) I was perched up overlooking some open timber along a creek with a feeder back behind me. Deer moved early feeding on clover all throughout the timber and got my hopes up for a good sit ahead. 4:17 rolls around and I hear deer coming from behind me and to my surprise, it’s my old buddy I had my heart set on, the now “5x6”. Pictures I had of him this season did him no justice in person as his cape with a double white throat patch was glowing and his rack was shining. My heart went to pounding in overdrive as he inched closer heading my way and as fast as he appeared, he disappeared in an instant as the feeder behind me spun sending him bounding away through the timber, but thankfully not completely out of sight. For the next hour, I could see him feeding along with other deer, but he’d shifted to my downwind side and just didn’t like something and slowly drifted away. About 5:30, several does filtered in followed by a super nice wide 4x6 buck. As I saw him come in, it was all I could do to keep my eyes off of him as he made his way into range because I knew if I looked to hard or too long, I’d be flinging an arrow at him. After about 10 minutes, a couple small bucks filtered by, with none other then my target 5x6 buck bringing up the rear. The wide buck instantly postured up towards him causing him to sweep around again to my downwind side. Thankfully, this time he didn’t quite make it to my wind line and as soon as he cleared the brush, I was already drawn and letting the arrow fly. Instantly, I knew my shot was good as I saw the fletching bury up right behind the knuckle on his shoulder and he barreled away into the brush like a speeding race horse. I could only see him the first 60 yards or so after the shot, but felt like I heard crash at the end of the line. Giving him a bit I eased down and made my way towards where he was standing. Only a few sparse drops of blood were on the ground, but once I got the direction figured out, I was able to follow the small drops fairly easily for the next 100 yards to find my buck piled up at the end of the trail.
To say I was a bit excited would have been an understatement. For this property that I’ve hunted the last 20+ years, this was definitely one of the biggest deer I’d had on camera or seen on the hoof in all my time of hunting here. I couldn’t believe on my first sit for this buck he actually showed up and I was able get a shot at him. My arrow hit exactly where I wanted it to, but since he was slightly quartered away, the arrow exited through the front of his shoulder decreasing my blood trail a bit. Even with the somewhat sparse blood trail, the end result was exactly what I wanted!

(Broadhead exit site)
After a long walk back to the truck to retrieve my game cart, I finally made it back and got him loaded up. I was very hesitant to put much pressure on his horns gas I was afraid of them popping loose considering he shed last year on January 6th, so getting him maneuvered onto the cart without grabbing a horn took more effort then expected.

After the LONG drag out and getting him loaded into the truck, finally made the long trek back to his final home!

Primaltech 4pc longbow
400 spine Widowmaker arrows
150gr Ironwill original solid head
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