The story of this deer starts back in August actually. My buddy Zack and I spent a good portion of the day August 1st setting our game cameras and doing some last-minute scouting. After sweating all day hoping a target buck would walk by one of our cameras in thousands of acres of monotonous timber, we see two big ones off the side of the road on the way back to camp. One of which was the buck I shot. At this point, the table is set and all we can do is wait. Throughout August and even early September we get daylight pictures of both of these bucks on several different cameras actually. But as mature bucks historically do and will continue to do for the rest of history, two weeks prior to season they stop passing our cameras as frequent and 100% of the time they do, its pitch black. Fast forward to hunting season, Zack and I hunt the first few weekends and actually both harvest a doe, but still the only sign of the bucks is them hitting a community scrape at night on one of our cameras. Going into the last weekend of bow season knowing the wave of gun toting maniacs was on its way, we knew it was time to get aggressive and go find where these critters are moving during daylight. Saturday evening, we pushed farther in than we ever have and hunted spots we would normally never hunt. We were 200 yards apart that evening and honestly didn’t have high hopes. But wouldn’t you know it at 5 o clock I hear a grunt.. and then another. 10 minutes later a doe pops out 60 yards away and right behind her? The big 7 we were after. Although I only caught a glimpse of him that evening I was over the moon. It was the first time I had actually seen a mature buck on public. However, that wasn’t even the best part. When I got back to the camp that night I learned Zack saw him as well. But not only did he see him, he shot him.
We were pumped but he didn’t know where he hit the deer, only that he hit it. We trailed blood for 350 yards Saturday night until 10:30. We backed out with hopes of calling a tracking dog the next day and going back in. Sunday morning, the good Lord got me out of bed. No, I mean literally got me out of bed. I wasn’t going to hunt, I was disappointed from the night before and honestly thought we were going to be tracking a deer all day.
Anyway, I got up, had my coffee and rushed off to the stand. It was just getting daylight as I was climbing, it was a gorgeous morning. It was chilly without an ounce of wind and I could hear everything. I told myself I was going to at least sit until 10 am just because of how pretty it was and because the tracking lady was supposed to be at the camp by 12. At 9:30 I caught a glimpse of an antler about 80 yards away. I threw up the binos and couldn’t believe my eyes…It was him. The big 7 that Zack shot not even 16 hours prior. He was still locked up with his doe and I knew he wasn’t going to leave her side. His doe was headed my way with him in tow. The doe made it to about 45 yards and then peels to her right at a 90-degree angle from me. I was just praying the buck would just keep coming, but he didn’t. They both move to my left and disappear into some thick brush. I had really mixed emotions at this point because I was happy he was alive but I really wanted to get a shot off. The new plan was to sit until I felt they worked off and I was gonna grab lunch and get right back in the stand. All of the sudden I hear a couple of grunts and realize they are still right there so I am stuck. Eventually they worked to an opening on my left where the doe was roughly 45 yards and him right behind her at around 50-55 yards. I watch them for a long time and the buck even beds down for a bit. Out of nowhere, a doe comes running from behind him and it gets him up. This doe and another doe (I assumed it was the one he was with) work down wind of me to my front right and start blowing like crazy. At this point, I chalked it up. Figured id never see the deer again, however when the does ran he did not follow. I know he is still in the thick stuff to my front left because I can hear him breathing really loud every now and then. I don’t remember how long this was, but eventually he works back to my left where I can see him again and he looks content so I knew this wasn’t over yet. He starts walking straight towards my tree and gets about 10 yards closer. He peels to his left and makes it behind this tree I ranged at 35 yards. I knew this was gonna be my only chance so I drew back and he stops. Right behind some brush, no shot. I held for about a minute and then let down as he wasn’t moving. He stood in that same spot for 10 minutes. As soon as he starts moving again I drew back quickly, he passes straight through what I thought was my only shot window but hits another one and I let out a loud MEHHH. I settled the 40-yard pin right behind his shoulder and let her loose. It felt like the arrow was in the air for an eternity. When I shot, he wheeled to the right directly into the arrow. It hit him in the right side of the chest and he took off directly away from me and I heard a loud crash. I climbed down, packed up my things, and went to get Zack. We got on the blood and the deer was laying right where I heard him crash, it was over. The deer must have ducked as soon as Zack shot because he hit him in the neck right below the ears. A complete pass through for both of us.
First saw the deer at 9:30 and didn’t shoot until 11:48.
We were pumped but he didn’t know where he hit the deer, only that he hit it. We trailed blood for 350 yards Saturday night until 10:30. We backed out with hopes of calling a tracking dog the next day and going back in. Sunday morning, the good Lord got me out of bed. No, I mean literally got me out of bed. I wasn’t going to hunt, I was disappointed from the night before and honestly thought we were going to be tracking a deer all day.
Anyway, I got up, had my coffee and rushed off to the stand. It was just getting daylight as I was climbing, it was a gorgeous morning. It was chilly without an ounce of wind and I could hear everything. I told myself I was going to at least sit until 10 am just because of how pretty it was and because the tracking lady was supposed to be at the camp by 12. At 9:30 I caught a glimpse of an antler about 80 yards away. I threw up the binos and couldn’t believe my eyes…It was him. The big 7 that Zack shot not even 16 hours prior. He was still locked up with his doe and I knew he wasn’t going to leave her side. His doe was headed my way with him in tow. The doe made it to about 45 yards and then peels to her right at a 90-degree angle from me. I was just praying the buck would just keep coming, but he didn’t. They both move to my left and disappear into some thick brush. I had really mixed emotions at this point because I was happy he was alive but I really wanted to get a shot off. The new plan was to sit until I felt they worked off and I was gonna grab lunch and get right back in the stand. All of the sudden I hear a couple of grunts and realize they are still right there so I am stuck. Eventually they worked to an opening on my left where the doe was roughly 45 yards and him right behind her at around 50-55 yards. I watch them for a long time and the buck even beds down for a bit. Out of nowhere, a doe comes running from behind him and it gets him up. This doe and another doe (I assumed it was the one he was with) work down wind of me to my front right and start blowing like crazy. At this point, I chalked it up. Figured id never see the deer again, however when the does ran he did not follow. I know he is still in the thick stuff to my front left because I can hear him breathing really loud every now and then. I don’t remember how long this was, but eventually he works back to my left where I can see him again and he looks content so I knew this wasn’t over yet. He starts walking straight towards my tree and gets about 10 yards closer. He peels to his left and makes it behind this tree I ranged at 35 yards. I knew this was gonna be my only chance so I drew back and he stops. Right behind some brush, no shot. I held for about a minute and then let down as he wasn’t moving. He stood in that same spot for 10 minutes. As soon as he starts moving again I drew back quickly, he passes straight through what I thought was my only shot window but hits another one and I let out a loud MEHHH. I settled the 40-yard pin right behind his shoulder and let her loose. It felt like the arrow was in the air for an eternity. When I shot, he wheeled to the right directly into the arrow. It hit him in the right side of the chest and he took off directly away from me and I heard a loud crash. I climbed down, packed up my things, and went to get Zack. We got on the blood and the deer was laying right where I heard him crash, it was over. The deer must have ducked as soon as Zack shot because he hit him in the neck right below the ears. A complete pass through for both of us.
First saw the deer at 9:30 and didn’t shoot until 11:48.
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