I’ll try to keep it short, but if you’ve ever met me you’ll know I can be a bit of a chatty Cathy. So my last check in on the LIVE From the Stand had my buddy and I somewhat bummed about the lack of buck sign on our first morning hunt/ scout at a new piece of public. We decided to meet up around 11 and head to the nearest town to grab a snack and more caffeine. On our way back to the section we hunted in the am, we passed some other public we had never been to and said fugg it lets drive around and take a peak. We checked OnX and found what looked to be a massive flat with some super sexy bottoms surrounding it loaded with oaks. South wind so we came in from
The north. We only carried our bows and binos to scout. It was only noonish and we didn’t know if it was worth hunting or not yet so we went light. Access was pretty easy getting in, wind perfectly in our favor. We got about a mile in, and Levi went a little deeper while I was slinking around the fingers above the bottom following a heavily traveled deer trail looking to see where they were crossing above the gully. I was just shy of the crossing when I looked down into the wide open bottom when I spotted a buck, and knew immediately he was a shooter, kinda headed my direction. I texted levi and told him to stay put and I spotted a shooter. He replied with send it, expecting me to be fucking with him (totally not my nature
). There were two small ravines on either side of me, and it seemed like he would come up the far side of the northern one. I thought if I get a shot, it’ll have to be damn fast before he gets my wind and likely 25-30 yard shot. I dipped down 10 yards, nocked an arrow and dug my release out of my pocket and locked in. I could only see antlers below me, when I realized he was coming up the south side, and it was gonna get western in a hurry with a near point blank shot. As he was coming up the draw, he went behind a tree at 25ish yards, but closing the distance fast so I went ahead and drew. I settled my pin across the draw where I expected him to walk, and he did. He made it to 10 yards when I “mehh’d” at him, and me being the moron I am, forget how differently deer behave when they’re point fuggin blank. He had no delay when he stopped, and had a sapling perfectly in front of his vitals. He looked directly at me when I tried to lean and take the shot, but took a bound uphill. I thought he was gone forever, but stopped after one bound at 12 yards quartering away. I settled my pin around the last rib and shot. I immediately thought the shot was too high (20 yard pin), but as soon as my fletchings disappeared I saw blood spurting out like a faucet. He boogied up hill (thank Christ) and I heard him crash. At this point the adrenaline is just starting to take over considering from the time of me seeing him to impact couldn’t have been more than a minute. I was in absolute disbelief. I called levi and he still didn’t believe, and he was only 75 yards from me, he spotted me and dropped off the trail to me and realize it was a cruel joke. I called my dad and let him know and he was possibly more excited than me. Levi and I considered walking to the truck, but decided to at least check my arrow and first blood. When we say the paint buckets of blood we knew 110% he was dead. I marked my arrow on OnX and started down the 35 yard blood trail. Levi spotted him first and said “oh my fucking god dude, you said he wasn’t a mega!!! Fuckin liar!” I still can’t believe that I captured a buck deer of this caliber, on public, on the ground. Once the high fives and pictures were done, we hiked back to the truck so I could shed layers, and Levi could get his shit together to hunt back there tonight. I’d rather him get a crack at a deer than help me drag, which I started reconsidering after dragging that deer 50 yards lol. It took me 2 hours to get him out by myself, but the beers are so much sweeter now. I also regret leaving the deer cart and dragging harness at home, wrapping a rope around my hands or waist was a terrible idea and I can’t wait to see the bruising tomorrow, again fuck those hills but damn do I love ‘em. One last thing I’ll add, is this deer was a culmination of a shit ton of time, money, research and effort.
@OhioWhiteTails and
@bowhunter1023 can probably testify this. Public land can be a bitch, but it can be done. Thanks for following all my misadventures over the past few years, I’m gonna pound some beers now.