On Monday, November 8, 2021, I climbed up into my treestand for the 11th time this deer season. I got settled in around 6:30, hung my Excalibur Micro 335 crossbow on a hook and prepared myself for another long sit. Up until then I had spent about 47 hours in the stand while only seeing 10 deer. A couple of those 10 could have been the same deer seen on different days. A few days prior I caught a glimpse of 2 bucks together slipping through the thick honeysuckle underbrush about 60 yards away. I didn’t get a good look at them but could tell that they were mature bucks.
My hang-on stand is attached 20 feet up a tree that is on the eastern slope of a steep ravine and is facing the opposite hillside. According to my range finder the distance from my stand to the bottom of the ravine directly below is 16 yards (48 feet).
I chose this tree because 6 or 7 years back while sitting in a different tree higher up the ravine I observed that deer were using this general area to traverse the bottom of the ravine. In the past 5 years I have been fortunate to take 4 bucks out of this tree while using my crossbow. Now, this stand is only good during the rut when the bucks are out searching for does. It is not the typical area where one would see deer traveling through going from feeding to bedding and vice versa.
Shortly after daybreak the woods awoke with the sounds of squirrels scurrying down trees and jumping onto the leaf-covered ground. It is not uncommon to see/hear a dozen or so squirrels and chipmunks at any one time. It was around 9:30 when I heard faint tick, tick sounds in the wet dew-covered leaves on the shaded hill behind me. I blew it off thinking that it was just another annoying squirrel rummaging on the forest floor. When the sounds seemed to be coming closer to the base of the tree I turned my head slowly to my right and peered down to the base of the tree and to my amazement I saw antlers!
It was a mature buck and he was standing at my 5 o'clock just 4-5 yards from the tree. He had his nose to the ground and fortunately was not looking up at me. I thought that since he was so close that at any second he would wind me. A few seconds later he took a few cautious steps and began to pick his way down the hillside towards the bottom of the ravine. As he was easing his way down the slope I grabbed my crossbow off the hanger, flipped the safety off and found him in my scope. I reminded myself to aim low since he was so close and on a steep angle from me. When he stepped into the ravine bottom he gave me a clear quartering away shot. I aimed low and sent the Spitfire broadhead tipped arrow on its way.
At impact he ran at a 45-degree angle from my right to left up the opposite hillside. Through the green leaves on the honeysuckle I watched him make it to the finger ridge where he hesitated, staggered, and tipped over. From the time that I first saw him to the time of the shot it was about 8 seconds. After another 8 seconds, and 50 yards later, he was dead.
My hang-on stand is attached 20 feet up a tree that is on the eastern slope of a steep ravine and is facing the opposite hillside. According to my range finder the distance from my stand to the bottom of the ravine directly below is 16 yards (48 feet).
I chose this tree because 6 or 7 years back while sitting in a different tree higher up the ravine I observed that deer were using this general area to traverse the bottom of the ravine. In the past 5 years I have been fortunate to take 4 bucks out of this tree while using my crossbow. Now, this stand is only good during the rut when the bucks are out searching for does. It is not the typical area where one would see deer traveling through going from feeding to bedding and vice versa.
Shortly after daybreak the woods awoke with the sounds of squirrels scurrying down trees and jumping onto the leaf-covered ground. It is not uncommon to see/hear a dozen or so squirrels and chipmunks at any one time. It was around 9:30 when I heard faint tick, tick sounds in the wet dew-covered leaves on the shaded hill behind me. I blew it off thinking that it was just another annoying squirrel rummaging on the forest floor. When the sounds seemed to be coming closer to the base of the tree I turned my head slowly to my right and peered down to the base of the tree and to my amazement I saw antlers!
It was a mature buck and he was standing at my 5 o'clock just 4-5 yards from the tree. He had his nose to the ground and fortunately was not looking up at me. I thought that since he was so close that at any second he would wind me. A few seconds later he took a few cautious steps and began to pick his way down the hillside towards the bottom of the ravine. As he was easing his way down the slope I grabbed my crossbow off the hanger, flipped the safety off and found him in my scope. I reminded myself to aim low since he was so close and on a steep angle from me. When he stepped into the ravine bottom he gave me a clear quartering away shot. I aimed low and sent the Spitfire broadhead tipped arrow on its way.
At impact he ran at a 45-degree angle from my right to left up the opposite hillside. Through the green leaves on the honeysuckle I watched him make it to the finger ridge where he hesitated, staggered, and tipped over. From the time that I first saw him to the time of the shot it was about 8 seconds. After another 8 seconds, and 50 yards later, he was dead.
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