FINALLY !!!!!

I finally harvested a legal Pa buck  !!!!!
A 7 point with a 15 inch inside spread .. This is not one of the bucks I had seen earlier and got photos of.
I was sitting in my blind last evening (Wednesday) at 6:30pm I heard rustling leaves and here came 2 does passing at about 25 yards. I was not going to shoot a doe yet so I let them pass... and low and behold here came a nice buck. I counted the points and waited for a shot. Pulled the crossbow trigger and THUMP .. a good hit.
I waited for 25 minutes and began tracking.. at first not a good trail and as it got dark the trail became better and better. at about 75 yards the deer went down over the hill .. there was no way I was going down there in the dark.
I waited until daylight and picked up the search again. Climbed down over the steep hill and went another 30 yards and there he was...
But not so good of an outcome.. I was not the first one to find the deer...  some critter or critters (coyotes/bear) had started eating the poor thing... no way I was going to keep that meat.
I returned home and called the PGC to see if I could still tag the buck and keep the antlers and let the deer lay.. They said yes..  so I returned and took the antlers..
Happy to have killed a buck finally but I wish I could have kept the meat.. oh well.. I still have 2 doe tags !! LOL
here's some pictures....

Great going! I know it wasnt a deer on your camera but have you seen this deer before? Its nice to tag out earlie but also its a little sad.
 
Nice deer, now its time to take a camera with you hunting to snap a few shots of wildlife and enjoy having time in the woods with having the monkey off your back.

Congrats!! 

Thanks folks !!
 
It was A LONG TIME IN COMING
 
I'm pretty sure I know where I'll be sitting the next few days after work === at the top of that hill looking for the dang coyotes to come back to finish eating !!!!
 
No ===   it is not a buck I have seen before ... the 2 does and the trailing buck came past from a total new direction... They almost caught me totally by surprise except for the rustling leaves.... so there is still three 8 pointers running around... BUT I think they have gone nocturnal or are traveling a totally different way to get to the neighboring camp's apple trees... He put up a trail camera and will be back this week-end so we shall see if they are still around..  they have not been on mine at all.... just a couple does going by....

hide quarters chewed up.. butt area ...
 they even ate part of the dang tail !!!!
 
started on the front right leg and neck a little bit ..
 
I just did not want to take any chances ..
 
 
We know there are 3 coyotes running around back there.. the neighbors saw them Saturday morning while they were hunting...
 
I do not know if the admin will allow this picture to stay or not .. if not I understand ... this is the worst side...
 

congrats

glad you stuck one, sucks about the yotes, hope you smoke them!

Great job Doc!!!

Congrats Doc ya waited long for that.
 Hey-- sometimes when it gets dark the right thing is to wait and sometimes apparently not-always a dice roll. No right or wrong decision there- just the way it worked out this time..
 If the Yotes had been out in a field that night chasing mice it woulda been the right thing-- who knows.
 Keep it up---

Hey Doc- was thinking of you last night--- Ahhemmm
  My neighbor shot a 7 pt out back and left the trail when he jumped it just before dark.
 He and I went back out bout 9 to track-  had told him your story- and between the rain predictions and yotes every night out back we figured it best to take the chance on jumping it again,
 Got back in WITH the buck bout midnight. The yotes were on the cam when checked this am.