10 point.
5 yard shot.
16" inside spread.
Didn't hunt the AM due to a church retreat for my sons CCD and then he had a flag football game in the early afternoon.
Didn't get to my stand until 4:30 or 4:45 pm and settled. With the high wind and the spitting rain, my hopes were no up but, I was in the stand.
Pockets filled with halloween candy, I was ready to sit until dark. @ 5:15pm as I was fumbling with a piece of candy in my pocket, I notice movement 25 yds in front of me and good thing it was only a 4 pt or I would have been caught sitting, bow on my hanger, and nothing to do but watch. He was pretty nervous so I had to wait until he slid past to 35 yds so I could stand and video him. Got brief video, then mouth grunted to him and had him stopped and I guess coming my way but lost him in some thick stuff.
After 20 mins. of looking for him, into the wind, I sit down and look the other way so my contacts and eyeballs can get some moisture back.
@ 6:10, I start to resign myself to only seeing that buck but, it was the first horns I have seen on this property and it is starting to heat up with bucks searching so hope isn't lost. I look over my shoulder after that thought and from up the hill and over my right side, I see a deer and decent horns. I can't move (sitting again), and he is bee-lining towards my tree from uphill so almost eye-level. Wind was in my favor. Luckily, he stops about 5 yds behind me but starts licking some branches and thrashing them with his antlers. I use the opportunity to slowly rise to my feet and luckily, the bow is in my lap this time. I start to check him out as the buck fever starts to subside. He is borderline for me and I think to myself, if he is an 8 pt, I'll let him go and any bigger, and I will try to harvest him. Started counting and rung up 10 points. I get my release clipped as he gets to within 3 yds and starts on some more limbs and is looking right up at me. He was focused on the branches and never sees me motionless. Then, he gets to the base of my tree and sniffs where I stood, attaching my climber. I had evercalm on my boots so don't know if it helped or not. He slowly makes it out to 5 yds from my tree, sharply quartering away, and stops to lick and thrash more branches. I draw, settle my pin high on the last rib on his left side and release. The arrow made it clean through both lungs, nicked the heart, and exited in the pocket behind his right leg and took out the tendon above his right front leg knee. Blood sprayed as he went 45 yds and fell over. Arrow was undamaged (Easton Power flight) as was the rage 2 blade 100 gr (just need new blades and a new o ring).
All that took place in a span of 5 minutes. From the time of the shot to the time he fell over was approx. 10 seconds.