Well yesterday evening I was fortunate enough to take down one of my target bucks.
The day started off a bit slow and chilly. I didn't see a deer from stand in the morning and decided to leave that area and go check out a small oak flat for the evening hunt. I had been waiting for a good west or northwest wind to get in there and finally got it.
As I walked in I noticed 6 active scrapes including one the size of the hood of my truck, which certainly gave me some confidence to hunt the area. I was settled in by 4 and it didn't take long for the first deer of the evening to show, which happened to be two does and a fawn. As they fed about 30 yards away something suddenly caught their attention and they went on high alert and stared down the ridge for a good 5 minutes and then I finally caught a glimpse of what caught their attention.
I quickly notice a rack coming from an unusual direction, heading right towards me. As he is approaching, I could see that he was a decent 2.5 YO buck about 15" wide and I was torn about whether to shoot or not. At this point he is about 12 yards, slightly quartering away. My heart wouldn't let me draw and something told me don't do it. As the 9 point wandered off I sat there thinking that this was a buck I would shoot the majority of the time given the opportunity so did I make a mistake?
Another 45 minutes passes and I catch movement at the giant scrape about 60 yards away. I can't see the buck's rack yet, but I see the licking branch moving and leaves/dirt flying. In what seemed to be about 3 seconds, he is now making his way down towards me and I can see that he is one of the two big 8-points I have watched all summer. He continued to come directly to me and now he is now stopped about 5 yards behind the base of the tree I'm in and all I can think is don't look up, please don't look up. Well he didn't thankfully and he got past me and stopped again at about 7 yards quartering away. I drew, put my pin on the back of the rib cage and let it fly. I heard the big "thwack" and he made it about 60 yards before I heard him crash. We waited an hour to come back and sure enough he was right where I last heard him crash.
I was fortunate enough to take a doe a couple weeks ago as well so it is a bit bitter sweet to end my season a little earlier than normal, but I couldn't be happier right now!
He was taken in 2B with my new Hoyt Vector Turbo shooting Easton ST-Axis 340s tipped with a Rage 2 Blade.
