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When it comes together...

huntn2

Senior Member
6,090
157
Hudson, OH
When it comes together…

The 2014 – 2015 season opened similar to the past 4 seasons in that between raising a young family, work life imbalance and living a good clip from hunting grounds lead to little preseason activity and camera checks. One difference going into this season was an adjustment to my approach as influenced by my fellow TOO family.

I was finally breaking the urge to merely have seat time and trying to apply a work smarter not harder attitude. I finally convinced myself to not overhunt a stand/area in the early season and I was actually able to stay out of the woods for morning hunts until the last weekend of October. A camera pull on 10/25 provided me reassurance it was time to hit the stand/area I had worked so hard to avoid.

I ended up having to cancel and not take advantage of vacation days the first week of November due to work, weather and sick kids. As disappointing as this was, I tried to remain positive as I witnessed countless “I Know Something” threads surface daily. I entered the weekend of 11/8 with expectations of all day sits and hopes that the good Lord would finally grant me an opportunity.

Saturday morning broke with a 35 degree temperature and south wind at 14 mph. The wind made it difficult to hear the crunching of leaves and I ended up having 3 different year and a half year old bucks cruise through between 8-9am. At 10, after standing for much of the past 3.5 hours, I opted to sit and settle in for what I anticipated being a long late morning and early afternoon of being wiped by a cold wind. As I snuggled into my Millennium M150 and kicked my feet out onto the foot rest, I convinced myself that the crunching I heard behind me was not the result of the fox squirrel I had been watching all morning. A subtle glance over my left shoulder confirmed my suspicion of a deer cutting just behind me. Surprisingly, the deer was approaching from the direction the 3 year and a half year olds had traveled to.

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I eased to me feet and confirmed that it was a buck, a buck for which, if presented the opportunity to take a shot, I would do so. As I observed the buck passing off my left at 30 yards, I was visualizing where I would draw and ultimately stop him. I knew the yardage well as I had ranged various trees countless times in the past.

As he past behind a cluster of trees at 30 yards to my 10pm I drew.

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The buck stopped and checked a scrape. His vitals were nicely protected behind a tree causing me to hold at full draw.

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Contemplating my next move and whether or not to let down, I decided to just hold and pray for the best. I also wondered how downwind he would get putting the power of the Scent Smoker to work. With that, the buck takes a step forward and I let out a bleat to stop him. He doesn’t! I allow him to pass a broken branch and let out a louder bleat at which time he freezes quartering hard away. I settled my 30 yard pin visualizing the arrow exiting just at/behind his left leg. I touch off the Stan release and watched as my arrow buried into him. He mule kicked, took 2 steps forward and then a hard left into a thick brushy area. I observed his antlers cross an opening as he bounded westerly in direction. I quickly hear a loud crack and crashing sound. I knew he either just blew through a blow down or he was down. I also knew he was running right towards my brother-in-law, Alphamax.

A quick call to Alphamax started with me saying “you have eyes on him? Nick, do you see him? Did you see where he went?” When Nick could finally edge a word, he says, how big was he? What buck was he? I said, I am not real sure but did you see him? Nick replies, “see him, get over here and get your buck, he is laying 35 yards behind me!!!”

I calmed myself, sent out a few texts, called my Father-in-law who had shot a young 8 in NY earlier in the morning to tell him we just doubled, and climbed down. I went to the impact area to pull my arrow from the ground and observe the blood trail and hair at point of impact. I made my way to Nick’s stand and the celebrating quickly began.

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After laboring for a buck in OH with my bow since 2008, I had finally accomplished a goal. He is not the largest deer in the woods and not the largest I have had encounters with, but I am tickled for him to be my first buck with a bow. Fellow TOO member Curan said it best, “we measure in memories, not inches!”

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I would like to say thanks to all my TOO family for the insight and words of encouragement throughout the years and for the kind words celebrating my success this season.
 
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finelyshedded

You know what!!!
Supporting Member
31,857
260
SW Ohio
Great read Ryan! Congratulations on your first Ohio bowkill buck buddy!!! It was a joy talking to ya later on in the day as I could still hear the excitement ringing through your voice on the phone! Well done buddy!