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I've been busy............really busy

matt hougan

Junior Member
338
0
Dayton area
Almost four years ago I took the sales job with Pradco. I had no idea it would lead down such an exciting path. I figured I would be busy with Summit stands or Moultrie feeders but as luck would have it walleye fishing has exploded for me since I started. Because of that I have let my duck hunting and deer hunting slip a little. Until this past week that is. Seeing deer along the highway and the leaves turn etc really got my blood going. I spent a few evenings in my Coshocton lease only seeing 1 deer. A friend of mine invited me to hunt Friday morning..............

This morning I hunted as a guest of long time friend Ben Steiger. I love Ben but he has this reputation of setting stands that only squirrels can get in. Knowing this, I brought my Summit 180 Max along just in case. Sure enough, one look at the stand Ben had selected for me, I knew I wasn't getting in it. I walked down the field edge until I found a nice opening and a tree suitable for my climber. The tree was maybe 20' from the tree line over looking an over grown weed field. Because of the leaves still on the oaks along the field edge I could only climb up maybe 10-12'. I hung my scent drag with Screamin Heat on some branches and got settled in. About 0800 I had a really young buck come to my little hole. I drew too soon and had to let down and he busted me. I was glad though, I really didn't want to shoot a small deer today. I was feeling like that was going to be my only chance for the day, after all my spot was a pretty random spot. About 0940 I saw a deer behind me in the woods walking toward the field. Not knowing if the deer would turn right away from me or left toward me when it hit the field edge. I gave my grunt call a few short grunts. A minute later I could see a deer coming my way along the tree line. I assumed doe, but the deer turned out to be a pretty nice buck. I got to watch him nibble some licking branches and freshen up a scrape. He made his way toward me. I readied. Just before he entered my shooting lane he caught wind of the scent drag and stopped. The leaves from the oak covering his vitals. I felt like he was getting nervous so I let the arrow eat through a few oak leaves................SMACK and off he went into the thicket. The shot was no more than 8 yards. All three pins were on what felt would be the vitals. I got down and tried looking for my arrow or any blood without entering the thicket. No Blood and no arrow. I called Ben letting him know I had just shot a deer. I packed up my tree stand and waited for Ben to arrive. In the mean time I did find my arrow stuck in the mud, vanes broke off, full of fat and a little blood. My heart sank. I started doubting my decision to shoot through the leaves. Ben arrived and he began to put on a deer tracking clinic. He was amazing, like he was part Suix Indian. The further we tracked the heavier the blood became. Just inside the tree line on the other side of the thicket laid my deer. Hallelujah.
Thank you so much Ben Steiger for letting me hunt, let me know when I can come out and hunt the HOTO property and thin some of those slick heads.
Thank you Brandon Rose at Vance Outdoors for the new Scott Release
Thanks to Monte Bennett for the amazing 180 Max. I say all the time you can spend more on a tree stand but you cant buy a better one, especially for fat guys like me.
Steve Lambeth and the Code Blue crew. I appreciate the lengths you go through to make sure Code Blue is the best scent on the market.
Chris Parrish, that Knight and Hale "The Natural" grunt call is sick!

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Dannmann801

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
10,640
191
Springboro
Damn fine deer and a good hunt, congrats man!

Give me a walleye, and I eat for a day.
Gimme a bigass buck, and I eat for a lot more days