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What I know...

Gern186

Dignitary Member
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10,171
201
NW Ohio Tundra
The wind was light out of the east, and I am positioned 100 yards south and 300 yards east (upwind) of the deer's location...there just happened to be a scrubby bush on the ditchbank very close to where the buck entered the ditch, so i used that bush as a landmark to gauge my ambush. The water in the ditch was 10 feet across and probably 3 feet deep, too much for me to jump, I i didn't feel like getting wet either, I i hiked 300 yards back south to the bridge to get to the other side of the creek.
 

Gern186

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
10,171
201
NW Ohio Tundra
So I get across the bridge and hike down the stone road 350 yards west, all the while making sure the buck isn't looking, and keeping an eye on the bush landmark. I wanted to make sure when I approached the ditch that I was absolutely sure that I would be downwind of the bucks location, because I knew in order to kill him on an open country stalk I would have to see him before he heard or smelled me, so I stayed well downwind of his last known position
 

Gern186

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
10,171
201
NW Ohio Tundra
Luckily the field that I had to cross to get to the ditch where the buck was at was freshly disked soil, and it was very quiet to walk on. When I got inside 100 yards of the ditch, I turned the power down on the scope from 9 to 7, and prepared for battle. I tiptoed up to the ditch and peered over the bank, looked to the east and didn't see anything, so I backed up and went quietly went another 20 yards down the ditch into the wind and peeked over the bank again....still nothing yet but the landmark bush was another 50 yards down, and I wanted to be very methodic and and take it slow.
 

Gern186

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
10,171
201
NW Ohio Tundra
I went about 20 more yards down and looked again, still nothing, so I backed off the ditch a ways and continued my slow but cautious stalk...i was now within 50 yards of the bush and I could hear my heart beating through my throat....i knew something was going to happen very soon, I was was very close to where the buck entered the ditch about 45 minutes earlier.....
 

Gern186

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
10,171
201
NW Ohio Tundra
So im standing near the top of bank of this 10 foot deep ditch that is choked full of weeds and cattails, when I hear without a doubt a buck grunt from somewhere down below me....i heard it again......and then like a ghost a buck materialized out of nowhere right before my very eyes....he stood up 15 yards away at the bottom of the ditch on the north side and looked straight at me.......the fugger thought I was another deer for a moment, that's why he grunted.....I i instinctively cock the hammer on the T/C Triumph...and slowly begin to raise the gun.
 

Gern186

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
10,171
201
NW Ohio Tundra
Just before i get the scope up to my eye the buck realizes im not a deer and leaps from the bottom of the ditch to the top in a split second and begins hauling ass straight away and quartering away a bit...so im following him in the scope and tell myself you only got one shot, so make it count...i tried to lead him a bit, but he was jumping and running hard so it took a good bit to get on him....i finally did and squeezed the trigger....he dropped almost instantly...after a quick reload and follow up shot, he was done for good.
 

Curran

Senior Member
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7,971
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Central Ohio
Damn Chad, that had to be intense! Great read, felt like I was out there stalking up on that buck with you. Congrats again on a great looking buck!