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2nd chance

moundhill

Senior Member
Supporting Member
5,327
103
Hebbardsville..
This year has been a roller coaster for me. As many know, I started the year out by losing my #1 hunting spot. The old man wasn't doing well, so they sold the farm. Some jackasses from grove city bought the peice and hunt it with about 5 to 6 guys. So I turned to our other spot. Just down the road basically, and started scouting and hanging stands. Taylor and my brother both helped hang some nice sets for the rut, located on shelved with narrow pinch points. Going into late October, i had confidence. So u had vacation coming up the last week of October and I intended on hunting hard. It was Wednesday October 28th or so, and I was setting in the set Taylor and I hung. A few does funneled through, and as I was about to get done I see a buck walking to my left. Long story short, he came in 30 yards, I ranged him wrong and hit low. After many days and miles of tracking. No deer. So I was rock bottom. No confidence, no nothing. And to top it off. The land owner had a group of morons come off and hunt a
2 weeks later. These guys were walking around by all my stands, talking, yelling, riding 4wheelers..all in perfect timing for the rut. So off ruled the year a dud, pack er up. A few days later my dad's buddy that I used to always turkey hunt with got ahold of me and asked if I wanted to hunt with him. My dad and I helped him hand 3 stands where he hunts. Which is actually right next door to Taylor's land. This guy consistently shoots big deer out of this land. So hesitantly, I say yes.
 

Diablo54

Senior Member
7,082
126
Outside
I know this isn't my story but I will chime in with some pics ImageUploadedByTapatalk1416165149.820545.jpgImageUploadedByTapatalk1416165165.282700.jpgImageUploadedByTapatalk1416165176.910376.jpgImageUploadedByTapatalk1416165186.997658.jpg
 

moundhill

Senior Member
Supporting Member
5,327
103
Hebbardsville..
I'll add some texts between me and my dad's buddy larry. He was hunting about 70 yards away. If that.
 

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moundhill

Senior Member
Supporting Member
5,327
103
Hebbardsville..
Fast forward to the morning of Saturday 15th. I knew that it would be a perfect morning in the woods, and I wanted to be prepared. I woke up st 3 am, got some breakfast, stoked the fire, got a scent free shower, the whole 9 yards. Took my time and really made sure I had everything perfect. It was a low of 17 here, so I took extra socks and clothes and put them in my bag I carry in. I went outside to start my truck and let the dogs out..and man was it cold. My feet are usually what gets cold easiest, so I packed extra foot warmers...thank god. I met larry at his house around 5:30, and we took off. We got to the spot, parked and sat in the truck for ad minute bsing, kinda letting it get a pinch daylight before we headed in. Where the stands are, is a perfect spot. It's really thick woods, and the stands are located in a couple clear openings, maybe 70 yards by 50 yards. We walk to the stands, larry goes left and I go right to my stand, about 70 yards away. I get to my tree and put on the foot warmers and extra socks...of course as I begin to climb, the stand makes and loud Crack noise..great lol. I also heard Larry's stand do the same a few seconds later haha. So I climb up, put my face paint on, and wait for the woods to come alive. Honest to goodness, I got cold fast. I even had to change my foot warmers about 2 hours in. At about 8:15, I begin seeing deer. And after I saw that 1st one, it's like they came out of the wood work. They were left right, in front and behind. But it was weird...it was all does.
 
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moundhill

Senior Member
Supporting Member
5,327
103
Hebbardsville..
I remember larry telling me that he always gets one chance a year in these woods, that every single year he sees a dandy. It's just a matter of time. So after watching these does meander around, they all left and the woods became silent. I was sitting there thinking..how do I see 10 does..10, and zero bucks?? Well, no sooner, I see a doe come busting ass out of the thick stuff in front of me about 25 yards. She was clearly warn down and out of breath. So I slowly begin to stand up, and boom.. she looks right at me..I may have whispered a word or two under my breathe lol. As we are having a stair down, I see movement where she came from and there he was..the image is in bedded in my head, of him standing there looking straight ahead at her. The doe begins to stomp, and I knew it was only a matter of time that she blew and took off. So I slowly reach for my bow, behind me, as I am now watching him only. The doe kinda trots a little, and that is was saved my ass! He didn't want his doe running away, so he took a hop and gallop or two out of the thicket, towards her, which gave me a chance to grab my bow and draw, all in one motion it felt like. By this point, he is on the trail, broadside at 20 yards, facing to my right..and his eyes are like Lazers on this doe. I do the grunt noise everyone makes to stop a deer..but he took one step too many...I may have whispered a few words again lol!.. but luckily I was able to lean to my left and crouch, giving me an almost perfect shot. He was focused on the doe, the doe was focused on me, and I was focused on my pin behind his shoulder. Before anything else could happen, I let it fly. Smack! That beautiful sound an arrow makes when it hits the kill. I saw my entrance, and said out loud to myself ..he's dead! He ran back the exact way he came, and I heard him stop running. It's so thick in there I can barely see him. He starts swaying back and forth, and down he goes. I've never ever heard of a deer dieing that fast and quick from a double lung shot. He ran 20 yards, at the very most and piled up. Larry told me later, that he heard me grunt, then heard the smack. .then heard him crash. He died right between larry and I. So I kept texting larry and telling him, hey he's dead..but you need to kill one. I told him I'd go to the truck and come back later, but he was just as excited and I was and said hell no let's go get him! He was laying in a low spot, dead as could be. After checking him out, then grabbing my arrow, we drug him down the hill. I gutted him while larry grabbed the truck and drove it back the feild. It was all leaning on a tailgate, drinking some brew and story telling the rest of the day. I'll always remember that hunt, and it will definitely remind me to never give up on a season and to stay persistent. I'm just lucky as can be, that this all came together. But I can't help but feel kind of crappy either. I get the feeling I almost didn't deserve this deer. I mean there's people that hunt harder, and more than I do that don't get a chance to kill a decent buck. And I had the opportunity twice..once being a fail due to my lack of ranging. This was the 4th shooter I had seen on stand this year, and the 3rd within range of shooting. I want to really thank brock and the scent smoker also, I couldn't hunt without smoking up.

Thanks alot to everyone for all the kind words. It means a lot to me. And Goodluck to everyone else this year!
 
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hickslawns

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
39,721
248
Ohio
Great writeup. Loved the text communications. That is a new one for buck write ups. Cracked me up. Congrats on a great buck Jake.