Shot the big buck I was after. (The rest of the story & pictures added)

[PA BEN]

More pictures and story to come.

[sakoshooter]

....................................waiting.....................................
Hope ya find it. 

[JJB11B]

  DONT TEASE ME! IM LIVING VICARIOUSLY THIS SEASON!!

[PA BEN]

My quest for this buck started last July 2013, when I got a picture of him on my game camera. This is the only picture of this buck I had until the end of August. Note the tear in the top of his right ear.

[Skyvalhunter]

OK thanks for the story and pics. Good job at taking a shot.

[PA BEN]

Opening evening last year 2013, I was in a tree stand and he came out downwind of me, I had good scent control but you can't mask it all. He didn't spook just stopped and smelled the air and walked off. The next day I moved my stand on the trail where he came out. Then on September 4th I was back out. I could hear a deer coming and my heart was pounding. I saw horns and realized it was him. Man did I get buck fever, I haven't had it like this since I was a kid. He stopped right under my tree stand, I came to full draw and took the shot. I missed him, shot under his belly. I was kicking myself. I will never have a chance at a buck like this ever again. He ran stopped, looked back in the timber passed the tree I was in. Then he came back stomping and snorting. It was all I could do to knock another arrow and ready myself for a shot. He stopped broadside at 20 yds, opened up his right front leg I aimed low thinking he would jump the string, I let the arrow fly and he didn't move at all until the arrow hit him. It looked like a good hit. He ran and went down out of sight. He never came out so I thought he was dead. I gave him plenty of time to die before I went after him. He jumped up and ran. I was sick. I made a mental note of where I last saw him and went home. I looked over my arrow and it only went in about 6", the broadhead and an inch of arrow is in him. I'm thinking I got him in the brisket bone. I gave him 2 ½ hrs and came back. I cut blood where he entered the timber, but he kept going. I was sick and almost quite bow hunting. I looked for him for days, looking for crows and magpies but could not find him. On my birthday last year I checked my game camera. He showed up again, the date was November 8th. Knowing he made it I applied for the multi-season tag this year and got it.
Almost to the day as last year at 5am I got a picture of a buck that looked like him but bigger and he was a 3x4 main beam not a 4x4 as last year. A lot of time went into pin pointing his route, I purchased 4 more cameras and fire bombed the woods. I have very few pictures of him. All were 3am, 5am, 11 at night midnight. But then I got a good picture of him and noted the cut in his right ear.

[stromdiddily]

......come on now....

 

[PA BEN]

It’s been a long hard week at work and I haven’t seen my buck so I didn’t hunt opening week. So Friday after work I changed out my SD cards and saw that he was there at 8:15pm the night before. Still too late, I thought I might need to go further back into the woods to get him. Then on Saturday I checked my cards again, there he was 7:40pm. I fell apart and got very shaky; I told my wife that I didn’t think I could hold it together to shoot this guy. She told me this was my buck and I can do it. So we prayed and asked the Lord to bless this hunt and to steady my nerves. I showered up and grabbed my gear and headed out. I was in my stand at 4:30pm and ready to hunt.  I sat from 5:30 to 7:35 w/deer 15yds from me. I couldn't move much at all. Each deer looked at me but I didn't move and they didn't spook. At 7:36 I looked at the time, put my cell phone in my pocket and knocked my release on the string loop and looked up.  There he was, in an opening around 80yds at eye level with me. He didn’t move and I thought he might have seen me moving. But he didn’t. I knew it was him. He was like a ghost. He didn't make a sound, he would take a few steps and stop and look around. What a rush, my heart was pounding, I thought it was going jump out of my chest. I had to tell myself not to hold my breath. I just took deep breaths closed my eyes and prayed to calm down. This was a buck of a life time and I knew at that moment that this is what we bow hunters live for. Each step he took was with a purpose, not to make a sound, not to give himself away he was one with the woods. He was a ghost. He stopped at 25yds behind a bush facing me. Turned to walk away, please God bring him back I prayed. I was getting ready for a 25yd shot broad side shot when he stopped again behind some brush. Then he turned walked back and turned onto the trail that led past my tree, he stopped facing me looking around. He lowered his head and stepped forward quartering to me as he bent his head down I drew my bow. By this time I was in total kill mode. I had this calm peace that came over me; he saw movement and looked right at me. He was right at 15yds. I told myself, set your hand grip, rock your hand forward, anchor the kisser button, and roll your release in next to your ear.  The light was low, but I could make out my pins. I settled my top pin in front of his shoulder neck area and let him have it. He turned and ran; I stood up and grabbed my binos. I heard him crash where I last saw him, then another crash and all went quiet. I then fell apart, did this really just happen? The time was 7:48. I sat there thinking of the what if’s, going over the shot, I knew it was a good hit, but after my last encounter with this buck I was not going to blow this one by going in on him to early. I sat in the stand for a 1/2hr lowered my gear and backed out quietly and went home. My wife Lisa and my daughter Carmen couldn't believe I got him. We went back out at 9:30. My arrow went clean through and there was blood from the start. It was one of those, stand up and walk blood trails. I shined my flashlight up the trail and saw a big patch of blood and a deer leg. There he is I told them. He went 35yds.The emotions I felt are beyond words, I kneeled with Lisa and Carmen and thanked the Lord for this deer. It was all I could do to hold back the tears. We forgot a camera, so we took cell phone pictures in the woods. The arrow went in his neck right where I wanted to hit him, it passed above the heart took out the left lung, opened a 4 to 5” slice out the left side and clean through his left leg.  3x4 w/eye guards, 21 ½” inside spread. Over 200 lbs on the hoof, 148lbs hanging wt at the cooler. I could feel a lump on the inside of his brisket that I think is my broadhead from last year. I will know when I cut him up. 1 year and 2 days ago was the last time this buck and I met. This time with God’s help, I came out on top.   

[PA BEN]

Cell phone pictures

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[TheHunt]

Nice job...

[Mudman]

Great story.  Very nice buck.  Congrats on the hard work paying off!

[PA BEN]

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[Rhino]

 

[PA BEN]

Selfie