So here is the story, although not much to it. Got in the stand at first light Monday morning. This is a new spot on the property that I haven’t hunted at all until this year. 4 of 5 morning sits has had deer sightings, which is good for the farm. Every deer I have seen there had been with them just slowly easing through. About 7:30 yesterday morning, this buck came running through like a freight train. I hollered and hollered at him, but he paid me no attention. Fired off a couple shots the best I could (50 or so yards).

What was ironic is we had carted a deer out the previous morning on the same trail he was running so at first couldn’t tell if I got blood or if it was just from the other deer. We found where the blood trail went off in another direction though. Good blood. Probably the best blood trail I have had to follow. Most deer have been DRT this year though. Followed the trail for a couple hundred yards then backed out. We never went into the thick stuff. Dog arrived about 4:00pm. Last night was our only shot with having to get my son home and the weather going south. Long story short, found where he went back and forth in the thick stuff. Then the dog found where he had bedded down several hundred yards away in thick stuff near the road. A lot of blood and some scat. The deer had crossed the main highway.

I wasn’t prepared for this and it’s a hard lesson learned. Much of the farm is surrounded by timber owned by someone my family has known for years. Never would have guessed he would have gone the wait he did (toward the main road). The land across the road is small parcels of timber with no homes. No doors to knock on. Found out one of the land owners was in Illinois (public tax records). I should have spent the mid-day getting permission to enter. If anyone has tips for tracking down phone numbers for owners of vacant land, I’d appreciate the advice.

I THINK this is the buck. Not the biggest rack or old deer, but would have been my best by far.