This is what I kept saying to myself this morning. It was 60* it was humid and foggy and the moon is getting big and bright at night. I didn’t have any confidence in deer moving much. But the front came through the rain had stopped and wind had switched to out of the north and the temps had dipped just a little.


I have a spot that I try to hunt under these circumstances, it has treated me well in the past. it is a pretty good little 45 minute hike up and over a mountain. I end up on the back side just over the lip watching the first bench. I have found a little spot where a small briar thicket meets some hardwoods on the side of a mountain. It’s super steep and rugged, but the deer will bed in the thicket and feed on the bench and occasionally cross over the mountain at a certain spot. With a stiff north wind to defeat the thermals, it is an ideal setup.


I had to climb through 5 downed trees on the hike over the mountain this morning. I just had to stop several times and just stand there sweating. I was aggravated to say the least but kept reminding myself, but it’s a north wind. I finally got set up completely whole body sweaty about daybreak and didn’t see a thing for 2+ hours. Kept reminding, but it’s a north wind and it’s right. Just before 8, I catch a buck moving up onto the first bench below me, he was coming out of the thicket to feed on acorns. Once I got a good look at him, I shot him on the point of the shoulder as he was quartered to me. He backflipped off the bench and disappeared crashing down the mountain. He slid down the side until his antlers caught on a pine tree where I found him. We had to drag him off the back side to get him from the bottom. As anyone who hunts steep places will agree, Getting them back up onto the bench, much less back up and over in some spots is quite a Rodeo!

He is a main frame 8 with 2 kickers on the right, everyone has tagged him as a 10. I don’t care what he is, I just feel blessed have had a chance to catch up with him.