Well, this year has been nothing less than incredible with the bow...and this hunt is another one to prove it.

This deer showed up on my new 80 acre lease the middle of December. It’s prairie ground, so it’s just a bunch of cedars and sage grass. It doesn’t hold a bunch of deer but they just roam all over. Not a lot of big timber around, but my place has not been maintained, so it’s pretty thick in several places. This deer was at the feeder in the food plot for two or three nights and then disappeared. I hunted him once in those days. First sit on the property. No deer seen, but I got winded on what I thought was the perfect wind (NW). I’ve only been on that property about 4 times since season came in. He showed back up on New Years night. On January 2nd he was at the feeder at 1733, then 2300 that night, and then again at 0635 yesterday morning. 3 times in 13 hrs. I was thinking I needed a south wind to hunt him after getting blown at the first time I hunted it on NW wind. Well, yesterday was NW. I knew he wasn’t going far since he showed up in daylight yesterday morning. I consulted a friend that has experience hunting that type ground and he said go hunt him. So I did.

I got settled into my lock on about 1500 yesterday afternoon. I broke off cedar limbs and crushed them and rubbed them all over my clothes. I’m over looking my little 1/3 acre food plot with the gravity feeder 18 yds away. Finally at about 1715, 2 does scurried into the plot from the north. They were making a loop and coming into the feeder from the south. They got just south of the feeder and both turned and looked back from where they came. They were fixated on it. I knew it was him. About 10 seconds later I see his tall white rack coming through the sage and scattered cedars.

As he’s entering the field, the biggest doe begins to get nervous and throwing her head in the air checking the wind. I guess my scent was starting to settle to the ground without any wind at this point. The buck is still walking towards the does, so he has no clue I’m there. Well, the doe does a 180 like she’s about to leave. I knew I had to shoot. I drew and stopped him when he cleared some limbs in front of me. I knew he was right around 27-30 yds. I brought the pin up from the bottom and touched the trigger when I saw it meet brown hair behind his shoulder. I watched as the arrow sailed perfectly over his back! The does bolted out the bottom of the field and he bounded off the west side.

I hung my bow up all while cussing myself. I turn to see my lighted nock glowing in the field. About a minute later I see white antlers coming in from the west. Light is fading fast. He proceeds to enter the edge of the field and stand behind a couple cedar trees about 40 yds away. He’s just looking in my direction or at the feeder. He looks, and I assume, sees the lighted nock glowing. This goes on for 4-5 minutes. Then I notice the does coming back in the bottom of the field. So I slowly grab another arrow and my bow. I get it nocked and bow in hand. The does come in and circle arrow and one of them goes up to it, smells it then jumps back. She did that a couple times and then settled down. She started like she was coming to the feeder and the buck decided it was safe. He started walking to her and I drew. He bumped her and I grunted to stop him. He was about 40ish yds. It was late, but I could clearly see the pin and his body, so I let it fly and heard the soft thwack. Not loud like bone. I watched the nock disappear through him and then reappear on the ground. He bounced out of the field and I thought I heard a bellow after about 10 seconds.

I eased down and walked over to the arrow quietly. Turned my back to where he ran and turned my light on to examine the arrow. It was soaked in bright red blood, but I wasn’t sure where I hit him so I left the arrow and headed to the truck. Called my buddy and told him the story. Told him I was going to wait two hours and go look. He came and met me.

We started looking about 2000 last night. Couldn’t find any blood for the first hour. We were confused why there was so much blood on the arrow and not the ground. We didn’t go any further than about 20-30 yds from the hit site. Finally I decided to call for a dog. The 3 people I called couldn’t come. While I’m talking to the 3rd person, I find a speck of blood. Then a little more and more. After about 20 minutes of finally getting on the trail, my buddy walks up on him while looking for the next blood. He was dead stiff. Only ran about 50-60 yds. I guess he squatted at the shot. Arrow hit just behind ribs and the exit hole was HIGHER and in the ribs. Centered the liver and came out last lobe of the offside lung. The “bellow” I thought heard was now what I think was air pocket coming out the wound. Thank you Lord for great, big cutting expandable broadheads.

By far my biggest Alabama bow buck. My unofficial measurements, which will be close, 136 5/8.