The Dirt Santa Buck:

My wife and I had a Christmas party every night this week and I got caught up on work and had a little time to hunt this week. Only hitch is I couldn't hunt evenings and knew it would be tough getting up after late nights every night.

Thur night our party that evening was right down the street and I told my wife that I was going hunting not at the club but at a nearby track and that I wouldn't be late for the party at 6:00. I had a perfect wind for a stand I've been wanting to hunt, I knew the does would be there and that this buck had been hanging around this particular doe bedding area for the past few days. I went to my club to hang a stand for my dad and was running late driving back to my stand. At 4:00 I realized that I didn't buy a dirty santa gift, no problem I'll have time to pick up something before the party. A little after 5:00 I saw some does coming out of there bedding area and saw horns in peripheral at the other end of the field. I knew it was him, I threw up my monopod and rifle and made the quartering shot. I called my wife and said "I need you to buy me a dirty santa gift, I just shot a buck! I called my brother in law and dad and told them I shot a basket rack 6 and that I was gonna let it lay until after the party. They said they would help drag it out and bring it to his skinnin tree to dress it. I was a nervous wreck at the party, fearing that coyotes would destroy it.

We left the party early and met everyone a little after 9:00. It was awesome finding the deer with my family, my sister had a fit! She said "I was thinking why in the world did Jamie shoot a basket rack?" She knew I had worked hard managing this property by myself for 5 years and never shot a deer on it.

Well I ended up with a serving platter, box of hot tea, some kinda cookie mix, an awesome buck, and surprised my dad, sister bro-inlaw, and even my wife. I may shoot a bigger deer one day but I will never recieve a better dirty santa gift.