December 9th 2010 What A Day!

The morning started out with a few buddies and I talking on www.bowhunting.com and we all did not know if we should go back to bed or tough out the cold weather of 1 degree hunting. After 20 minutes of talking I said "WELL, screw it I am going out! Lets just see how long I can stay out. I have heard a few deer are starting to shed so I am ready for that now. Would like to shoot one more deer though. Hope to do it this morning not sure how much more I will be able to do this! GAME ON! Will report back when I get home! TO THE HUNT!"! I got to my stand and I got settled in. I had three does come from the west and I stood up to get ready to shoot. It was to dark yet to see my pins and then I finally was able to see them. I moved to a position to shoot to the trail they where on but my stand creaked. The one doe started stomping and looking at me. I then had a button buck come in from the south. Then the next thing I knew they trotted off down the trail with the momma doe standing there with her eyes glued on me. She wanted to go back west but the others went to the east of me. She then trotted off at a good pace to catch up with them. I could not stop her for a shot. I sat back down and then about 20 minutes later I noticed some legs about 70 yards out. I got into position to shoot at the same trail that the does where on. Then I saw a rack! I got a little excited but I did not look at the rack. I drew back and made sure my kisser button on my bow was in my corner of my mouth where it is to be when I shoot. I let the arrow fly! I heard it hit the buck but then he wheeled around and ran back west. I waited for a hour and half then got down to look for blood. I had good blood right away. I tracked it for about 100 yards to find that the buck bedded two times and got up. At that point I knew that the shot must of been a little back after I found the two beds that he laid in with blood in both of them. I backed out and called a buddy. He said that he would be out to help and I told him that I would come in town and pick him up. On the walk out I thought I noticed an antler in the snow in the field so I walked over to find a 4 point shed antlers down in the snow. I left it there until I could get my camera. I went back into town and got my camera and picked up Brian. We got back out to my hunting spot and we went to take pictures of the antler and pick it up. We then got back on the blood trail. We tracked it for another 100 yards to find that the buck crossed river on us. We went to the other side and got back on the blood trail and find a few more spots that the buck bedded in. We started to not see as much blood and the trail Y'ed so I waked on one branch and Brian went on the other. Brian said that he found more blood so I walked over to him and then all of a sudden we saw movement and it was my buck standing up and started to run off. I decided to try and walk around to cut him off from crossing the river again. He beat me to the river so he crossed but when he crossed he bedded right away on the other side. I called Brian down to see the buck bedded on the other side with his head up in the air. He then stood up again to start to walk off. I told Brian that we need to get over there. We got over there and then I went up to the house on the property to get permission to go on the property. We got permission to look on the property. We then started to walk down in the bottom and we did not find him! I went to find his bed where we saw him from the other side. I found it and there was a lot of blood in the bed. I then followed the tracks in the snow that he was now dragging his feet in the snow. After about 8 feet of walking I looked up to see him laying in some prairie grass. He expired in that spot in the grass not even 20 yards from his last bedding spot. I told Brian that I had him and he came running over. Both of us could not believe how big he was. We gave each other high fives and admired the buck. We both looked at him for a few minutes and then took a couple pictures of him. We got him out of the property before field dressing him due to not wanting to field dress him on that property. We took him to my hunting property and dressed him there after some more pictures. We both were so excited to find him and on how big he was. I don't think I could of done that track job with out the great help of my buddy Brian! For that I am really grateful to have friends like that. We then had to show him off a little bit. He is such a great buck that he will become a nice show piece on my wall. What a Day!