LAST UPDATED: May 1st, 2015
Date: October 21, 2013, Time: Time: 6:00 p.m., Weather: 50 degrees and mostly cloudy
Q: Tell me a little about what happened when you harvested this buck?
A: I had gotten some trail camera pictures of a specific buck on my Father-in-Law’s farm in the summer. I thought I had a pretty good idea of the area he had made his home range. I started off hunting the edges of the area where I knew the buck was traveling, at least a couple days a week. I did not want to go in there until the weather cooled off and the big bucks were on their feet. The last thing I wanted to do was spook this deer. On October 31st a cold front moved through dropping the temperature 15-20 degrees. I knew this may be the catalyst needed to get this buck moving.
Chris Hall with his first buck with a bow…WOW, what a way to start your bowhunting career.
Before I left the house I told my wife I had decided to go after him. My Father -in-Law “Mark” and I got to the farm around 2:30 that afternoon full of excitement; as only that first cold snap can bring. As I slowly made my way into the buck’s range, I was looking for any sign that would give me an indication of the best place to set up my ambush. After looking for a while, I was disappointed because I wasn’t finding the sign that I had been dreaming about. I had saved this area for the perfect time and had constantly thought about what I would find when I finally got here. The amount of sign was not living up to my expectations. With the absence of rubs and scrapes I found the next best thing which was a heavily used trail. With a heavy heart and the fear that the buck that I had been chasing possibly disappearing on my mind, I slowly worked my climber up the tree for a long sit.I had been in my stand for probably an hour or so when I received a troubling text message from my wife. She said that my 6 year old daughter Madison had a reaction to the allergy shots she gets every week and that the doctors had to give her an epinephrine shot to counteract it. I told her I would climb down right away and head home. With a calm and reassuring voice, my Wife said that they had everything under control and that she was doing fine so I should stay. Before I could get my phone back in my pocket I heard that familiar sound of leaves being crumpled very close to my stand; the first doe of the evening slowly passed by at 20 yards. The thought of filling my freezer started to enter my mind but it was quickly over taken by the pictures of the buck I had seen earlier in the year.
HARVEST 2 With the help of trail cameras, Chris was able to put together a plan to kill this tremendous buck.
Within 45 minutes, 4 more does came walking down the trail directly in front of me chewing on browse and acorns. The 2 smallest got within 10 yards of me, but the largest does stayed back about 40 yards and looked very nervous. They kept looking over their shoulders to the left and acting very uneasy. With the 2 young does underneath me at 10 yards I slowly looked to my left to see what was gathering their attention. To my surprise there he was at 30 yards! He walked out from behind some brush and let out a heart stopping grunt. As he grunted again the does scattered. I knew which buck it was, and so I drew back immediately. He walked right down the trail and stopped at 15 yards. I was shaking uncontrollably, but I had no shot since he was facing me.I could feel my heart pushing gallons of blood through my veins as I held my bow for what seemed like an eternity. As I watched his muscles tense and finally turned broadside, I let the arrow fly. What a rush! I’ve never felt anything like that before. In my excitement I really did not see where the arrow entered the buck so I decided to err on the side of caution and wait until morning to retrieve him. That was the longest night of my life! Mark and I got to the farm at first light and found him laying about 75 yards from where I shot him. What a great feeling that I will no doubt ever forget. My first buck!
Q: What were the Major Factors that helped you harvest this buck.
A: Trail camera pictures, the support of my family, a little patience and a lot of luck.
Q: Who would you like to thank for help with the harvest of this buck?
A: My wife for her support through this new hobby of mine. My Father-in-Law Mark for the knowledge he’s shared and for letting me hunt his farm. My buddy Kevin for all the knowledge he’s shared with me. This truly would not have happened without them.
Equipment used:
Bow: Bear Charge
Broadhead: NAP KillZone
Camouflage: Mossy Oak Breakup Infinity
Treestand: Summit Viper climber
Scents: Tink’s #69
Clothing: Scent Lok Jacket, Pants, and Gloves
