only one thing missing

[wabi]

.........from a great hunt yesterday evening.
A success story with pictures on a great looking 8 point.

Spent most of the day canning & smoking pork loins my wife bought at a great price, but yesterday evening I decided to relax for a couple hours. For me the ultimate relaxation is being perched in my ladder stand watching the food plot & feeder. Never boring! Always plenty of critters to entertain me, and yesterday was no exception.

My stand is strapped to a huge old oak tree, and I have one of those umbrella "roofs" above it so I can set there in comfort in wet weather, but it does block the view of what's happening above me. And yesterday there was plenty going on above. A squirrel was dropping acorns & bark on my "roof" and finally decided to come down the tree past me.
I'm setting there "frozen" as he passes the stand and when he's below me I look over in the little field next to the food plot (the food plot is only about 30 yards wide) and about gasp out loud! A HUGE 8 point, neck extended and tail held straight behind him was crossing the field about 45 yards from my stand. This buck was a big bodied deer that had a rack that anyone would be proud to display on their wall! Can you say WIDE.
Unfortunately he was on a mission and never even looked at my feeder.

I was just getting the breathing & heart rate under control when here came old "funky horns" on the same route. Old "funky horns" has been around for a couple years on my trail cam pics. He has three beams sprouting almost straight up on the right side, and one big spike on the left. I'd take him just for the novelty of that rack.
Anyway, he came across the field to the edge of the food plot, then decided to go ahead and trail the first buck into the woods instead of having a snack of corn.

I never even had the Phoenix off the shooting rail where I set it, but it was still one of the better hunts so far this year. I slept good last night.

And today there is rain (T-storms possible) predicted, so I'm going to shread cabbage and pack the krout crock full to pass the time.
I'm going to eat even if it takes longer than usual to get deer #1 this year.

[Doe Master]

Congrats on a good hunt . Seeing them is worth it .

[strum]

man thats what keeps us going back ... i hope you get that big boy Wabi..keep us posted..

[Nighthunter]

Thanks for the great report and here's wishing you the best of luck on seeing the big one up close and personal....

[Masboy]

sounds like an exciting evening! gets you all pumped up for the next hunt .some of my best hunts come with memorys instead of kills .

[rayman]

Well, at least you didn't have to follow a long blood trail in the dark, drag a heavy deer out of some creek bottom, or get all bloody and wet cleaning a deer.

[Big58cal]

Well, at least you didn't have to follow a long blood trail in the dark, drag a heavy deer out of some creek bottom, or get all bloody and wet cleaning a deer.

There's always a bright side to things.

Sounds like you need to put a fixed position or a climber over there where the bucks were. The pre-rut is starting to kick in around here a little, so it may be worth moving a little.

[Hester0305]

Nice hunt to say the least you got to see the big one you're after. He may mess up one day soon and come into your killing range. Good Luck and stay at it.

[HIGHBOW]

wabi, sounds like a great evening hunt anyway you look at it. Sure it could have been better but do you really want to kill that buck this early in season??

[vixenmaster]

Thats the type of Hunt that makes going out a great Time. You had yer cake killin one of the Bucks be iciin on the cake!

[GooGoos]

Sounds like you had a great hunt Wabi! I wish you the best of luck on knockin down that 8point!

[j.krug]

Sounds like an entertaining hunt for sure Wabi.

[wabi]

Well, at least you didn't have to follow a long blood trail in the dark, drag a heavy deer out of some creek bottom, or get all bloody and wet cleaning a deer.

I must be getting old - that was my thought as I left to walk to the truck which I had parked only a short distance from the stand.

The edge of the field the bucks came from usually has a few scrapes along the edge. Haven't checked them lately, but I'm betting they are active from the big buck's attitude & posture as he crossed the field.
No really good spots for a stand on that edge, though.

Years ago I did have a stand in that corner of the food plot, but I usually ended up watching the deer at the feeder (way out of crossbow range).

Oh well, at least I'm seeing some deer!