How we start is how we finish, and how we finish is how we start: this hunter is a prime example! Andrew Dane, my boyfriend, took down this wide eight point buck this past Saturday. With this being his 3rd and biggest buck of his hunting career, it was a memorable start to our '22 hunting season!
Andrew finished out our '21 hunting season with a bang as he was the last one to fill his tag. With a tagged out date of October 15th, that determination and luck came earlier rather than later this year.
From Start:
Andrew has been out a handful of times already this season, eagerly awaiting for the exact moment every hunter waits all year for: a buck kill. Now some may call it crazy, but I fully believe that a hunter can feel a 'kill hunt.' The brisk weather of that October afternoon, a tree stand sitting high out of sight, and the woods showing signs of activity all equaled the feel of a 'kill hunt.' I was sitting as guide in the tree stand, trying my best to keep quiet and not shake when any sign of life came into sight. I did my 'guide duties' of ranging the line of sight, having Andrew practice lining up, and playing some I-Spy to pass the time. The first deer to show up were our resident momma doe and her babies, a guaranteed sight to see every hunt. Next came in the big boy, Danny Devito.
*If you don't name your deer I highly recommend.* That is what we do, hence the Danny Devito name for this big boy. The name came from the short stocky build of the buck, similar to that of actor Danny Devito.
See it right? We spotted him on the trail cameras this past summer and made notes. Devito made his reappearance about a week before, taking in allllllll the food from the food plots. That is what pulled him in to Andrew's line of sight.
To Finish:
He came in straight on, chest wide, and head up. With the corn still up in the field, he seemed to appear out of thin air. He appeared at about 75 yards out, but Andrew only had a max of a 40 yard shot. I asked if that was the one, and he said, with confidence, yes. So, he did the dreaded wait of watching them walk into range. And then again the dreaded wait of eagerly awaiting for the body to turn broadside for the perfect shot. This waiting took an exceedingly long time as the buck now had his head down into the foodplot, passively taking in the nutrients. But, he had to move at some point, and that is when Andrew took the shot.
"Time slowed down, it is an incredible and indescribable feeling" - Andrew
The shot was perfection. The arrow went straight through the necessary spot and took the buck down almost instantly. Seeing a buck go down is an amazing and fulfilling feeling, and that is exactly what underwent. I am so proud of Andrew and his amazing start to the season. Let's get these tags filled!
- your best guide ;)
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