[petey]

Last day success here. Didn't get to hunt much this year, but I picked my battles and the best days that I could get to hunt. In only 5 times out, I passed on 12 different "legal" bucks (3 points to one side) One made me question my sanity as I watched him rub a telephone pole of all things, but I could only put about 120" of bone on his head as he walked by at 30 yards. Call me crazy or stupid, but I had my eye on a couple real monsters and at this time it was the first week of season. I then had an encounter with a true 12 point, of which I passed. He was only a 2 year old and figured I'd let him grow, or let him be some other hunter's happy story. I hung up the bow during mid season as the muzzleloader, small game and turkey hunters came to the woods as the deer become nocturnal on the public land I hunt. I normally break it out the last two weeks of season, but a last minute decision to go hunting in Montana last week, left only 1 more week for me to hunt. As usual, playing catch-up at work kept me there past dark and having to put the kids on the bus, left me no option to get out this past week. I did get to get out last night to one of my other honey holes, but it was a bust.

I decided to hit one of my favorite spots that has turned out to be a perfect morning stand, especially when the bucks are chasing. Well about an hr into it this morning I hear a deer coming and I see some horns coming my way. The buck was skirting and going to pass out of my bow range it seemed. I got about a couple seconds to look at him in my binocs at 90 yards and saw 5 on his left anter. I figured he was just a standard 10pt as I haven't been seeing many abnormal racked bucks in my neck of the woods. At least, it never dawned on me. Anyhow, I hit my grunt tube and he looked and turned my way. He stopped at 50 and started to skirt around me again, so I hit him with another grunt and he closed the distance enough for me. At full draw, I gave him a mouth grunt, he stopped and I released with the boiler room splitting my 30 and 40 yard pin. It took no time for the carbon tipped with the Rage from my Z7 to get there and I knew he was toast. As he spun, I saw that his right rack was weird and it looked like his main beam was missing. I never really had time to get a good look at him in my binocs, but I was kind of suprised when he took off. Of course the Rage did it's job in seconds and I watched him fall.

The sun was just coming up, so I decided to sit an enjoy the moment. Well I could hear another deer coming from another direction and in comes a smaller buck to see what all the rucus was about. Once he hit the spot where I shot mine, he picked up his scent and followed him to where he laid and began to snort at this dead deer laying there. Five minutes later along comes an 8 point that was all of 20" wide. Now it takes a lot for me to say a buck is 20" and this one was all of that, but he just didn't have the point length I would have been looking for anyway. Another 15 minutes passed and I hear a tending grunt and thought, OH NO!!.....you screwed up boy....You guessed it! Here comes a doe and passes within 15 yards of my stand with 3 bucks WAY bigger than the one I just shot. They of course all pass within bow range. There were bucks everywhere....running this doe all around me. I just love those breeding frenzies, but I realized I could have been set for the day. If one would only know the future! The final icing on the cake, was when I climbed down a 15" wide 8 point with 9" G2's and G3's came up to me as I was walking over to my buck.....wow, what a morning. Final tally, 10 bucks in less than 1 hr. Wasn't the buck I really wanted, but now I can concentrate on getting my son a buck in rifle season. Attached is Jr. Freak Nasty (12 scorable points), the Z7's first kill. I just love Bow season the 2nd week of November!