My 2008 Hunt at Ohio Whitetail Outfitters

It's happening, this is really happening right now, to me - not some other lucky archer or a guy on TV, but this is happening to me right here, right now! Man that buck is nice! I can't believe I'm actually seeing this unfold before my eyes. Just 11 minutes ago, Jim, my good friend and hunting buddy, was idling the ATV at the base of my tree as I climbed up and got settled in. We decided on this strategy after spending a great deal of the afternoon with the landowner and outfitter, Eddie Potts. He had told us the deer on his property are used to ATV's, but they also keep track of them. In other words, the deer need to hear the ATV drive away. He also spent a considerable amount of the afternoon giving us a tour of his property, to and including known scrap lines, bedding areas, travel routes, time proven stand trees and ambush strategies.

That afternoon, Jim and I decided to take advantage of some of this newly acquired knowledge and we formulated a plan. Using the ATV, Jim would drop me off at my stand and then continue another quarter of a mile to the top of the ridge he would be hunting. Jim would park and walk the ridge out to his stand where he had found the largest buck rub he had ever seen. While we are both using archery tackle, Jim is a recurve man and I'm sporting my compound. I was happy that he was agreeable to the ATV-Drop-Off plan because I had been bumping deer and felt this was a good solution.

I asked Jim if he would wait until I was sitting in my stand before he took off. I could hear the ATV fading in the distance as I was finalizing getting all situated. For me, getting situated involves removing my quiver and hanging it on the tree, ensuring all calls are in my right jacket pocket, electronic devices in my left... I've found segregating my equipment like this improves findability. Things that take batteries all qualify as electronic devices, things like a rangefinder, GPS, 2-way radio or cell phone... This time my left pocket had only a smart-phone which had been recently issued to me by my company. I was going to play around with it and torment Jim with text-messages. The mental checklist now begins, double checking the particulars of my setup; my facemask is on, cap is sitting just right on my head, safety harness on but enough slack to move in either direction, phone on vibrate, check... and, an arrow is on the string.

Easing my hand back towards my left jacket pocket, I was putting the phone away after sending my wife a quick hello email when the forest erupted. In front me about 75 yards came crashing up the hill through the woods a small number of deer. That's all I knew at first, multiple deer were running through the woods. My first thought was that I had been busted putting my phone away. But how? I was moving with ridiculous caution as a result of getting busted by a hyper- vigilant doe named "Crazy Mary" the previous day. This doe would snort at a leaf falling, and continue snorting at that leaf until another leaf arrived to snort at. This type of bizarre behavior must have been common for Crazy Mary. I observed other deer totally ignoring her altogether. They didn't even pick up their heads as she relentlessly continued bellowing out her echoing snorts. Crazy Mary would take a short break from time to time, to rest her lungs I presume, but then right back she would go, as loud and obnoxious as ever. It was at first maddening. I actually called her to my tree using a doe in heat can call. She would snort, I'd hit the doe in heat can, she would snort, I'd hit the doe in heat can. This continued for no less than 40 minutes until I decided that for very different reasons, what we both were doing was incredibly stupid.

It wasn't Crazy Mary and they had not busted me at all. They were running perpendicular to me, up the hill to the right. The first one was a blur, but the second one was the buck I'd always wondered what would be like to see while bow hunting! There was a third one, but I didn't care enough about it to look closely because the sun lit antlers of big-boy had all of my attention. They were heading straight for a massive power line right-of-way. My stand is nestled in a big Black Oak with large vines on either side descending from its proud branches. We figured the vines would help break up the outline. It is 30 yards into the woods off of the right-of-way near several heavily traveled trails. You can hear the electricity from the power lines when you're not focused on a buck or conducting deer vocalization studies with Crazy Mary.

They proceeded across the large right-of-way to the opposite site. This was not the side I was on. The bucks antlers were tall and worn proudly. He was chasing a doe now about 125 yards away from me. He was easily recognizable from even this distance as he carefully maintained his close proximity to the doe leading him around. A lot was going through my head. I couldn't just sit there and watch him leave. I hit the trusty doe-in-heat can, then the grunt call, then the can. This continued for some time until I noticed his rack at the edge of the right-of-way facing in my direction. The brush was too tall to see his head or body, but his antlers were still beaming the afternoon sunshine in all directions.

I noticed the doe slipping across the right-of-way back towards my side. He wasn't far behind. They stopped at the half way point in some thick cover. The cover couldn't have been a 10 yard square, but had I not have seen them enter, it is doubtful I would have known they were in there. This is good; they are coming back to my side of the right-of-way at least. She had but two options once she crossed the remainder of the right-of-way and hit the woods. She could either lead him back the way she came, or head my direction. They would only need to come in my direction about 50 yards until I would have an open shot opportunity.

When I was sure they were on my side again and heading in my direction, I stood up and carefully turned around to almost facing the tree. I would be shooting to my right, I'm right handed, and so this awkward configuration was going to have to work. Fortunately I was using Jim's safety harness which allows for such movement without too much hassle.

This is really going to happen; they are merely steps away from entering the shooting lane cleared by Eddie. The shot should be about 30 yards but at this angle I'll use the 20 yard pin. All electronics are in my left jacket pocket; calls in my right, hat and facemask are good. My release is clamped to the string loop and tested. No tree stand parts, safety harness straps, small tree limbs, jacket threads or anything else that could possible obstruct my shot in any way... check. Settle down, deep breath, draw and focus on form... check.

They stopped short! What happened? I'm at full draw and he decided to mount her two steps from the open shooting lane. I got nothing. I've never experienced this before. Sure I know it happens and I've seen this "breeding" thing on TV, but never in real life. While I would love to report that I felt a sense of high privilege being a part of such a spectacle, the deeply rooted desire to harpoon this buck was just too strong. Additionally, time is my enemy at full draw. I know this all too well, so I was pleased it lasted only a few seconds and then she was in the shooting lane.

Here he comes! I've got to stop him for a shot. I do that noise that makes them stop, nothing. I do it louder a second time, nothing. I do it a third time at a ridicules volume. He's almost across the shooting lane when he slows down and looks my way. He's hardly moving, my arrow is sent. Connection is made, but the shot was less than ideal. It was farther back then it should have been. He doesn't move at first, like nothing happened. I should try to shoot him again, but he's looking right in my direction. I don't dare make a move. He starts to walk again, diverting from the doe's path and heading down the hill.

The adrenalin crashes over me and I'm violently shaking now. Resting the weight of my body using my head against the tree, I'm able to breath and take in what just happened. The doe is still standing there, but now the third deer I didn't care much about is her new best friend. The third deer was a smaller buck, and his patience has just paid off. I watch big boy head down the hill and try to take mental notes of where I saw him last. Another smaller buck picks up her trail from the other side of the right-of-way and is soon also hanging out at my tree stand.

45 minutes pass until all the deer have wondered from my location and it's safe to descend from the tree. During this time, I'm sure I heard the buck crash way down in the dark woods. I can't wait to find and inspect my arrow. I've already decided to wait until the morning to track him down. I've also already sent Jim a text message to share the news and to let him know not to pick me up on his way back through. This as it turned out was in vane because Jim had already grown tired of my messaging and left his phone back at the cabin. Not finding my arrow or blood, I begin to second guess the entire episode. I decided to check the trail that he had walked out and after only a few moments of this discovered I was on the wrong trail. He had been another 10 yards away from where I was looking and the blood trail proved it. Back-tracking the blood trail to the point of impact, I found my arrow firmly stuck into the ground, covered with blood. The blood trail was, at least the short section I had observed, enormous. It would be easy to track him in the morning for sure. I set back for the cabin.

Here's where my plan falls apart. As I'm taking off my gear I'm dying to share the news with someone. I can't tell Jim because his phone is not with him. I wanted to tell Eddie, but wanted to be standing over the deer when I did. Not a problem, I'll call my father-in-law with the news. He loves hunting as much as I do and we are good friends and hunting buddies. He answers and I tell him the story. I tell him everything you have read up to this point. He confirms the amount of blood on the trail a few times with me, and says exactly what I wanted to hear: "Sean, that buck is dead, you should wait until just before dark and go get 'em." Well, it's just before dark as he's saying that to me, so I promptly get off the phone, grab a flashlight and GPS and run back. I'm not walking fast or jogging, I'm running like bees are after me. With my GPS in my right hand and my flashlight in my left, like some deranged crazy person, I ran back to the spot as fast as I could. I had left my arrow stuck in the ground marking the start of the blood trail.

When I arrive at the arrow, I'm soaked with sweat and take a drink of my bottled water in my fanny pack. At first I didn't need the flashlight. The blood trail was still strong after 150 yards but I eventually ran out of light as the forest closed in around me. The amount of blood told me he couldn't have made it much farther. Another 100 yards of good blood and no buck... The blood trail grew faint at only one point as he bulldozed his way through a sort of natural brush pile on the side of a small ravine leading up and down into a much larger one. The larger ravine has a dried up creek bed at its base and can be described as just shy of being a cliff. Now the blood trail is following the creek bottom down the hill. This is good.

It's officially dark now and the sides of the ravine are nearly vertical. The blood trial continues to follow the dried creek bed with its Winding walls towering above me and narrowing to the point I can touch both sides at once by spreading out my arms. He's got to be right around this next bend! This thought re-occurred for about a dozen bends until it was finally true.

There he was, down in the middle of the dried creek bed. His antlers were as big as I had thought and were perfectly framed by the ravines narrow vertical walls. The joy and excitement I felt cannot be explained; hopefully you already know the feeling. A loud and unwelcomed "YES!" came out of my mouth. This is the point my joy and excitement were instantly transformed to raw, primordial fear. I was about five yards away from him as his upright head turned. The piercing gaze I received shot through everything good and holy that I have ever known. I will never forget it. I was trapped in this place, face to face with something that under no uncertain terms wanted to run through me. His body was facing uphill in my direction. A loud and unwelcomed something else not suitable to print came out of my mouth. I had my GPS in my right hand, my flashlight in my left and a folding knife and water bottle in my fanny pack, but no bow. My weapon is something I will never again neglect to bring along. I dismissed the idea of throwing my GPS at him, or engaging in a knife fight of some sort. These things cross your mind quickly when confronted with such a situation.

Walking backwards for several steps while keeping the light in his face, I slipped the GPS into my pocket. When I was about ten yards from him, the flashlight ended up in my mouth as I clawed my way up the nearly vertical ravine wall. Using tree roots, briers, rocks, dirt and adrenaline, I managed to get up and out with surprising swiftness. I was like a squirrel that was very afraid.

By this time, Jim had made his way back to the cabin. I was of course drenched in sweat after running back up the hill to the right-of-way and back to the cabin. Trying my best to explain everything to Jim, Eddie calls my cell. After telling this entire story in about a minute and a half, I'm sure they were left wondering if I had even seen a deer. Nonetheless, Eddie picked up his son Adam and the four of us went after the biggest buck I had ever seen or shot.

My buck was found where I had last seen him, right in the middle of the most hideous and hard to get to place on Eddie's property. I was as happy as I can ever remember being while hunting. Eddie lead us right to it based on the location description I had provided. My GPS coordinates were not needed, but I did find comfort knowing when I was within 50, 30, 20 yards during our approach from the bottom. While Jim and I were field dressing him, Eddie and Adam managed to chainsaw a trail for the ATV up the creek bottom right to us.

For me, hunting is about spending time outdoors with good friends and family, challenging yourself and learning something along the way. While actually harvesting your quarry is not an essential ingredient in a successful hunt, it is undoubtedly the sweetest one of them all. The things I learned during this exciting trip are too numerous to list, but two things stand out above the rest: Always take your weapon during a tracking job, and if you want a big deer, you need to go to where the big deer live.