Tarzan has a good 'un down!

[mmgrode]

Nice buck Terry!  Got to love hunting the rut!  Looking forward to the rest of the story!

[deertraks]

[kennym]

NICE BUCK Terry!!  Man thats a heavy deer!!      

[yellow bow]

very nice,congrats!

[Terry Green]

Saturday morning was a bit slow....but I had confidence in my area, as I'd seen some nice bucks in there before.  Saw a little 6 or 8 point following a doe as she fed, he wouldn't get closer then 20 to her...she'd move he'd move.....Hmmm, sounds so familiar....like a hunt I haven't told about yet on the Paradise hunt...anyhow, they passed bout 50 yards in front of me....looking forward to hunting after lunch......

[4-fletch]

CONGRATS.THATS ONE AWESOME BUCK.      

[Shawn Leonard]

Sweet buck, very cool so far. I cannot wait to hear more! Shawn

[Chortdraw]

What a magnificent buck Terry. Congrats on such a nice trophy!!

Chort

[Widowbender]

Super Buck Terry!! Congratulations            Can't wait to hear the rest of the story.

David

[Terry Green]

After I decided to head in for some quick grub, I wanted to check the little area bout 75 yards away.  I'd hunted there before, and seen bucks, and wondered how 'hot' it was.  I found 6 fresh scraps, and some really nice rubs....tuff choice on where to hunt after lunch....specially since I had a swamp to check out as well that was really hot last year...just tuff to hunt.

After lunch I headed out with a guy I'd met the night before that's a recurve shooter, Tim was his name, to go to the swamp....and I was going to show him an area just beyond to check out.  The swamp was hot again, but its just difficult to hunt off the ground, cause you can't cover enough sign by setting up on the fringe, and when you get in the middle of it, and the wind was swirling too much as I got winded just slipping around in there.  

With no trees tall enough to climb, and no lock on stand in the truck...and a chainsaw was needed as well to get in there right and attempt to cheat the wind....so I decided to go back to my area, but I still had another decision of whether to hunt the same spot, or the new seemingly 'hotter' spot just south of me....I agonized over this one as I stood at the entrance for at least 10 minutes...I needed to get in there and get set up.

I made the choice to hang with my original spot as all the bucks I'd seen, even while hunting the 'hotter' spot last year, came through my original spot.  I just couldn't give it up........

[hormoan]

Great buck and story Terry congradulations!

                   Brent

[Roughcountry]

Now thats a pretty buck, congrats.

[sticshooter]

The more I look at the buck ... the more I wanna take off work.<><

[Two Hats]

Wow.What a buck!!Congrats on one fine animal.

[Terry Green]

I got in there and set up.....and I was anxious about the evenings hunt.  Just coming off the St Jude's Paradise hunt will all the big bucks sighted hound dogging, cruising, and following does had my senses keened up.

The time changed the night before, and I was in there at 3:30 and had just under 3 hours of fun and games left for the weekend....or so I thought.

I see a deer way off cross the bottom long about 4:30 and head up a rise.  It was a big bodied deer, but couldn't tell if it was a buck or a doe, and a little later, I see a deer come off that same rise and cross again onto my side of the brook.  Just caught bits and pieces as it was 200 yards away or so.

Then I hear a deer grunting from the 'hot spot' I almost set up on, and I grunted back. It grunted again and was closer...it was coming my way.

I saw the buck, and it was a dandy let me tell ya, but it was basically across the bottom mowing over some canes.  Definitely a shooter, and I only saw it from the side, but it continued heading north on the far side of the bottom.  I grunted a few more times, but no reply........

[buckeye_hunter]

Come on now.....

[Arrowslinger]

Great story Terry.  Keep it coming.  I love that deer and so close to home.    

[JSimon]

Great buck! Can't wait for the rest of the story.

[Terry Green]

All was quiet now, almost too quiet....but that ended 30 minutes later when I heard a deer trotting.  And it sure sounded heavy to me!

I looked over my left shoulder and here comes what looks like a mule with a rack and a half!!!  No, I didn't count the points, I put that rack out of my mind! And he's trotting right in line to give me a 20 yard shot if he doesn't waiver...and he doesn't.  He comes into shooting range and magically slows to a walk, then stops....and then I pull a bone head!!!

I had to squat real low and lay the bow over to get through a hole in the vegetation.  It wasn't a thread the needle hole, it was one the size I'd shot through many times at rabbits, deer and hogs successfully....and I've practiced this shot a bazillion times, but I blew this one.

I dinked the lower limb of my hole, and the arrow tinked and sail right over the bucks back....and as he bolted forward I stood back up straight and turned my shoulders toward him.  He stopped after a 20 yard bound, and looked back in my direction, but he wasn't going to catch me move.

He took a few steps toward me and stomped his hoof, and stood for a moment, and then to my amazement, he went back to business as usual and started milling toward me at an angle...this is when I moved...to get another arrow as he was screened by a bunch of vines.

I was already squared to shoot, all I needed was for him to turn to his left and step into an opening and stop....a lot to ask hu?....but he DID!!...and I let him have it!!!

I watched the arrow sail and enter at the proper elevation, and what looked like just right for a slight quartering way shot.  I heard a snap as the arrow impacted, and he exploded straight ahead for 10 yards and made a 90 degree turn south dead away from me running over what ever was in his path....he was hurt bad, and I knew it.  The florescent fletch still showing verified what I thought I saw, and I was very hopeful, but not sure of an exit wound.

I waited about 10 minutes and decided to try and look for blood and the fletched end of my arrow as I heard it clicking as he made off....as I was going to run out of light fast.  I found no blood or arrow in the 1st 30 yards I looked, and I decided to back out till morning.  I felt like the deer was dead in a stone's throw, but I just wasn't going to chance pushing him.

I spotted what looked like a deer 40 yards from where I'd stopped the night before, and I jogged till I found out that it was just a big slab of light gray bark and a rusty reddish bent log...but no sooner as my hopes were dashed at that instant, I looked up the rise to the left, and there was no doubt at what I saw. He looked big as a horse!........Here's a couple of views.....

Showing the tines....


   


Showing the spread....

   

So, what do you know....the biggest buck I've ever killed, and he gave me two chances.  I didn't even know he was a ten pointer till I found him.  Icing on the cake.  And I got out of work this Monday morning    :D  


I've got a few more pics I share tomorrow...this boy is whooped!

[Grant Young]

Great hunt Terry, thanks for sharing. My best ever gave me two shots also. Makes it seem like destiny. Congratulations,                     Grant