opening morning buck

[HooknHorns]

Great first bow kill

[sticknstring]

Wow - congrats to the both of you! That's a great buck!

[slimngrizzly]

What a great buck! Love the short hair! Congrats on the shot and the deer!

[DRH1175]

Very Nice Buck!!

[browning_gold]

Here's the story firsthand:

Been bowhunting for 4 or 5 years, but have been deer hunting with my brother and dad since they would finally let me go with - so somewhere around 12 years old (just turned 30 this month - Happy Big 30 Buck to me!).

Last year I got my first doe with a bow, 35 yd shot, she only went about 50 yds. Shoulder shot a nice buck one year (last year?), had a few that I couldn't get drawn on over the last 4 years, and passed on some smaller ones, so I've had my close calls, but hadn't been able to harvest a big guy...till now!

So this year, I sweated my butt off and gathered lots of burrs climbing to nearly the top of my family's land in bluff country SE MN to "my stand" from our camper at the bottom of the valley. My stand is a ladder stand just to one side of a ridge (on my right if I'm sitting), facing downhill. Hoped to see a few does to make the hike worthwhile, but didn't have any high expectations. Just after legal shooting I had 3 does walk by downhill about 40 yds. They moved off quickly, just passing through, and I wasn't interested even if I'd had a shot. So I started doing a little reading on my phone.

Then just before 7:30am I hear some rustling uphill and on the ridge, figuring it was a squirrel, but when I looked I saw it was larger and knew it was a deer. Saw some horns, grabbed my bow from the hanger, shaking like mad. Looked again, saw more horns, and they were bigger horns yet! And they were only about 20 yds away, level with my stand on the hill walking a trail that goes about 10-15 behind my stand. I waited for an opening to get standing, since they were so close I knew I had to be careful. There was a little fork with velvet leading the way on the trail, and he turned around to the shooter 8 behind him. They were getting a little frisky so I figured they were pretty distracted with one another, and since the 10 was still behind a bit of brush, I took the opportunity to stand up and get turned. By then the 10 was in one opening and the 8 and fork were behind my tree, so when the 10s head went behind a tree as he followed the others, I drew and miraculously the shaking had ended as I just went through the motions. I locked on him and followed the 10 into the next opening and let it fly! I saw a mark in his hide where it looked like my arrow had gone in, and I knew it was a little high, but in all a solid hit and should be a kill shot. Then the shaking started up again!

They all tore off - I saw horns go over the top of the hill and wasn't sure if it was the 10 as I couldn't keep track of them when they ran behind my tree. I heard a high-pitched bleat-like noise up the hill to my left if I were sitting, and I hoped that was my buck. I immediately texted my boyfriend (Andrew - the OP who was hunting his family's land in central MN):

Me 7:30am: Just shot a monster!!!

Andrew 7:30am: You did How big where did you hit it

Me 7:32am: I’m sure it was a good hit!! OMG shaking so bad. 3 bucks together

Andrew 7:32am: How big

Me 7:33am: BIG

He may not be a monster to many of you, but certainly far bigger than I've ever gotten (5-pointer before APR)! Waited about 10 minutes and went to check for my arrow. Didn't find it, but saw good blood right away and knew it was a complete pass-through since I didn't see my arrow sticking out the entry side. Got back in stand to let him lay.

At 9:00am I started tracking, after about 20-30 yds I found my arrow (must've hung in the exit side by fletchings for a bit, did that with my doe last year too). I looked up the hill in the direction that I'd heard the high-pitched noise and saw his white belly! He only went about 50-60 yds. Went to get my brother, so I could get some nice photos before I ripped him open. It was a downhill drag to the 4-wheeler trail, but still a bit of work for my brother and I. Definitely worth it though!

Took him to the taxidermist the following Monday. I hadn't even considered the buck big enough for Pope and Young but the taxidermist brought it up and said that he'd probably score around 130-135. But he was going to check to see if they could score it with the little bit of velvet on there.

Sorry, I tend to be a bit long winded! So excited it was finally my turn! Thanks for letting me share this with you all!

Amanda

Here's another shot of him - better view of his rack. Andrew walked up to him in the truck like this and his eyes got a bit bigger as he said, "He's bigger than I thought." Pretty sure I was smiling from ear-to-ear!

[Andrew Erickson]

great story and even better buck, congrats!