8-point buck down, LATE in the season

Edward Hart and I on December 29

Charles Waring and I with my 8-point buck

Patience and perseverance are but two of the keys to becoming a successful deer hunter. Harvesting a decent buck during the season is always a goal for this seasoned hunter, but for whatever reason the best bucks had not come into view for me this year. Sure I had glimpsed some racks here and there, but nothing that even had me consider raising the gun. However, I never gave up on my quest for a quality buck during the 2011 campaign, and I did not settle for lowering the gold standard: a shooter buck must possess a minimum of 8-points and the antler spread should be outside the ears or better. With just THREE days to go in deer season, I was patiently awaiting my turn and on December 29th while hunting with two friends at Snipe Hill my opportunity presented itself. Sitting on a winter food plot on a 12-foot Strongbuilt ladder stand, two deer appeared at 5:45 in dim light conditions. They were 150-yards away and  I confirmed with binoculars that one was a doe and one was a good buck with the tell-tale white rim of antlers around the ears. Shooting free-handed, I steadied the Browning .270 stainless steel stalker the best I could while dialing up the magnification on my Leopuld scope. The buck gave me a long look at his broadside, the type of look that says this must be right! After squeezing the trigger, the buck ran into the woods and I heard ONE mighty crash. Retrieving my hunt buddies from their stands was the next priority and when we returned together to look for the buck via flashlight, I took the lead. Only about 20-yards into the woods I saw the great eight-point in the brush, clearly expired from a clean kill shot. A celebration broke out, but I was especially gratified that this nice buck came after a season of 'paying dues'.

To view past blog entries about fishermen who tag nice bucks click here.

A live oak makes a great backdrop for a quality 8-point