Was lucky rather than good, but got it done. Magnus Stinger 4 Blade helped.

[dannyb278]

Got this buck down on the evening of 10/28 on my farm. 40 yard shot, slightly uphill. A shot I have practiced for months knowing that the chances of me getting into this position were good. Well, all the range time in the world didn't keep my heart from seeming like it was going to punch straight out of my chest when this guy walked up. Drew back on him no less than 3 times before calming my nerves and getting a good broadside shot. Well, "buck fever" did get the best of me, and instead of performing a good follow through with my bow after the release, I immediately jerked my head to the left to see if I hit. This resulted in the arrow shanking to the left. Fortunately the arrow went straight through the major artery in the neck. An couple inches lower, and he would have walked away with nothing more than a close shave.

Thankfully he bled out quick, but not before he through himself down the steepest, nastiest most deadfall crossed drainage on the property. He was so far up the drainage, that we couldn't turn him around in the creek, it was so narrow. Took 2 hours to get him out.

Through random chance, the arrow embedded itself in a small tree, 10 yards behind the buck and 50 yards from my stand. Had you handed me a suitcase of money to intentionally make that shot, 99/100 I would miss.

I've been bow hunting 6 years now, and this was the 3rd arrow I have ever fired at a animal. As antlers go, he is a fine specimen, representative of the deer in my area. What really stands out to me though is the body. Very large compared to the deer we typically see around our place. The freezer is definitely full.

 

[LCH]

That's a nice one! What state are you in?

 

[Addicting]

Nice

 

[MN Public Hunter]

Ha, love the pics and a nice buck !

 

[dannyb278]

That's a nice one! What state are you in?

Thanks! Southern Minnesota, in the Minnesota River Valley. The Farm has been in the family since 1888. 300 acres of river bottom, ag-field and river bluffs.

 

[406LIFE]

Nice pass thorugh. I shoot stingers as well, zero complaints.

Come out west, we'll show you a packout. I'd love if the last one was only 2 hours.

 

[dannyb278]

Nice pass thorugh. I shoot stingers as well, zero complaints.

Come out west, we'll show you a packout. I'd love if the last one was only 2 hours.

Oh believe me, i have carried heavy packs for MANY miles all across the west. I was tempted to quarter and pack out the animal like we do on western hunts, but like most Minnesota hunters we ended up dragging him out whole. was only a few hundred yards but was through a steep wooded drainage completely crossed with deadfall. I honestly didn't think it would be as difficult as it was. Had I known, I would have cut him up right there in the creek bottom.

Strange how VERY FEW hunters are willing to do that out east, you mention quartering a whitetail in the woods and they look at you like your crazy, mostly because in ag country you can get a truck or atv within a couple hundred yards. It is a nice bias for others to have though when you hunt on public land here in MN. Most guys wont go beyond 1/4 mile off a road. They just aren't used to thinking about packing out a animal...Much of this stems I think from legal requirements for a lot of years to have to "check in" you deer whole at a check station through much of the state. It was only a few years ago that you could register your deer over the phone on site, which then makes it legal to cut up and pack out.