A 12 Pointer with my bow by Eddy Chance

It was a great weekend at the lease for me this past weekend (10/8/05 – 10/9/05).  The cold weather really had the deer moving.  I have been feeding corn year round since getting on the lease last season.  I am amazed at the number of deer on our lease.

Saturday morning I had several nice young eight point bucks and fourteen doe visit my feeder.  None of the bucks were over three years old.  As usual, I had a large number of turkeys both Saturday morning and during the evening.  I took a lot of digital pictures of the small eight point bucks while waiting for the big one to show up. 

At around 7:00 PM there were over 24 doe’s and approximately 15 bucks at my feeder, all within bow range.  At around 7:05 PM I saw two bucks in the distance headed towards the feeder.  I quickly glassed them and to my surprise the lead buck was a large main frame 10 point.  Right behind him was a large tall-tined eight point.  The ten point (I had not seen the two kickers yet) ran to the bucks feeding near my bow blind, and ran off a heavy eight point buck that had been feeding for some time.  I  managed to take some video of the ten point as he ran pass my blind.

I went ahead and picked up my bow and got ready just in case he came back.  Well within a few minutes he walked back in just in front of my bow blind.  I waited a few minutes to make sure he had settled into eating corn and for him to present a quartering away shot.  When he turned slightly I drew my bow to take the shot.  As I released the arrow he jumped forward but the arrow buried deep just in front of his right rear leg.

He bolted and ran out about sixty yards in front of my blind and just stood there.  I picked up my binoculars and watched to see what he would do next.  He stood motionless for about three minutes.  He then tried to take a few steps but laid down just behind a bush.  I could still see that he was looking around but I was running out of day light.  He sat on the ground for about forty five minutes but then got up and limped about ten steps.  He then went between two bushes and disappeared.

After about twenty minutes there were still bucks and does all around me, but it was completely dark so I decided to back out of my blind and come back later to make sure he had enough time to expire.  I went back to the camp and had some supper with my two boys and a buddy and his son.

At around 10:30 PM I decided to go look for him.  We walked in very quiet and I had my bow ready just in case.  We went to the first place he laid down and there was only a small spot of blood on the grass.  I stared worrying but we continued to the last place I saw him and one of my buddies said “there he is!”  It was an amazing feeling of relief.  He had only gone another ten yards from where he laid down the first time.

This was the largest buck that I’ve ever taken with a bow.  He is a main frame ten with kickers off of his G2’s.  He gross scored 145.  I shot him with a Mathews Q2, using carbon arrows, with Muzzy 125g, four-blade broadheads.  He is at the taxidermist and will be mounted on a table top pedestal mount.