By Toby Vertein

I was hesitant about going out this morning here in WI because of the unusually warm weather, but couldn't wait to sit a new stand.....lol The morning started out pretty boring until around 7:00 when a couple doe came down off the corn fields, but they took the wrong trail leading them away from my stand...so much for another buck tag. Around 7:30, I thought I'd give a couple of grunts and some very light rattling, being that I've noticed a couple scrapes yesterday afternoon. It seems the bucks are ready to go here...lol. Anyway, after a light rattling session, I heard a noise down the hill towards one of our older stands. I looked around the tree to see deer walking right under that other stand. I thought...NICE...here I am in the wrong place again, so I gave a couple more grunts. At this point, the lead one stopped for a second and then started coming up the hill at almost a trot. I saw the second one following him, and by the time they were about 80 yards from me, I noticed the one was a decent 9 point we had trail cam pics of that we wanted to take out. He just didn't seem to be carrying the horns we thought he should for a 3 1/2 yr old buck. The reason we know his age, is that we believe he was hit by a car as a fawn because my brother and I both saw a fawn with a bloody wound on his back about 4 inches in diameter. Last year, we had noticed a small 8 with what appeared to be a bald spot on his back, and it was confirmed the beginning of Nov. last year when he walked under my brother. My bro said it was a bald spot,but there was no sign of recent injury like from a barb wire fence or anything, it was just BALD. I digress..lol The two bucks continued towards me, and then each took a separate trail, so ther was going to be one on each side of the tree. The smaller of the two came up on my right, real tight to the tree, within inches, and he stopped after going about 10 feet past my tree. I had already turned on the stand and was waiting for the other one. He was walking past a small maple, and I drew when his head went behind it. I thought the other one was out of the picture to me, but as soon as I drew, I heard him take a couple quick steps. This stopped the buck I was ready to shoot, and I'm guessing the other one was looking up at me because when mine stopped to look at the other buck, he then immediately looked UP at ME!...DANG...BUSTED. Well, he stood there with just half his neck and head in my shooting lane staring up at me and trying to wind me. I stood at full draw for what had to be going on two minutes. I began to quiver a bit, and decided I had to shoot him in the neck if he didn't take a step in the next few seconds as I just couldn't hold it back anymore. He didn't move his body, but he did look back at the other buck, and I settled my pin just under his ear in the center of his neck and touched off the trigger. The arrow sailed clean and true for the whole 12 yards, and a resounding CRACK! that knocked him about 2 feet sideways. He laid there and kicked a couple times and in less than minute, all was silent in the woods again. I haven't scored him yet, and I'll try to get it done tomorrow, but I did include a pic from out in the woods not 10 yards from my stand. I hope you all enjoy.

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