Hunter: EJ Alexander
Points: 12 (6L, 6R)
County: Dooly
Season: 2015-2016
Hunt Story
I put a lock-on stand 20 feet up a pine using climbing sticks yesterday. I was done at 2 pm, returning at 6 pm. I started not to hunt that evening due to scent concerns, but, luckily, I changed my mind. The buck came out of the northwest and crossed in front of me at about 25 yards. I had on ScentLoc and was downwind of the buck. He never knew I was there. I counted 10 points and committed to the kill. As he got perpendicular to me and his head passed behind a tree, I drew. When he stepped out, he kind of angled slightly away, stepped forward with his right leg and paused. I put my 30-yard pin low behind his shoulder and put a 125-grain Spitfire in his boiler room. As he ran out of sight, I memorized his path and listened to the clang, clang of the arrow hitting trees. It was 7:10 pm and starting to get dark as the sun set. I sat for an agonizing hour, got down and found a nice blood trail for 100 yards. At that point, I found my arrow and trailed him for another 25 yards before it ended...not a speck to be found and it is dark. I got that sickening feeling every hunter knows....Am I going to find this buck tonight or will I be out at first light hoping to find him or the buzzards in lieu of a bloodhound. Will I ever find this deer and see the day I hang him in my mancave or never see him again. If I don't find him, please let him survive! I put up a light at the last spot of blood and started heading out in the general direction through a lot of high brush. About 75 yards out, I stopped, looked around at this dense undergrowth and said a prayer. LORD, I know this is just me deer hunting; but, I know you know right where this deer is and I do not. I can't possible find this deer in the dark, in these high weeds, please help me. Some of you don't believe, many of you will say, yeah, right. Some of you will understand; I was lead to go to my right, off the direction I was going. I took 20 steps and walked right up to him. It was just me, the dead buck, the dark and a lot of thick weeds to witness this; so, I guess you'll just have to take my word for it. The second miracle is he died 20 yards from an access road; so, I had a very short distance to drag 229 lbs.
