finally sacked me a nice buck. 11-20-07 8:37 am. 8pt. 172# stateland alcona county michigan.

after a solid 2 1/2 weeks of rain, wind and overcast skies, it was kinda nice to see the sun poke out for 30 mins. just after dawn. the woods had that gorgeous high humidity fog hovoring just below the canapy. a little frost on the ground cover. dead calm wind, temps just above freezing. the forest, a thick mix of red, white pine, red oaks and a few aspen stand patches mixed in.
first light had been pretty uneventful till the fog lifted to the top of the trees. the first critters to become active were the birds skawking at the sun, then the turkeys started their music. lead by a thundrous booming tom a mear 200yrds away, but always out of sight, that fired up the hens which were scattered around the area. next, the field mouse that inhabits the stick pile of the ground blind that had several years of rebuilds, came for the rest of the trail mix i had put on the log the evening before. a few loud stick snaps and the internal alarm was set off by a couple grey and black squirrels. at 8:04 deer feet spotted moving through under the low limbs of the jack pine planting 150 yrds up wind, headed across my shooting lanes. gun brought up to attention, reviled a doe and her two fawns sneeking back into the lower white pine bedding area. false alarm.

10 mins. later, movement spotted 200 yrds. across the oak flat between the 15 year old jack pine planting and white pine lowland bedding area. gun brought up again. the small spike i've seen two other times this season had his nose to the ground headed trotting into the bedding area downwind of me. the warmth of the daylight began to warm the air and gentle gusts moved from west to east, the spike never appeared to pick up my blind entering scent trail. my rubber boots and spray had done their job i thought to myself. i passed on the little guy.

i was just starting to settle down my nerves when a stick snapped not far behind me to my southwest. it was abit louder then the two squirrels running around were making. knowing the wind was in my favor i sat tight, only pivoting my head slowly around. it was then after a few moments of quiet that a small doe bolted out of the thicket to my left about 45 yrds away. she stopped and stood crouched in the spring position tail waving around in a small 5 yrd opening. she was comming from the bedding area. showtime!

keeping my head stationary, i eased my body around very slowly as to make no noise. using the cover of the blind, i slide my rifle butt to my shoulder and placed the barrel on the log facing the deer just below the top edge cover of the blind. at the same time making sure that i had turned the scope magnafication down after the spike sighting. the doe looked to her backtrail twice and bolted across the oak/red pine flat angling northweat towards the jack pine clearcut thicket. why is it that time seems so short when you're waiting on stand, but so long when you're wait to take a shot?
seeming like 20 ,but was actually only 5 mins. the unmistakable sound of running hoof beats emited from behind the visually impenatrable thicket i was using as my blinds backside backdrop. they seamed to stop just out of sight of the opening. a couple slow deep breaths brought my breathing and heart beat into control again. i brought the rifle up into shooting position. time standing still again. i eased my now numb and needleing leg into a position where blood could now flow again. i rested my check on the stock and peared over the scope, making sure i wasn't breathing on the glass fogging it up. tick, tick,, tick,,, tick......

at this time, the gentel breeze had brought the thick misty fog from the jacks out on to the oak flats and began rising. just simply mystical!
as the fog reached the thicket the deer was in, he stepped out into the 5 yrd. opening the doe had been in. horns, points, rack, shooter. i lowered my eye to the scope and lined up the shot. "BANG" when my eye's refocused peering into the small opening, i couldn't see the buck drop or bolt, but a cloud of smoke where the deer was standing told me i had made good with my shot.

after 15 mins. i strolled over to the site of the death. the cloud i seen was from the hair settling down from the angleing away buck. he only made it 30yrds and piled up. i made a nice shot missing the pouch and making puddling of the lungs and end of the heart, but wasting the far left shoulder roast and the bullet never exited. certinally not one of the biggest bucks i've taken, but diffenitlly one of the best visual experinces. nice healthy 2 1/2 year old. lots of fat inside. just another magical day in the forest.

as i'm typing this my slow cooker is smelling soooooo good.

Nice kill! And a good story to boot.

good buck congrat's.........

Congrats on the buck. It's a beauty!!

It always makes me laugh when I hear people say "there are no big bucks on state land"

Way to prove them wrong!

Great story also.

Dave