Up the Creek Buck #2..................

[offshore]

It was Thursday night when we decided to call off fishing this weekend. A trip we had been looking forward to for sometime now. I guess in the big scheme of things everything works out and for good reasons most of the time.
Since I had already scheduled off Friday I decided to load up the Kayak and make the journey up the creek to one of my favorite haunts over the years. The three weeks from Nov. 1st - Thanksgiving is about the only time I hunt this out of the way stand and for good reason. With a N- NE wind blowing the series of trails pinch down to a small oak flat which is 90% surrounded by swamp or creek. During the rut this flat becomes a runway in the thickest nastiest part of the property we hunt. It is over 600yds from the nearest trail so boat is the only option.
I shot a Eight out of this stand a week ago and during this hunt I noticed some great sign and some nice bucks that skirted the stand staying in the bays. Finally Friday the 12th it was time to venture back in. As I sat in the Lock-on stand which has almost become part of the split red oak it is perched in, I couldn't help but think of a conversation my hunting partner and I had earlier that day. He had mentioned the big eight-point I shot last year in Nov, Friday the 13th to be exact. I sort of laughed it off as we talked about how it was time to take another nice buck almost exactly one year to the day.
As luck would have it the deer were moving in full force. After an hour or so and a few series of grunts I heard a buck making some shallow deep grunts as he worked his way closer. Little did I know this would be one of those afternoons that a hunter only thinks about. Soon a really nice eight started his way down the edge of one of the bays followed by a bigger eight point. They soon vanished back into a juniper thicket on the other side of a flat. At 3:30 a small 6 point work his way under my stand and across the flat.While I was watching him the ten point I saw last week after I shot the eight wondered in behind me not giving me a shot. As luck would have it this would turn out to be a good thing a little later in the day. It struck me as odd that all the bucks were basically congregated in the same area in and around the juniper thicket. Shortly I found out why as I saw the bay bushes moving ever so slightly and a lone doe with her tail between her legs cautiously made her way out of the thicket and into the bay 30 yds from my stand. As I stood up and grabbed my bow the Ten Point was downwind of her moving at a quick pace to intercept her. I was getting ready to draw my bow when out of the corner of my left eye I noticed movement. One look at the rack and I lost all interest in the first ten as all I saw was points and mass. He was coming down a trail 28yds from the stand. I picked out a hole in the bay bushes and as fate would have it the doe had turned and was heading back toward him. As he saw the doe he stopped perfectly in the opening, I was already drawn back and when he stopped I had already aimed at the shoulder and released the arrow. The shot looked good and the mud flew and the buck made a hole through the bay bushes.One problem though he was heading to the creek. Deer scattered everywhere and I heard a few deer hit the water,I sat and wondered if the buck I shot was one of them. I made the decision to slip out and go back to look for him this morning.
Another sleepless night just like last years big buck!! Toss and turn and toss and turn all night!! I made it back in to the flat by 7:15am and followed the sprayed on blood trail 70yds and there he was a beautiful Main frame 10pt with split brow tine to make him a heavy 12pt. My hunting partner couldn't beleive that this buck was shot one year to the day I shot the buck last year................

[scattered_grass]

that's awesome. I know all about those sleepless nights

[weekender]

great read about an awesome buck, CONGRATS on really fine trophy whitetail

[Bird Dog]

Very nice buck. Love those brow tines.

[Tenacious]

Nice work Mark, you make it look so easy!

[netman9]

Nice.

[seapower]

But some of you guy's are really starting to piss me of with all your big fancy buck's,hog huntin', bear huntin' yellow fin's and wahoo jumpin' in the boat stuff!!!! I'm sick of it I'm tellin' ya, how about you's guy's start keeping some of this great luck to yourselve's just a little. I haven't even had a chance to sight my rifle's in yet! You know some of us got a chain around our neck's. I mean come on! By the way nice buck! Frank

[offshore]

But some of you guy's are really starting to piss me of with all your big fancy buck's,hog huntin', bear huntin' yellow fin's and wahoo jumpin' in the boat stuff!!!! I'm sick of it I'm tellin' ya, how about you's guy's start keeping some of this great luck to yourselve's just a little. I haven't even had a chance to sight my rifle's in yet! You know some of us got a chain around our neck's. I mean come on! By the way nice buck! Frank

Frank Take those chains off and toss them overboard!!

[offshore]

Nice work Mark, you make it look so easy!

I always tell my wife its way tougher fishing and hunting then going to work!! For some reason she doesn't beleive me. It is true!! Up way before sunrise back home way after dark loading everything in the truck then unloading it later. Putting up stands and moving them often. Its tough I tell ya!!.....

Here is one I videoed this afternoon while in the tree.Quartering away!!

[Bking]

Year after year Mark gets it done ! Congrats on another stud !