Hunter: Josh Knight
Points: 11 (6L, 5R)
County: Laurens
Season: 2015-2016
Hunt Story
Well, it was Friday afternoon with a Northeast wind and a nasty mist. The particular buck that I was going after I had not had a daylight picture of in 2 weeks. I was hunting this particular buck in the city limits, and I was getting him on 2 different cameras on 2 different properties. I was dealing with subdivisions and a 4 lane highway he was crossing that was making it difficult to pattern him. The first week of bow season I got a quick glimpse of him and had no shot. I wanted to be really careful in how approached this deer and the way I hunted him so I didn't spook him. Waiting for the right wind and right weather conditions would play a huge part in me killing him. A lot of people do not use trail cameras, but a trail camera paired with woodsmanship can really play a big part in harvesting a mature deer, and that was def true with this hunt. Last year I broke down and bought me 2 covert cellphone cameras. Whenever I get a good deer on one of my regular trail cams, I will immediately move my coverts in so I can begin patterning him. This particular buck I was hunting was going back and forth on 2 different properties, and my coverts were letting me know which property he was on so I could get a game plan on how I would kill him. I had a lot of pictures of this deer last year and a buck is a creature of habit. Taking the information from last year and all the information from this year I had a great idea of how I would get a shot on this buck. I got in the stand Friday around 5:30. It was misting pretty hard on me and the wind was blowing 10-15 MPH, and it was a cool 63 degrees. It was shaping up to be a great afternoon to get my target buck up on his feet. Keep in mind I had no daylight pics of him in 2 weeks, but it's all about timing. Being at the right place at the right time. I texted my buddies in a group message around 6:15 and said I believe it's going to happen this afternoon. Around 7:10 I look up and I see a doe coming in. I stood up and grabbed my Obsession Bow and hooked in my release. As she came in very cautious to kept looking behind her. You can just imagine how hard I am staring trying to see another deer. About 5 minutes went by and the doe walks by me, and I will never forget what happens next. I hear a limb snap! As a bowhunter my hearts starts racing because in my mind I just know it's him. I look up through the pines and the first thing I see is his main beams. At this point I'm trying to calm my nerves enough to make the shot. The buck comes in to 15 yards and faces me, and just like every mature buck does he stops and stands there for it seemed like 10 minutes, and in my head am saying take just 3 more steps and turn for me. What seemed like forever he turns quartered to me and I come to full draw. I am shooting a 125 grain Bipolar and I have no problem shooting this deer in the shoulder. I settle my pin and squeeze the trigger, the buck stands on his back legs and falls on his back and kicks twice, and he is dead in less than 5 seconds. I got him high shoulder quartering to me at almost a straight down angle and arrow lodged in the bottom of his stomach. I have never dropped a deer without spining him. It was almost like you shot him with a rifle. All the emotions, all the time in the stand had finally payed off. I had killed my target buck. I got down and walked over to him and said a. prayer thanking God for the opportunity to do what I love. And that's something I will never take for granted.
