I was up at 0500 to dress and eat. I was settled in the 23 foot ladder stand by 0605 and watched things begin to wake u0p around me.
At 0700, the big four point buck came from my right and went behind me again. This time he disappeared in some bamboo, then reappeared in another area of the swamp. Then I was able to watch him through my binoculars walk to a place where he laid down and stayed. Now I know why he’s been going behind me.
At 0728, I heard, then saw a six point buck coming through the water to my right. Her was moving until he got about half way across then he stopped, like he smelled me. He took a few steps and did it again. Then he moved into an area eighteen yard in from of my stand and stopped, looking around ahead of him.
I already had turned on my scope, and turned my safety off. I placed the twenty yard dot behind his left shoulder, just at the midline, and squeezed the trigger.
His hind legs went up and he moved off about twenty-five yards and started to walk, then stagger, for about an additional twenty yards and fell over on his right side. He tried to get up a few times, but could not. By 0805, he made no more movement at all.
I had called The Bride right after I shot the buck and asked her to bring over the camera at 0830 to take some pictures. At 0830 she came walking in and took the pictures I wanted, then helped me dress the buck out, then pull out on my toboggan, to the truck. It has been a very nice morning to say the least. Three bucks seen, and one down.
After getting him into the truck and getting him to the house, I finished the process by offering his spirit to the Lord, to wander in the eternal forest of heaven forever, and my thanks to the Lord for the bounty he had bestowed on the this morning.
