10/28 Going into the 2022 season, I had one buck on my mind. It was Ranger. A giant, at least a 6 year old typical 12 pointer that Amy first scouted back in 2020. She found the buck while long range glassing during the archery season. That fall, I passed this buck during the late muzzleloader season only because I felt it was only right, and fair, that Amy should at least have the opportunity to hunt a buck that she had found.

So, in 2021, Amy and I both hunted this buck. However, we weren’t very aggressive on him. Our son Forest also got to hunt him a bit in 2021 as well when he drew his non-resident tag. And looking back, I took Lily too once during late muzzy of 2020 as a long shot sit to see if we could see him. During 2021, although we were not very aggressive on him, we learned a whole hell of a lot about this buck. Where he likely bedded. What his favorite travel patterns were. What his October bed to feed pattern was. But, in mid November, after having somewhat consistent cam pics of him and sightings while hunting, it all went cold. About that same time, a big bodied buck was poached very near where Ranger’s evening feeding cycle took him. Was it a coincidence? Or was Ranger dead and hid in some jerks garage?

From mid November 2021, until last night, nobody knew. Amy, for good reason, had written him off. I had my doubts. It all seemed like the evidence pointed to him being dead. The poached deer, the fact that we saw him last year with a bad limp on his front left shoulder. No sign of him for almost a year. Was he dead? A betting man would say yes?

Going into last night’s hunt, I had sat specifically for Ranger 2 sits already this year. Not even knowing he was alive, part of me thought I could be wasting my time. But, by some chance, if he was still alive, I could put myself in a position to kill him. Amy was at least somewhat confident in her sit on the neighbor’s farm for the evening hunt. Her hunt for Muley would end but at this point we wouldn’t know it. The thought was I would sit with her on that farm, but in a different spot. She would sit the blind, I would sit a hang on stand about 400 yards to the south. The idea was good, but the long term weather showed south winds every day going forward. Today, we had east winds. My thoughts turned to Ranger. I pulled a last minute switch. Amy would go herself, I would hunt for Ranger behind the house. We don’t have a single good spot this time of year to hunt Ranger with a south wind…if I wanted a chance at this deer (of who I don’t even know is alive at this point), I have to go after him tonight.

So, the stage is set. I’m sitting a stand Forest and I hung in the spring of 2021 specifically for Ranger. It takes advantage of all the intel we have of him on a bed to feed pattern during late October. Would he show? Doubtful! But It’s my play.

Access to this stand is OK. You need to go in early and I did. The stand sits squarely in the sun on a sunny day. The warm temps and direct sunlight left me in a t-shirt and brown jeans for almost the whole hunt. When I settle into the stand, my pack would sit at my level to my left, my quiver taken off my bow and hung upside down on the homemade climbing sticks…No I thought, you need to put your quiver in the pack in case you need a second arrow. (That part when telling it sounds like a line of BS, but that actually happened. I moved my quiver to the pack just to my left for easy access. Something I don’t normally think of?)

As I’m sitting on stand, baking in the afternoon heat, I caught myself thinking “you could and probably are wasting valuable sits hunting a buck that no longer exists” Then I would think “yeah but, how often do you get the chance to possibly hunt a buck like this”?

All afternoon, I watch deer enter and leave a cornfield. Little bucks, does and fawns. All afternoon. The deer, as expected, were still using sparse cover in the water ways and ditches in the corn fields because they were still standing. Then later, about 5:30, 3 bucks walk the edge of the corn toward me and disappear in the corn. Then to my left, moments later, a doe and a fawn…two more, make their way toward me. They jump the fence and move past me to my west. “Please don’t wind me” is what I’m thinking. Between 5:30 and about 6:00 I watch does and fawns and little bucks go in and out of the standing corn. Feeding, a little small chasing. A fun night. The does and fawns from earlier eventually do make it down wind of me, smell something wrong, but don’t spook. I’t now 6:10. Sunset is 6:15.

When the sun does go down, it helps my vision from this stand. No longer do I have to look into glaring light. On this night, that would prove BIG. As the sun disappears to my west, I see a little buck coming toward me, about 100+plus yards off. There’s a bigger buck with him, no doubt the same 2 year old 8 I’ve seen come from that ditch twice before this season. With deer all around me, I can’t move to pick up my binoculars hanging around my neck. I remain motionless, afraid to even breath heavy. Deer are now everywhere around me. I’ve seen this play out before in this spot as deer stage before heading out for their evening feeding cycle.

That first smaller buck I saw moments ago has now jumped the fence coming toward me about 80 yards away. The bigger buck is behind, and he’s getting bigger as he gets closer. No thoughts of Ranger at all at this point. But, this buck is big. Oh hell, he’s a shooter. I can’t move but my bow is still hung up to my left. But I have to move. As slow as is humanly possible, I work at getting my bow in my left hand while keeping my eyes on this shooter buck. As I feel the cold of the bow in my left hand, I simultaneously now have a clear view of this bigger buck coming out from behind some cover. OMG!!!

In the past 20 years of hunting, 15 for sure, I can honestly say I have not been rattled by a big buck. I don’t get the shakes (maybe a little after a shot), or I don’t lose my cool. But what happened to me in the next 5 minutes was something I didn’t think was possible. Once I figured out this shooter buck was Ranger, my mind and body came undone! My right release hand shook so bad I couldn’t clip it to my D loop. My body twitched and shook like I had hypothermia. I was preparing for the shot. Ranger was now at 35 yards and was about to cross the ditch right in front of me like I had seen him do so many times in previous sits….only now I was there, in that spot. As he starts to cross, I draw. Up the bank would put him at about 30 yards…but instead he starts walking away from me in the ditch. That’s still a good shot. I settle in on his heart…high heart I’m thinking, but my mind and body was having none of it. I shook like I was having some sort of out of body adrenaline experience. Doing the best I could, I put the pin high heart and squeeze off the shot. NOT EVEN CLOSE! Holy crap. The arrow flies cleary 3 feet in front of the giant and I’m done! I’m done! The buck bolts back up the ditch the way he came but stops. With deer all around me, they are confused. What the hell just happened they must be thinking.

I just missed. You F&*#ing just missed. 3 years, and this is how you blow the shot. Then, I quickly regain my composure, at least somewhat, to realize this ain’t over yet. Ranger is standing broadside, at 40 yards. The deer are spooked, but clearly don’t know what happened. By now, there are deer all around me. Can I possibly get another arrow and try this again?

(update:10/30, last night I had a friend come over to see the deer. When he found out I had missed on the first shot, he jabbingly said “Tom, you don’t miss. You have ice in your veins”. Well, we all miss. It’s been a long time since I missed, and missed that badly. Looking back on that first shot, I have no idea what happened. Clearly something major went wrong. Maybe I didn’t use my peep sight? Maybe I aimed on the wrong side of the shoulder? Was I just shaking that bad? I really have no idea. No excuses for sure, but I absolutely came unravelled. I did however think it was important to tell everyone that I did in fact miss. It was a major part of that hunt. And something I’ll have to learn from.)

Now, going back to earlier in the night, I made a small but turns out big move to relocate my quiver. As slowly again as I could, I reach into my pack and struggle to get out another arrow with one hand. My knees still shaking, are holding my bow up. After what seemed like ages, I manage to get an arrow lose and out of the pack, lift it to my mouth where I can hold it while my left hand grabs the bow. Now, with my right, I knock a second arrow, and clip on my release. Holy shit, I’m still in this. Just as that happens, another doe comes from my east but walks right under my stand. It’s now later, maybe 6:40. That doe, SAVES me! Not only does an adult doe walking around now, under me, give the OK sign to other deer, it also gives the OK to Ranger who turns and starts coming back. This time crossing the ditch even closer, now facing me at 20 yards all he needs to do is turn…and then he does. As he turns, his focus on the doe, I’m able to draw straight back. Still getting over my earlier miss, I settle down and put the arrow this time squarely on the big bodied deer’s heart…MEH…MEH and then release as the buck stops!

This time, I hear the classic shwack. The buck runs south headed for the cattle fence and starts to sway. He crawls under the fence and is now standing on the other side. TIp over…damnit TIP OVER. With another arrow already knocked, I saw no reason to chance anything at this point. The buck is now 60+ yard away. I aim high over his back and launch…upon hitting the deer he falls over. Ranger is down. And I’m about to fall over!

The next few hours had Amy and I retrieving the two bucks we were after that night. Thank goodness nephew Brady was in camp to help with the dragging.

At 202 4/8 inches, Ranger is my second biggest scoring buck. But, he clearly was my biggest nemesis taking me 3 seasons to finally put myself in position. He made me feel like I was 12 years old again.