Ok y'all I am finally with a little time to tell the story. Be forewarned though as it is sort of anti climatic.
It started 3 years ago when I first got pics of this deer. He was a nice deer and I knew right away had good potential. He was a 125ish 8 point. As season got underway he showed up many times on cam but I never seen him. As season progressed he disappeared and I initially thought he was dead as there are many hunters on adjoining properties. Come shed season I found out he had not died when I picked up his right side.
So on comes August 2014 and I put out a cam but toward the front of the property to keep from disturbing the back to much. One of the first bucks on cam was him and he had grown substantially. I had him a lot on cam and am convinced I would have killed him had it not been for the landowner allowing 4 people access to dig ginseng. When they started the buck became sporadic and then disappeared again. I did not find his sheds and was sure he had been killed .
So now the buck has been forgotten and it is early August this year. I have a cam out in the same place as last year and it had been there for 2 weeks. I decide it is time to check it. I get to the spot and start walking back the field edge. Just as I get to the corner of the field just over a small rise; suddenly there is a big set of beautiful light brown velvet covered antlers above the beans. I knelt down and fumbled for my phone. Looking at the phone it is 11:04am. I turn the camera on to video mode and video the buck for several minutes from 25 yards to about 50 where he went in to the woods. While waiting to give him time to move away I had time to reflect on what I had seen. First thing was he had a crab claw on the right side. Second was he had a split browl on the left. Third he had a companion, a small 1.5 year old 6 point. Fourth his rack shape and the split browl was the same as last year and I knew he had made it. This was the first time I had ever seen the deer.
I went and checked the cam and he was not on it even though he was standing on 35 yards from it and had walked into the woods toward it. I knew I needed to put out more cams and figure out his movements a bit better. I cam back the following day and set more cams. One of those cams was a covert wireless cam to send pics directly to my phone. In 3 days he started showing up and became a regular as long as the wind was out of the south. He never was on any of my cams during this time with anything other than a south wind. For this reason I named him Southpaw. I already had a stand set up that would work to take him and he was showing up with plenty of day light left.
Then tragedy struck. Ok so it wasn't a tragedy but it did stink anyway. The land owner had not cut any fire wood during the spring or summer and a week before the opener he started to cut. Southpaw became nocturnal to the field and only was there a couple times. There was a big 9 point showing up sporadically with just a few minutes of light left but I really want Southpaw.
I sat the stand on the opener and saw a bunch of does and the 6 point but not either of the big bucks. I knew I had to change strategy or I wouldn't kill Southpaw. So on Monday I went in and hung a new set at the back of the property. Set up the wireless cam and went home. I had left there about 2pm and at 9:30pm Southpaw showed up on cam. The next night he was there at 9. Then he left for a day. Came back the third day in shooting light. He was showing up with all different winds and from 11:54am-dark. There was no pattern what so ever. I hunted him twice from the stand and neither time did he show up. So on October 3rd I was gonna try it again. At roughly 10am while on my way home a woman made a left hand turn in front of me and I t-boned her at about 55mph. Totaled both cars and hurt my girlfriend and myself but everyone survived the crash. Needless to say I was at the hospital and did not make it out. However Southpaw again showed up at 6:30pm and was there for 45 minutes. As the pics came in I vowed to be there on Sunday the 4th.
So Sunday comes and with it comes dead east wind. Not a great wind but if he was coming from where I thought he was then I should be able to get away with it but if it shifted even a little south I would be done. I get to the property about 2pm and get dressed. I walked to the corner of the field and checked the camera card. 3 deer all at night over the last week. That seals the deal and I head into the back stand. At about 530 a really pretty 3.5 year old 10 point comes through. I am hopeful that Southpaw will move early. At about 6pm the wind starts to switch and swirl throwing my scent in every direction. I know the best thing to do is leave.
At about 6:15 I start hearing the dog 100 yards from my field stand barking. He does this every time deer are in the field and the wind is blowing toward him. He can't see them and they can't see the dog but he smell them I am sure. They don't pay him any mind though. So I figure what the heck might as well get down and sneak up there to at least see what is there. Got my gear together and down and headed out. By this time it was about 6:45 and it was probably 600 yard walk. I wasn't in a hurry so I was just slipping along. Crossed the valley and got up to the logging road that goes to the field. I am about 80 yards in yet and can not see the field but I am scanning the oak tree slightly up the hill to my right as I slip along.
Suddenly a deer snorts and I look in time to see it bound over the hill. It had been by to logging road about 50 yards in front of me. Oh well no biggie at least It wasn't one of the big bucks. So with the gig up and it being about 7 I start walking up the road. Not trying to be quiet but not running either. As I get to about 20 yards from the field I look out through the trees and holy crap there is a big deer and a smaller one with their heads down eating. I went into stealth mode and slipped a few yards closer. I had planned to try and sneak to the edge and make the shot but I figured I better range the deer first. I slipped off my pack and got my range finder.
46 yards so I slowly slipped a few closer. 42 yards. So 2 more slow step but these ones were in the wide open with no cover. 40 yards exactly. I turn the dial to 40. The buck is up hill from me and sky lined so it was more of a dark silhouette with no definition and nothing to pick out to aim at. He turned straight away from me. Dang I waited to long. As if on cue he turned broadside again. As I was trying to settle the crosshairs for the 40 yard off hand shot he turned quartering away. I aimed and squeezed.
With a twang and a thump he was quickly departing the field. I knew I had hit him but with him being sky lined I had no idea exactly where and I felt I may have pulled the shot a little. I listened as he entered the woods and did not hear a crash. At this point it was an easy decision to back out and wait. The time was 7:07 and I was dumbfounded as to how the heck this had just happened and I actually pulled it off. At this point I had no idea if I had shot Southpaw or the wide 9. Honestly I didn't care. I talked to several buddies that night and 2 of them said they had a feeling it was southpaw because he liked to be with that 6 point.
The next morning October 5th I drove to Travis house and we headed out. Upon arriving at the property we walked across the field to where he was standing and quickly found his tracks. There was no arrow nor any blood. I got a little worried but not bad. We walked to the area he had run into the woods and could not find blood. Now I was getting super worried. We each took a trail and started to do mini grid searches for blood. About 20 yards in he softly whistled to me. He was only about 20 yards away but when we track we do not like to talk just in case the deer isn't dead. He pointed to the ground and I thought he had blood. I took a few steps his way and he whistled again. He pointed to the ground and held his hands up like a rack and then looked down hill. As my eyes traversed the angle of his gaze they came up a magnificent sight. My deer lying stone still on its side.
I started toward it and as I got to about 20 yards I realized it was indeed Southpaw and I can not put into words how amped I was. It is truly special when you set out to take one particular buck and succeed in doing so. My arrow was lying next to him and he had not left blood that we could find even by back tracking him. The shot was on the money. Could have maybe been a couple inches forward. Entered the gut area and angled up through taking out liver and at least 1 lung before coming most of the way out high on the off side. His chest was completely filled with blood but the entrance had absolutely none coming out. He had only made it about 90 yards total and I believe he was dead when I walked out.
