Thursday I went back to the same stand that I had the little mishap out of Tuesday evening and settled in for a little hunting. Things were REAL slow all the way up to about 7:00. I hadn't seen a deer yet (2hrs) when I heard it.....................URRRRRP, URRRRRP. I about fell out of my Gunslinger. I thought to myself, "Can't be". URRRRRP, UUUURRRRRRP. This time there was no doubt it was a buck tending a doe and from the sound of his grunting this was no spike! I stood up and got my bow ready but they just splashed back and forth out in front of me in some real thick, flooded planted pines, never giving me a look. I grunted at him with my Ridge Runner and everything got too quiet for about 10 minutes. I thought I had blown it! About 30 minutes after the first time I heard him grunt I see a deer coming down the logging road and I got ready. It is now 7:30 or so and getting pretty dark in the woods. He closes to 60, 50, 40, 30, 20 and I begin to draw my bow.........wait a minute this IS a spike. I can't believe it, this deer has about 6 inch pencil thin horns? URRRRRRP, URRRRRP....I am shocked back to the pines, more splashing and grunting. Finally she appears coming down a grown up skidder trail that dumps into the logging road I am on. She is in no hurry and just eases closer and closer, still no suitor. URRRRRP, UUURRP, he's still there I just can't see him. Finally I catch a glimpse of his rack and the shaking starts. He looks to be pretty wide with good G2's. The doe is now at 30 yards and doesn't like something, I suspect it is the spike who is now under my tree. Things ease up and she moves past my location which in doing so I feel has guaranteed me a shot at the bigger buck. He is now at 25 yards, only 1.5 yards from the exact spot the doe I shot Tuesday had been standing. I draw my bow and settle the 20 yard pin low in his chest and let her go. Perfect! He only waddles a short 50 yards and all is quiet again. Except for the spike who now thinks maybe he will chase the doe. I waited a few minutes (not gonna lie to you, maybe 5, skeeters are horrible) and get down. He is a good 6 point for my club here in Florida. 14" wide, with decent G2's. He had plenty of room to grow some G3's but didn't. He has a little fish tail on one end and a bump on the other. My wife said he is an 8 point, but it won't stretch that far. The shocker to me was he weighed 151 lbs! We never and I repeat never kill deer that weigh that much down here. Between the ones I have taken and the ones I have cleaned we are talking a few hundred deer and I have only had my hands on maybe 5 that weighed more. I know this is little by Ga. standards but I am telling you for Lake Butler this was a hoss (bodyweight). Sorry for the long, long post. Pics will come in a day or three.
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