Season 2004 started off with me getting 2 blown out tires on opening morning on the way to the stand. I spent the day removing the tires and going into town to replace them. I didn't get back in time for the evening hunt so the entire opening day was wasted. Thanks to the help of my hunting buddies I was able to get my truck rolling again for the next days hunt. I hunted the next morning and didn't even see a deer so needless to say I didn't have the best opening weekend. Hunting buddy Troy Wesley, who took me to town to find new tires managed to get a hog on opening day.

The following weekend I was able to make it to my stand with all 4 tires in tact but all the deer I saw were young bucks and very few does. Most of the other hunters were reporting the same sightings. Warm West Texas weather was keeping the deer from moving too much. I did managed to have 3 mature bucks come into my South pasture stand but all 3 I felt were a little smaller than I was looking for so I watched them as they tickled horns and freshened up a scrape. The 3rd weekend was much the same in small bucks and warm weather. One of those mature bucks, I named 'Slick G4' for his right G4 that never developed, came in again but only passed by my stand. As I viewed him from the side I thought "Wow, that's a nice buck. I let him pass last weekend?" I then decided that the next time I had the opportunity at him I would take it.

Well, the 'next' opportunity came the next morning. He came into my feeder and stood just 20 yards from me. I then began to second guess my decision on shooting him as I kept thinking of the 2 monster bucks I saw from that stand just a few weeks before. I issued him his walking papers for the second time and hoped that I wouldn't be the last time I had a mature buck at my stand.

Damn Wasps
It wasn't until the 4th weekend that my next opportunity would 'Almost' present itself. It was another hot October day with the temp around the mid 80's. There were wasps flying all around my feeder and occassionally around my tripod. I spent most of the afternoon hunt swatting wasps off of me. As the sun went down I thought, "Good, now the wasps will all nest and I can enjoy the last 45 minutes of hunting" WRONG! With only a half hour of hunting light left and no deer yet to be seen I hear the familiar sound of a wasp buzzing around me. I turn to see him about to land on my face so I swat him away. Bad move. At that moment I turn back around and a monster 7pt cull buck is staring right at me! #@%&$@&! He saw me swat the wasp and begins his announcement to every deer in Shackleford county. He is at least 18" wide with heavy mass. Even as a cull he is a trophy. Oh well, that's bowhunting.

Down to the Wire-
The last weekend begins and I am worrying that I won't have any venison this year. All my hunts again consisted of every deer coming in being a young buck. Not even does were coming in to feed. Good friend Rick Espino tells me that at his stand he is having does come in like clock work and if I wanted at least some venison to hunt his stand. I took him up on the offer and hunted his stand that evening. I arrived at 4:45 to his stand and was settling in when a spike showed up. Wow, a hot and windy day and the deer are already moving. He may have picked up my scent from the long walk in the hot sun so he took off. 10 minutes later another buck walks 60 yards in front of the feeder, a nice looking 8pt. The feeder goes off at 5:30 and another buck comes in to feed not 3 minutes later.

Wow, this stand is jumping and it's still real early. The buck is a 7pt around 3.5 yrs old. He is a cull but I am considering taking him as I haven't had much luck this year. I wasn't sure if the brow tine didn't make or if it was broke so I held off on shooting until I could verify. As he fed on the opposite side of the feeder facing me I take a look through my rangefinder and realized that his right brow tine did not form making him a true cull buck. However he was facing me so I didn't have a shot. I waited and about another 15 minutes later I notice movement about 60 yards in front of me. A big bodied deer walks from right to left. I then see his horns and he is a mature buck. He walks in the direction of the feeder and the 2 feeding bucks at the feeder get real nervous. The smaller 7pt immediately begins to walk off as this new buck approaches the feeder.

Pick a Spot The buck has a big mature body and is easily a 4.5 to 5.5 year old buck. His left main beam looks as if it didn't finish forming so that kept him from being an 8pt. However he is mature, heavy mass, tall and it's 2 days before the end of the season, I'm shooting! As he fed I remembered the rock he is standing by is 24 yards out. This info I got from ranging different objects as soon as I got to the stand. He then turns broadside and takes a few step from behind one of the feeder legs and stops. I was at full draw already and lowered the pin onto his ribcage. I remember aiming hard on him and thinking Pick a spot, Pick a Spot. Then followed the sound of the shot going off. The arrow flew in what always seems like slow motion and I saw the arrow smack him in the vitals and pass through to the other side skipping off the rocks. He didn't flinch until the arrow smacked into the rocks.

He takes off to the left then cuts back to the right slowing down to look around. He thens begins to stumble and goes down within site. Wow, what an exciting hunt and my heart is still racing. It was a long and frustrating month but in the end all of my hard work and preparation paid off with a great deer, great experiences in the woods, and great times with my friends. My only regret was not being able to take my kids to the lease this year as time and weather didn't permit. However we have a fishing pond just West of town with some catfish that are waiting for us. The rest of the season will be spent fishing and enjoying the holidays with the family. Good luck, shoot 'em straight and God Bless.

Albert