The Buck of the Year – Part 2

The season had been a rough one up until bow season ended.  I only let one arrow fly, and because of some tall weeds I made a bad shot on a really nice deer.  Luckily I didn’t let my head fall too far down because I was able to get back motivated to hunt.  I had to remind myself a few times about why I hunt.  I had to remember that antlers don’t feed families, and that it didn’t matter if it was a doe or a buck.  I was just happy to be back in a stand after my 2-year deer hunting hiatus.


Bow season came and went, and it was the night before the gun opener. I was excited to get out because my wife was coming with me.  It’s something we do traditionally on opening day of gun season.  In years past she had only shot at one deer, and a tree stood in her way.  The first time she ever hunted was in 2006. I put her in a climber, and I continued on to hunt a different spot.  She said she didn’t really care for the climbing stand, and she seemed a little lost and confused about what to do.  Hoping to help her a little more this season, I decided I’d sit with her instead of separating.

Amanda and I with her first deer.

The morning of November 12th was brisk, and quite windy.  We pulled into our spot, and geared up.  We had made really good time, and I knew we’d be in our stand well before daylight.  Wade and I had two two-man ladder stands on the property. Amanda (my wife) and I went to a stand that stood at the top of a tall hill.  It was open weeds in front of us, to our left was a freshly cut cornfield, and to our right was a 4-wheeler trail that led down to a creek bottom. We watched as some does moved into the field shortly after daylight as Nature painted the sky.  They were about 200 yards out, and too far for our slug guns. The deer, the field, the cool air, and the array of colors in the sky made me feel so free. Plus I was with great company. Amanda was cold, but she seemed to be enjoying sitting with me this time. A young coyote made his way past us, and Amanda just thought that was the neatest thing.  As soon as he passed I noticed movement about 45 yards in front of us in the woods.  It was a deer’s head. It was a buck! He was just laying on the side of the hill.  I wondered how long he’d been there, and how I hadn’t seen him. However his camouflage was quite better than my own.  I pointed him out to Amanda, and we watched him for over an hour.  He wouldn’t get up.  We called, we made noise, and ever debated on taking a shot where he laid.  Almost and hour and a half after we first saw him I hear a crashing noise on past him.  I was excited thinking it may be a bigger deer.  It wasn’t, it was Wade coming to get us. He nearly walked on top of the deer not knowing where it was. The buck finally jumped up, and ran diagonal in front of us.  He ran right to our shooting hole. I told Amanda to “Shoot Him!” Amanda pulled up her gun, and BANG! The young buck dropped in his tracks!  She was so excited she started to cry.  The wave of emotions came over me also, and I could barely breath I was so happy for her.  Shortly after, we were down standing over him. He was a young 1-1/2 year old basket 7 point; her very first deer, and one my favorite memories.  Hopefully this would change my luck, too.


I’ve taught Amanda almost everything she knows about hunting.  However she kneeled down to him, and thanked the deer for his sacrifice, and that’s something I didn’t teach her.  I then had a reminder of why I fell in love with this girl.   She shed a tear, sad about taking a life, but happy to provide the most organic meal available.   She thanked Mother Nature and the deer again. Shortly after she got to learn the task of dragging a deer!  Even though this will stand the test of time for being one of my best days ever in the field, it still wasn’t quite the buck of the year.


We spent the next day or so butchering Amanda’s buck.  She always loves the task of cutting up the meat.  It’s great to have the help, and from a girl that isn’t afraid to get her hands dirty.  We just put on a DVD, get the TV trays out, and start cutting.  We decided to take half of the deer to the processor for some of their famous summer sausage.  The other half was still quite a bit.  I forgot how much meat is on a buck compared to a doe. I still managed to get out those couple of days that we were butchering, but with no luck. The rut was in full swing, and the weather was shaping up nicely.  Everyone around me was harvesting deer, and it was looking to be a great season for a lot of folks.  Monday came and I was back to work.  The place I work is very lenient on time off, and I am able to leave at 2:30 each day to hunt the evenings.  I only missed about 4 days total in bow seasons, and I hadn’t missed a single day of gun.  I hunted every day that week, and gun season was slowly coming to an end.

Keeping warm doing gun season.

Thursday, November 17 came and now I was knocking on D-Day’s (Duck Day) front door. That’s typically when the deer gear gets put up, and the waterfowling gear comes out.  I figured I’d hunt over the weekend, and then call it quits to start focusing on ducks.  That day I was out of work a little later than usual leaving at 3:00pm.  I picked up Wade and we headed for our spot, the same spot Amanda shot her deer.  However, I went for my normal stand about 100 yards from where Amanda and I sat.  I was basically on a creek bottom in a funnel of hills.  I hunt these funnels a lot.  This particular spot is the same stand where I wounded the buck in bow season.  It was cold, and we had a slight wind from the north.  Conditions were perfect.  The night was fast approaching, and I was dug into a pretty good John Connely book.  I finished the chapter I was reading, and closed the book.  As soon as I unzipped my pack I heard a fast paced crunch.  I looked up, and running right down the trail was a nice buck.  My first thought was that I had to make quick action if I was going to harvest this deer. He was headed right down the main trail.  I pulled up, clicked the safety off, aimed and BOOM!  He stopped. Looked my way, and ran again.  Collecting my thoughts… and then BOOM… shot number two…  He jolted, kicked, stopped again, I expected him to fall, but he looked back at me while swaying like he was woozy.  “Screw it,” I thought. BOOM! Shot number three. With the third shot he sprinted away, but he again stopped, looked back at me, looking even more like he was hurting.  “What the heck is going on!?" I asked myself. "I know I definitely hit him on shot two, maybe one, and most likely three.”  This was the wildest thing I’d ever encountered.  “Screw it,” Reload.  BOOM…. Shot number four.  He ran again, but with a lot less intensity. He made it out to a grass field, and was looking back through the woods at me. He staggered and swayed, and I started to wonder if he'd fall right there. Remembering all the bucks that got away, I thought again. “Hell, I’ll try... Not going to hurt anything now”  Through the woods  “BOOM” shot number five, and with that he finally was out of sight.  My phone was vibrating from Wade texting, he thought there was a war going on at my stand.  I texted him back, and as soon as I put my phone up…. CRASH.  I heard the deer fall.


Now if that isn’t the wildest thing you’ve ever read, just wait.  Wade got to my stand and made some wise crack about my buck fever and awful shooting.  I told him I knew I made a good shot, but it wasn’t enough to drop him.  Then I made several more trying to seal the deal, but I knew shot number two was good. In all honesty I probably could have stopped shooting after number two. I didn't want another deer wounded, and wanted to seal the deal. Number one was taken so quick I wasn’t sure.  This was a running deer after all.  What I couldn’t believe is that the shots seemed to stop him each time. That was what I couldn’t comprehend.

Follow the trail.

We walked to where he was and we found blood.  We also found gut matter, so I knew I had made a fatal, but hard to track shot. Shooting full speed running deer is tough, but I knew I hit him.  We followed blood about 40 yards to where he was in the grass field.  That’s where our property ends and another owner’s property begins.  Luckily our good friend owns and hunts the adjoining property, and he decided to come help track it.  With permission, Wade and I followed the blood up to the woods.  We walked in, shined our lights, and there he was lying in snake grass.  He wasn’t quite expired, and he stared right back at us. I got a good look at him then. He was a decent 8 pointer with a rack taller than wide. I was happy with my decision. We backed out hoping he wouldn’t get up. This boy was hurting, but I couldn’t maneuver to get a shot in him on the ground.  So we back out and went to the truck hoping he’d die and not suffer too much. Wade said he thought he heard him get up, but wasn’t sure.  He was only about 75 yards from my stand at this point.

My buck of the year.

We ran to town, got a soda, and met up with the other landowner.  We took an easier route back to the last spot we saw him.  He was so close to death we thought the extra time was plenty. With rain in the forecast we had to go that night, otherwise I would’ve just gone back in the morning.  When we got back to the last spot we saw him…. Wade was right, and the buck was gone.  He managed to get up and move out. Even more respect for this tough creature was gained then. We searched the area for about 45 minutes, we couldn’t find any blood past where he was laying down. In the back of my mind I again knew I wouldn’t find him. Such an awful feeling.  Every buck I’d shot and harvested from this point and before had dropped on the first shot. Every buck that has run after the first shot has gotten away, so I almost expected not to find it.  We were talking about leaving because darkness was coming quick.  I decided I’d take the next day off and look for him. Wade and I were about to head back when the other landowner hollered “I’ve got blood!”  It was about 45 yards from where the deer was laying.  We followed that blood over a creek, and to hill that was basically straight up. There was really good blood headed up the hill. I went around to a cut out in the hill that was a little easier for me to get up. I peaked over the hill and shined my light, and there he was.  Again looking at me, and still not expired.  He wasn’t moving though.  He was hurt, and I felt bad for him.  I looked at my phone to see the time, and I had less than two minutes before shooting light ended.  I hollered to make sure everyone was clear, and I pulled up the gun.  Finally shot number six was the fatal blow.  It was about time that my luck had changed, and this bionic deer made me work for it.  He put me through an emotional roller coaster, but I was glad to finally harvest my buck of the year. I honestly wouldn’t have had it any other way. This was one tough boy, and he did everything he could to survive. Again I have an immense amount of respect for this animal.

My buck of the year.

After getting him home and skinned, we found four holes in him.  I figured I missed on the first and the fifth. The first was hard since he was in a dead sprint.  The fifth was through the woods.  I know the second was the best shot. He was a tough deer to run the way he did with three shots in him. All four shots were in about the same place. One was a little high, and two were back around the first rib on his rib-cage. I probably didn't lead enough when he was running. The fatal and last shot from when he was on the ground was diagonal through the lungs into the heart. I learned a lot from this deer, and mostly to BACK OUT if you know it’s a gut shot.  With rain in the forecast I had to make a tough decision, and I didn’t want to chance it on this deer.  Hopefully in years to come I’ll have a smoother story to tell. For now this deer isn’t just the buck of the year, but the buck of the decade, that ended an era for this Indiana outdoorsman.                     
(Joey W. Buttram – Willowpine Outdoors)

The Buck of the Year - Part 1

Over the last 10 years, I’ve spent numerous days in the deer stand. I’ve walked hundreds of miles, climbed countless trees, and spent a whole bunch of money chasing the elusive whitetail buck. I’ve never fancied myself a “trophy hunter.”  I’ve always been happy to harvest a doe for the freezer, but that doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy finding a nice buck. There is something majestic about the harvest of a buck. From the first moment you see him walking in on you, to walking up on him expired, to driving him around to show your friends, to the check station guys telling you good job, and most of all, to the table. It has been rough the past few seasons, but the 2011 deer season changed the game for me. 

My First Buck - 2004

I started deer hunting when I was 16 in 2002. Before then, I had only hunted a few times, but I never really got hard into it until 2002.  Since 2002, I had harvested only a handful of bucks.  My first buck was a 5 point half rack. He was a great first buck, and I love the memory every time I see him hanging on my living room wall.  It seemed like it took forever to harvest the first one, but it seemed even longer to top that one.  For many years everyone around me was harvesting nice deer.  I wasn’t sure if it was my shooting, my spots, my equipment, or my plain and simple bad luck.  I began to think about these reasons, and through the process of elimination I learned it was my shooting mixed with a little bad luck. I knew that I had a good knowledge of the animal I was chasing, and that I knew how to hunt that animal.  I’ve always had pretty nice equipment, and I almost always harvest a doe each year.  I’ve had MANY big bucks under my stand, and have either not got the shot or missed.  It seems I’m a prime example of someone with major buck fever. I’ve missed a lot of 120-130 class deer. I even had a typical 170+ Illinois buck that was seconds away from getting shot but had been run out of the woods by a tractor. During the 2008 deer season alone I missed seven 120+ class bucks. That was when I decided I needed to take a break from deer hunting, and focus on the ducks and geese.


In 2009, I only hunted gun season, and never got a shot.  In 2010, I didn’t hunt at all for deer.  In the summer of 2011, I realized I had some unfinished business in the deer woods. Even though I know my problem was my shooting, I still decided to start fresh. I headed to the Matthews bow store and traded in my 2002 PSE Carrera for a 2011 Mission Endeavor.  After a lot of shooting I was right on, and ready for bow season. I had never felt more confident in my shooting.  I even went and bought a Hunters Safety System vest. I equate some of my bad shooting to my slight fear of heights. I’ve never felt comfortable 20’ in a tree, and I can’t make a good shot when I’m nervous of being up high. I thought a vest would help end that fear, and it did. I wanted to eliminate anything that might cause me to miss.  With new equipment, a new spot, and a new attitude I was headed to the field in October. 

Early Bow - 2011

The season started very slow. Between October 1st and October 30th I only saw 6 deer, and only 2 shooter bucks, none of which I got shots on.  The first weekend of November, I decided to hunt Friday night after work.  The pre-rut was in full swing, and I knew that I should see some deer.  The trail I was on had scrapes and rubs lining its edge, and it is a deer highway come rut. Throughout the year the deer seemed to be coming from in front of me, and then cut up a trail on a hill before my shooting hole. When I heard a crash to my left I knew I was going to be letting an arrow fly.  I looked left, and there was the best buck I’ve seen all year heading right for my shooting hole.  I knew only had a few seconds to stand and shoot.  He was moving quickly, and I pulled back.  “MAAAH!” I said, stopping him in his tracks.  The pin was right where it needed to be, SHUNK… THUD! He was off in a dead sprint. I nearly fell out of the stand I was shaking so badly. Running away all I could see was rack. He was headed right towards Wade (my closest 

Wade New - 2011 Buck

hunting buddy).  Minutes, later Wade called and said he shot him, too.  I walked up to Wade and we found blood.  It wasn’t much, but it was enough to track.  It was a little watery and it was definitely not what I would call “good blood”.  At first we thought Wade was the only one to hit the deer because I hadn’t found blood at my stand.  We backed out and went back to my stand. After searching we realized that I had definitely shot through weeds, throwing my arrow off.  We found 2 fletches just laying in the tall weeds with no blood on them. The weeds didn’t seem nearly that tall from the stand. After searching we did find blood just a little bit up the trail.   Therefore I hit this guy, but it still wasn’t a good shot.  We tracked for over 2 hours. All the time I’m remembering 2008, and I just know we aren’t going to find him. I remember asking myself “why did I get back into this?” “I need to just focus on ducks, which I can hit.”  We were up and down hills, hollers, and fields. We came to an open grass field, and we lost blood. We decided to back out for the night hoping he was lying in the grass field.  The next morning we went back to the start where I shot, and started completely over.  We found good blood, and went up next to Wade’s stand.  We found his arrow in the standing corn with no blood.  He missed, and our second (hopefully fatal) shot was nonexistent.  We searched for half the day.  Walked every row of corn, every inch of grass, every creek, every pool, every pond, and found nothing. This buck got away, and right then I asked Mother Nature to heal his wound hoping he’d make it the rest of the season.  There is no worse feeling than only wounding a deer. I was so close, and history truly does repeat itself. I told myself 2011 was going to be a dud, and I was NEVER going to harvest a buck.  I contemplated selling my equipment, and I just didn’t understand why this happens to me. After talking to my dad, my wife, and Wade I decided to stop feeling sorry for myself.  I left my pity party, shot my bow, and was back in the stand the same night.  

(End of Part 1. Look for Part 2 Coming Soon!)