The day after Thanksgiving in 2008 I saw a nice typical 12 point with a huge body. I videoed him and brought it back to the house that evening to review with my brother and dad. We all looked at the video and felt like this deer was probably 6.5 years old and at least 200 lbs. We named him Tank. I got the green light to try and get an arrow in him. I never had another sighting of Tank for the rest of the season.
2009 rolled around and I had one deer on my mind. Tank had been seen a few times from our rifle stands in an area with no feeder and no bow stand. We decided to hand corn this area and make a brush blind. He was now a 6x5 and I was afraid that he was on his way downhill. We had been hit with a pretty severe drought in McMullen County in 2009. He was still a very pretty deer and I was excited to hunt him. He came in one evening in early November with plenty of light left. He then spooked and ran a few steps and stopped at 28 yards quartering away from me. I began to apply pressure to my release and he turned back towards me and began feeding. He fed facing me for the next 10 minutes until it was too dark to see my sight pins. I never had another encounter as good as this for the rest of the season.
2010 rolls around and we put up our trail cams in August and I was pleasantly greeted with pictures of Tank. He looked as healthy as ever and was back to a 12 point. I began to get excited and make a few new setups to try and ambush him. With a few encounters with this deer over the first month of deer season I started to get restless. On Wednesday November 10 my dad and I set up a popup in an area that we had been seeing Tank. We brushed in the blind very good because I wanted to hunt it immediately with the wind shifting on Friday night. I got in the blind on Wednesday afternoon and waited. I had a lot of deer come in that evening and they didn't seem to mind the new popup. This was great news. I was feeling very confident in my setup and now all I needed was for the big old deer to come strolling in. A few minutes after 6:00 I catch movement to my right and see a wall of tines walking in. It was Tank and I immediately grabbed my bow and knocked an arrow. It was getting darker by the minute so I drew my bow and settled my pin on the pocket behind is front left leg. I squeezed my release and saw a spark. I knew that was not a good sign. Apparently I had left a little too much brush in my shooting lane and clipped a twig that sent my arrow low and harmlessly into the brush behind him. Thursday came and went with no sightings and I began to wonder if Tank had moved out of my area. We had a few guys come down to join us at the ranch on Friday and I realized it would be my only chance to connect with Tank before the wind switched to the North and blew me out for the rest of the weekend. I got in my blind about 4:30 on Friday evening and settled in. I had a lot of deer activity and had the feeling that tonight was the night. At 5:42 I was watching my setup and Tank materialized at 23 yards. He immediately started to feed and payed no attention to my stand. This was the earliest that I had ever seen him and was shocked to have a deer of this caliber feeding in front of me at 23 yards with 30 minutes of shooting light left. I drew back and began to ease my bow to the open window and then had a spike walk in between Tank and myself. I was mentally cussing this deer and decided that he would be shot on principle if he cost me another shot at Tank. I was at full draw for a year (probably more like a minute) and then the spike moved off to my right. I then was able to position myself up close to the window and take the shot. I released the arrow and watched it as it struck my target perfectly. He bucked and bolted to the left with blood spewing out. I then texted everyone on the ranch and told them that I got him. After I sent that text I realized it would be awfully embarrassing to have not recovered that deer. I waited for 30 minutes and then went to the sight of the shot. I found good blood and began trailing him. After 60 yards I found him piled up. He is the heaviest deer that I have ever shot with any weapon. He weighed 215 lbs on the hoof and scored 150 5/8 Gross. He was 8.5 years old and still in great shape. Like to say thanks to my Dad for all his hard work and paying for the protein.
Thanks for Reading. Sorry for the long write up. Here are the LDPs
2009 rolled around and I had one deer on my mind. Tank had been seen a few times from our rifle stands in an area with no feeder and no bow stand. We decided to hand corn this area and make a brush blind. He was now a 6x5 and I was afraid that he was on his way downhill. We had been hit with a pretty severe drought in McMullen County in 2009. He was still a very pretty deer and I was excited to hunt him. He came in one evening in early November with plenty of light left. He then spooked and ran a few steps and stopped at 28 yards quartering away from me. I began to apply pressure to my release and he turned back towards me and began feeding. He fed facing me for the next 10 minutes until it was too dark to see my sight pins. I never had another encounter as good as this for the rest of the season.
2010 rolls around and we put up our trail cams in August and I was pleasantly greeted with pictures of Tank. He looked as healthy as ever and was back to a 12 point. I began to get excited and make a few new setups to try and ambush him. With a few encounters with this deer over the first month of deer season I started to get restless. On Wednesday November 10 my dad and I set up a popup in an area that we had been seeing Tank. We brushed in the blind very good because I wanted to hunt it immediately with the wind shifting on Friday night. I got in the blind on Wednesday afternoon and waited. I had a lot of deer come in that evening and they didn't seem to mind the new popup. This was great news. I was feeling very confident in my setup and now all I needed was for the big old deer to come strolling in. A few minutes after 6:00 I catch movement to my right and see a wall of tines walking in. It was Tank and I immediately grabbed my bow and knocked an arrow. It was getting darker by the minute so I drew my bow and settled my pin on the pocket behind is front left leg. I squeezed my release and saw a spark. I knew that was not a good sign. Apparently I had left a little too much brush in my shooting lane and clipped a twig that sent my arrow low and harmlessly into the brush behind him. Thursday came and went with no sightings and I began to wonder if Tank had moved out of my area. We had a few guys come down to join us at the ranch on Friday and I realized it would be my only chance to connect with Tank before the wind switched to the North and blew me out for the rest of the weekend. I got in my blind about 4:30 on Friday evening and settled in. I had a lot of deer activity and had the feeling that tonight was the night. At 5:42 I was watching my setup and Tank materialized at 23 yards. He immediately started to feed and payed no attention to my stand. This was the earliest that I had ever seen him and was shocked to have a deer of this caliber feeding in front of me at 23 yards with 30 minutes of shooting light left. I drew back and began to ease my bow to the open window and then had a spike walk in between Tank and myself. I was mentally cussing this deer and decided that he would be shot on principle if he cost me another shot at Tank. I was at full draw for a year (probably more like a minute) and then the spike moved off to my right. I then was able to position myself up close to the window and take the shot. I released the arrow and watched it as it struck my target perfectly. He bucked and bolted to the left with blood spewing out. I then texted everyone on the ranch and told them that I got him. After I sent that text I realized it would be awfully embarrassing to have not recovered that deer. I waited for 30 minutes and then went to the sight of the shot. I found good blood and began trailing him. After 60 yards I found him piled up. He is the heaviest deer that I have ever shot with any weapon. He weighed 215 lbs on the hoof and scored 150 5/8 Gross. He was 8.5 years old and still in great shape. Like to say thanks to my Dad for all his hard work and paying for the protein.
Thanks for Reading. Sorry for the long write up. Here are the LDPs
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