The "Guardian" Buck....10/27/07

Ok........here is the story, On October 27, 2007:

I am facing South West, the wind was coming out of the SW from about 15 - 20 mph....spitting rain, overcast...

at 3:15 PM this afternoon, I climbed my "favorite" cherry tree [the same one I shot my Big buck back in 1999] to a height of 25'....

For the next 2 & 1/2 hours the wind blew, and it spit rain....I had only hunted this farm 3 other times this year [I shot my doe across the road 10 days ago]

I knew I had 10 straight days to hunt starting next Friday, Nov. 2nd...

So...back to the hunt........at around 5:30 PM...the same 120 class 8-pointer I has seen last Saturday came out of the "rabbit" patch with a doe....I buck roared..then hit the rattle bag....the 8-pointer wanted nothing to do with me!

....he quickly circled the doe...and they both ran down the lane directly away from me heading West...

...about 15 minutes later....I looked to my Southwest..and see a doe and her 2 fawns jump the fence and head South into another picked cornfield...

....At around 6:00 PM......the rain started up.....I had my Gore-Tex on....so I had no worries....I thought to myself:

"....you know...you've got 11 days to hunt next week....nothing to worry about..."

Well.....I took my TRU Ball ST-3 thumb release off my wrist.....just then I looked to my South...right under that limb in the 1st pic....and I saw this buck...

....Without thinking....I reached for my Bowtech Guardian....and about knocked it off the holder!!!.

..in my haste to CATCH the bow....I drop my release...instinctively....I shut my legs close....

Now....I look down and don't see the release in my lap.....

I slowly set the bow across my seat climber....and SLOOOOOWLY reach down with my left hand positioning my hand to "catch" the release...

...THANK GOD....my Lacrosse boots barely trapped it!!

SO....I slowly stand up....I get my Buck roar...the buck is about 150 yards away...the wind is blowing about 15 mph into my face...

I roooar.........and rooooar.........he picks his head up...I look thru my binos...

"...that's a shooter..." I say to myself...

Nothing.....he wants nothing to do with me.....I hit the rattle bag...same result...

I'm thinking....maybe it's too early to buck roar....so this buck makes his way West for about 70 yards.....he now turn North heading to my right....I try and call again....nothing....he slips into the woods.....

....10 minutes later....I'm thinking....he's gone.....so I get out the bleat can...

waaahh........waaahh........waaahh........waaahh.. ......waaahh........waaahh........

I look directly to my West....lo and behold....he pops his head out of the woods...here HE COMES!!!

Slowly he "hobbles" towards my stand.....80 yards....70 yards....60 yards...

I see his right ear is hanging....he must have been in a FIGHT...

50 yards...still trottin'.....40 yards...30 yards.....I pull my Bowtech Guardian back...

20 yards....15 yards....

HE LOOKS UP right at me.............BUSTED....

I settle my pin on his left shoulder....slowly squeeze the ST-3... THAAAWAAACK................hhmmmuummmppp....he grunts...

cuts to my South through the beans....makes it about 50 yards...slows to a walk...staggers.....

he's DOWN!!!!!!!!!!

Another Ohio HOG of a Whitetail....10-pointer [1 &1/2 point coming off his left base!!], #250....