Thanks, Fellow Hunters.
I must confess, I got very lucky on this one. This is my first Coues Whitetail and I would have been happy with just a legal buck. I have hunted Illinois whitetails with bow for 30 years so all I can take credit for is shot experience. The Videographer was my resident ace on the hole. He did not draw for this area and I did so he ran the camera. Here is the short story.
After three days of seeing only fast moving rutting activity we both realized, if it was going to happen, it would be fast. We were tree stand hunting a few pine groves that showed several scrapes. We decided if we set in one spot long enough and exercised some good ol patients the bucks would return to check them. We both herd one grunt from the bush about 60 yards out but could not see the deer; we looked at each other with out saying a word. I went for my bow as my partner went for the camera. If we had waited for the buck to apear it would have been too late. It takes a few seconds for the camera to ready and I know knew this from my experience behind the lenses. As all mature whitetail do, he did not come in on the trail we planned on but busted in fast, and stood in the most difficult spot for both of us to move to, but not impossible for the shot. I settled my pin on the sweet spot and watched the buck's posture to determine if he was calm or wound up for some action. I think all these western coues deer must be jumpy and nervous 100% of the time. I could see the buck was thinking something is just not right and I had better drop the string on him. The shot was 10-12 yards out to the extreme left of my stand and straight down 24+ feet. The arrow took out the left lung and sliced the heart, and he ran approximately 80 yards. From that time until now I have come to realize, as a mid-western bow hunter I did not fully appreciate what I was shooting at. I have learned about the western coues whitetail and the hunters that challenge them after the fact. I'm just as amazed at the skill and lengths that the hunters that pursue them must go to fill a single tag as I am with the trophy that I have taken. This is my first trip to this web site and as soon as I can figure out how to tac on a picture I will do so. The footage will air on national TV on "The Mens Channel" Dish Network to be shared with all coues deer hunters. I have done my best to point out how much more challenging it is for my western whitetail hunters to harvest a mature buck then it is for us mid-western Illinois hunters. I have harvested over 14 P&Y class bucks in my 30 years but this little guy was as tough as it gets. We mid-westerns complain if we drive more then 30 minutes by 2 wd truck to walk across an open corn field 200 yards in order to hunt a 130" buck. I have had the pleasure of a 3 hour ride by 4WD truck and a 90 minute ride by four-wheeler to hike a half mile up to 6700ft. for 7 days, hunting the most difficult whitetail to harvest a hunter can set his sites on. Everyone I have shared this with has responded as a true sportsman and I value the words of my fellow hunters about the trophy I now have for my wall. We must wait 60days for the official score and perhaps confirmation on the video footage before we know what we will do. I'm just a working class guy but it shounds like you will see this trophy of a lifetime on TV soon.
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