Got my personal-best buck the other night!

I went out late on Saturday (10/24, approximately 4:20pm I left the house, got set up in the blind by about 5:00pm, got this buck at 6:06pm) afternoon, to a ground blind I set up so my son can start coming with me to hunt. I only ground hunt, I just set up on deadfall, logs, big trees, thick brush, etc, because I want to be able to move if I don't like the spot once I'm sitting or if the action is somewhere else. So I'm not super comfortable in the ground blind, I don't hear well and without full visibility it's hard to pinpoint noises let alone what's making them. But I felt like it was in a good spot-I had put it in the woods a bit down off a treeline to a corn and soybeans roundtop, on a side hill/bench off of a large bowl with a creek at the bottom, in between a bunch of doe trails and historical rubs and some scrapes that were just opening up. I've been seeing bucks everyday, but just not in range or usually just moving through too close and too quick and I wasn't ready in time or they weren't legal, etc.

This guy was pushing a group of large does (no fawns for whatever reason) out of the field behind me, down into the creek bottom. I didn't have a shot opportunity when he first came by me, probably at 4-6 yards, from behind me out towards my hard left and going downhill. I tried grunting at him once his head was facing downhill but he didn't care so I got pissed and a little frantic and snort wheezed at him. He didn't like that at all and stopped and turned and I could see him kind of puff up and put his ears back but he still didn't come back, he continued down the hill, but not the same pace, and not towards the left, he was more angling right ( 12oclock position to me). I didn't want to get too carried away because I guessed (correctly) that he hadn't left and was not happy so I grunted once more, just real soft and mostly muffled against my chest, and scratched at some dried leaves on ground. I heard him either rubbing on a tree or hitting a scrape right below me down the hill, maybe 20-30 yards. About a minute later, as I was opening the front 'window' of the blind, a spike buck came waltzing in from my right, in front of me, I think looking for me(thought I was a deer). He started sniffing around and acting like he caught a whiff of me but he didn't run, just grunted a few times and was stepping back and forth on the leaves. The big buck must have heard all this, he came marching back up the hill directly at me. He got to maybe just below the 'crest' of the hill, so I could see his head and neck and chest and half his front legs, and just stayed there. He looked at the spike buck for only a second or two and dismissed him as the source of his anger lol. Then he started eyeing up me/the blind. Maybe trying to see past it to find the other 'buck' or maybe he caught me moving as I was getting on the scope. I thought he was starting to get suspicious but then he snort wheezed at me. I had tried ranging the clump of weeds he was standing beside, but my rangefinder wouldn't range it, it won't range anything under ten yards. I'd guess the clump of grass his front legs were on/beside was 9 yards, so his ass end was probably around 10-11 yards. I figured he wasn't coming any closer, would probably turn and leave soon, and it felt good... so I took the frontal shot. It was perfect. The blood trail was a blood spraying massacre. He had turned and plowed down the hillside, dying after maybe 60-70 yards and just skidding down the steepest part right into the creek mud.

I knew when I saw him originally, from the side, he would've been the biggest buck I had shot if I could get it done, but I hadn't seen his brow tines. Even after he came back and was standing front and center for a minute or so, I hadn't let myself look at his antlers, just at his chest through the crossbow scope, waiting originally for him to turn so I could get a broadside opportunity. I didn't want to get worse shakes than I was getting already. So when I found him and saw his brow tines it was an awesome surprise! My husband is getting him mounted for me, and my son wants to start a hunting club, he just wants to talk about deer and hunting and all that, he's so pumped haha. I'm really happy I got him and that God blessed me with that opportunity because I've been screwing up so many chances over the years it's either unbelievable or a joke haha. But I got it done this time and even recovered my arrow and broadhead, which went his entire body length and lodged about 2 inches from his rectum.

Just wanted to share what I consider to be my hunting redemption and such a blessing. Hope all you other hunters can experience something like that for yourselves and your families, and I hope everyone stays safe and makes it back home, regardless if your tag is filled or not.