Here is Doug's take on the events...
This tree has really paid off for Troy and I over the past few years, and it's always within a few days of Halloween, and this year was no different. I worked at the firehouse on Halloween and was anxious to hook up with Troy knowing our favorite time to hunt this tree was now. We met up and headed in very optimistic about the evening, but after getting into the stand, it was so freaking warm we just weren't sure the bucks would be cruising like usual. The evening progressed and was an absolute riot on stand. We laughed and joked and got loud at times laughing so hard because we weren't really concerened with the woods being so dead. We even spent about 15 mins making a hellacious racket trying to lasso a limb I've been meaning to cut with Troy's pull rope and hook. We would never do well in the rodeo. But, we got it. Troy rattled several times throughout the evening but as the the 6 o'clock hour approached there just wasn't anything happening except for the typical yearling coming into check for handouts. So, Troy looks at me and says I think I need to rattle one more time, give it a few minutes, and then hit the road if nothing shows. So, he rattles, and Troy had no sooner put the horns on the hook and I hear him say good buck coming. I couldn't see the buck because it was coming from behind my stand, but Troy assured me it was a shooter so I grabbed my bow. I finally was able to glass the buck and agreed it was a shooter. As the buck approached, he was following a doe and had another doe following him. Well, he was closing the distance on a steady walk and the lead doe had already passd at about 5 yards. As the buck approaches at 15 yards I drew my bow and was preparing to stop him, when all of the sudden he just stopped, and unfortunately it was right behind a limb. So, I end up letting down. He took another step or two forward and the again the shooting lane had some trash in the way. As I stood there ready to draw, the doe bringing up the rear is now looking up at me and now I'm getting nervous as to what she may alret him to. Well, it felt like an eternity, but finally she turned her head and I was able to sit back down on the seat which allowed for a clear shot, a shot I didn't have standing up. So with the buck at 12 yards, I came to full draw, picked a spot, and squeezed my release off. (As a side note, a logistical mistake on my part, I had forgotten the camera boot for the camera arm so Troy was holding the video camera by hand, and since the buck came in behind us he and I were on opposite sides of the tree andTroy never saw me draw my bow, and when I shot, I scared the crap out of him and he jumped a little with the camera but no biggie). Well those Carbon Express luminated nocks sure are a beautiful color of red in that evening autumn woods. That arrow burried itself right on the mark and the buck spun around and ran back to where he had just came from. We watched him make a 60 yard dash and just crash to the ground. It was amazing. Troy turns the camera on me and we are high fiving and I give him my famous same line I give every year about this time and say, "that's my biggest buck". Man oh man I don't get tired of saying that. So, we made all the necessary Overkill phone calls we had to make and then climbed down. What a feeling walking up and seeing those beams sticking up. And, the body was remarkably enormous. It was a perfectly symetrical 10 pointer that we felt would be in the mid 130's. Well we were right. The next day at KS Kuts in Damascus we put a tape on him for a rough score and came up with 134" gross. We also weighed him there and he was 193 pounds field dressed, so we are guessing at least 230 pounds on the hoof. Wow. What a buck. And, this is the same tree my son Tyler shot his full velvet 10 out of opening night. I was on cloud 9. After everything that has happened recently I really needed something good like this to happen. My first P&Y and it is all on film. Thanks again Troy for being there with me and getting it done. I dropped my buck off today at Young's Wildlife and can't wait for Tim to bring him back to life like he does so well. Alright, I gotta get to bed. Off to be Bowtroll's camera Bi+ch again tomorrow. And thanks fellas for all the kind words thus far. I have hunted since I was 12 years old and was finally able to surpass that 125" mark. What a relief!
