by Trent Knutson
(Illinois)
My First Illinois Buck
It was the day before the first shotgun weekend here in Illinois. My dad had to skin and cut up all the meat from his forkie he got a week ago, so I was on my own.
I got to my favorite stand, known as the end stand, say around 3:30. For the longest time I sat there just waiting to see if anything would move by itself.
Around 4:25, I got out my bleat can and started using it and just ten minutes after using it, I see a forkie coming from the woods to the west of me.
So I stand up and get myself all calmed down and am almost ready to draw back when suddenly the forkie jumps back about five yards and I hear two solid grunts coming from the opposite direction, I move my head slowly and I see this big buck walking right to where the forkie was.
So I switch my standing position and get focused on this monster.
He comes to 15 yards and I make a little sound to make him stop and I draw back and rest my pin right on the lungs and fire away.
As soon as I released I knew it was a good shot and a complete pass through, I saw the bloody arrow on the ground right behind where the buck was standing.
So I watch as this big buck turns around and takes off into the plowed corn field, and then watch as it drops just 60 yards away from the stand.
I was pumping my arms in excitement and my heart was racing.
Next I called my dad and practically screamed into the phone that I just shot a huge buck and he said he’ll be right there, and told me to sit patient in the stand until he gets there because he didn’t want the buck to get a second wind and run off.
Well my dad took too long and I knew for a fact he was dead so I climbed down from my tree stand and went right to my arrow, and saw it covered in bright red blood, a great sign.
After that I took my slow, and quiet walk to my buck and when I got there I saw that he was huge, a monster symmetrical eight pointer.
I threw my arms up in joy with my bow in hand.
When my dad, with our friend Steve, got there and I was standing by my buck they couldn’t believe how big and symmetrical he was.
After we got him field-dressed and into the back of my dads pick-up, I rode in the back with my buck all the way home and to where we hang the deer up at.
The buck ended up scoring 141-3/8 Pope & Young.
And I shoot a Hoyt Trykon with Muzzy 3-blade 100 grain broadheads and I will never change.
That is the story of my First Illinois Buck
