This season started with a hard blow. The farm behind where I hunt started getting logged in middle of October. I was lucky enough to have some family land about hour from home. I started with the typical feeder and cell camera. I had some good bucks on camera that would make for a good bow deer. I watched the weather and on the next wind decided to make the drive. That morning I checked the app and saw this deer. The body size just put this deer in its own class, so the name “tank” stuck to him, this saved the lives of the 3yd 8 points I was going after. For almost a month I didn’t get a single picture of him. But I felt as some point if he was alive he would come check that field in daylight. I checked the future forecast and planned my week hunt. As usual the weather man was off!! Was calling for mid 50’s and I got stuck with 80’s! The first three days were almost a waste of time with no movement in daylight and a lot of sweat and fuel. I had about given up for my time off but checked the deer cast app. It finally switch from poor to great on 11/9 evening. I loaded the truck and made the drive and got in the stand at 1:45pm. Around 4:15pm I spotted a doe crossing the field. In the 65 degree weather I had taken my camo jacket off and was sitting in just a T shirt, I was worried she would pick me out of the tree. As I started to get myself organized I spotted doe number two then three then four. With that many eyes I just sat still waiting and watching. Not two min later I spotted “tank” coming out the wood line in full daylight. This is when panic ensued in the stand. I’m sitting here with a bottle of water in one hand, vortex binos in the other, my muzzleloader across my lap, and my shooting sticks hanging on a limb in front of me. After three to five seconds of shear chaos I had the traditions pursuit 50cal muzzleloader on shooting sticks looking at “tank”. As the reticle blurred somewhere between the lungs and shoulder I squeezed the shot. My view went to pure white smoke as the muzzleloader barked, almost in slow motion I could hear the bullet hiss across the field and ended with a loud thump. I waited for my view to clear to find all the does motionless looking into the wood line and no buck to be seen. After 20-30min I made my way down to where I last saw the buck only to find him less that 20yds… hammer dead. The 330grain ELR bullet found it’s mark and center punched the heart. This is by far my largest buck and a very nice mature buck in central NC area. He has 19.5” spread, 11.5” G2s, and good mass.
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