Deer of the Day, The 2.5-Hour Season, Josh Minnick

There are some seasons where it takes weeks, even months, to punch a tag on a trophy deer. And then there are others where your first evening in the stand produces the buck you're looking for.

That was the case with Josh Minnick, who was hunting in North Central Indiana during archery season in early October. It was his first day to be able to hunt and he'd selected a stand in a pinch point area that was only 80 yards wide and had high timber spread out, allowing for great visibility.

After two hours in the stand and seeing nothing but squirrels putting away rations for the upcoming winter, Minnick heard something to his left and caught a glimpse of a deer. All he could see were the deer's legs, as limbs and brush obscured the rest of the body. Several nervous minutes passed until the deer finally started moving towards Minnick, allowing the bowhunter his first glance -- it was a buck and a good one at that.

"I immediately grabbed my bow as he was the biggest I had seen on the hoof in person," shared Minnick.

On a path straight towards his location, Minnick started mentally checking off the yardage markers he had pre-spotted with his Bushnell rangefinder. As he approached the 26-yard mark, Minnick drew his PSE Avenger Bow and anchored in, waiting for the buck to stop, which he did at 23 yards.

The GoldTip arrow flew through the air, hitting the buck solidly. Minnick knew it was a good hit and immediately started shaking, realizing that he'd shot a really nice deer.

After dark, a buddy showed up to help him track the deer and they found him piled up not 40 yards from where Minnick connected on the shot.

"I relished in the moment as I stood staring at the huge rack€¦it was a great day. I started my deer season with a great buck that took me a total of 2.5 hours to harvest," shared Minnick.

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The buck ultimately scored 143 5/8 inches P&Y, the biggest buck of Minnick's bowhunting career, but he plans on topping it someday.

"From here on (out), I'm going to be trying to find another deer that will top it."

Good luck on that Josh and congrats on the great buck!

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We want your Deer of the Day! Send us an image and brief description of your hunt (including the gear you used) to whitetail@imoutdoors.com