Bill Harris, known locally as "Whitetail Willy" to his friends, of Upper Sandusky, Ohio, harvested this outstanding 10-pointer on Nov. 28, 2006. Over the past several years, Bill has been hunting on a small 35-acre piece of land where he grew up. Known as "The Old Home Place," Bill was not able to do much bowhunting last season until just before Thanksgiving because of a hectic work schedule.
"On Thanksgiving Weekend I began hunting each day, morning and afternoon, in my final effort to fill my tag with a bow before the Ohio shotgun season started the following Monday. With no success, I finally pulled out my 12-gauge Remington 870 magnum and blew the dust off the scope in preparation for Monday morning. Monday came and went, and I saw more does than I could count and a few small bucks. On Tuesday, Nov. 28, at about 6:30 a.m. I climbed up onto a small platform we had built in the crotch of a tree a few years back. This stand is located in a 10-yard-wide fence row on the back side of the property over looking a CRP field to the west.
"As it started to get light, I strained to scan the field in front of me looking for antlers amongst the tall weeds. All was quiet till around 7:30 when a short flurry of deer activity took place. A small 8-pointer presented a shot in front of me at about 15 yards but I decided to pass. Glancing to the south a short time later, I spotted a respectable buck about 150 yards off. Grunting got his attention but not his interest. He walked slowly to the east out of my line of sight, disappearing into the same fence row I was sitting in. Scanning the plowed field behind me to see he if would continue past the fence row, I spotted two more very nice bucks through my binoculars across the plowed ground at 300- to 400-yards away. But they were close enough to keep my interest but they never came my way.
"Around 8:30 they suddenly disappeared and all deer activity ceased as if someone had turned off the water. The rest of the morning and afternoon I kept myself entertained watching the birds and squirrels go through their daily routines. All the while in the back of my mind I kept imagining one of those nice bucks appearing out of nowhere. I did not see another deer, until around 2 p.m. when four does came crashing through the fence row from the east. I really didn't know what had them on alert. Over the next 45 minutes or so I started seeing good deer movement again, mostly off in the distance.
"Then, at approximately 2:55, I literally heard hoof beats behind me. I
looked to my right and here came about a dozen does down the strip of grass at the edge of the plowed field. Someone had obviously jumped them over on our neighbors land to the north. A nice buck suddenly came into view trailing the parade. If he followed the same path the does had taken, I knew he would appear right behind me moving at a fast pace. There was only one hole in trees and brush through which I could get a clear shot. Because he was behind me, I had to throw all caution to the wind. I got up on my knees, turned around, and found the one hole that I could shoot through. With my heart racing like a freight train, I settled my cross hairs in the opening.
I quickly glanced to back in time to catch a glimpse of him as he flashed behind the tree I was in. Then, with my eye back in the scope, I pulled the trigger as soon as I saw the deer's shoulder in the cross hairs. He disappeared over a rise in the field, never slowing down.
"Initially doubting my shot, I climbed down. After finding a sparse blood trail, I continued on for several hundred yards and finally found him laying in a thicket ravine. The shot had been perfect, entering just behind his right shoulder. What a special buck!"
North American Whitetall North American Whitetail is designed for the serious trophy hunter. It provides authoritative coverage of world-class whitetails, the latest approaches to deer management and advanced hunting techniques.
