On Oct. 13,2007, Josh Argabright was bowhunting just outside of Orient, Ohio. It was 34 degrees in the morning, the coldest day of the season so far. Josh was looking forward to his hunt because it was to be his first hunt from a stand he had hung one year earlier. "I didn't plan on seeing any deer until around 8:30 a.m., because they always seem to move late on this property," Josh said. "Around 8 a.m., I heard someone squirrel hunting.

An hour later I heard two shots from the front of the wood lot where I was hunting. Not five minutes later I heard deer running. I grabbed my bow and clipped on my release as a small 8-pointer followed by a doe came by. Then a monster 8-pointer appeared. Not having had a chance to stand up, I slowly drew back my bow with all three deer less than 20 yards away. As I settled my pin on the big buck, he turned and opened his right shoulder for a shot. I let the arrow fly."

After an all day tracking job in which my father and father-in-law helped out, we were all walking through some high grass when I found myself standing only 10 feet from the bedded deer. By then, it was around 6 p.m. And we weren't sure if he was dead or not. But then we saw him move, so I put two arrows in him to end the ordeal as quick as possible. Our incredible journey ended at around 6:30 p.m. with the big buck finally down. Best of all, two people who were very close to me experienced the entire ordeal with me. This hunt had it all: The extreme high of shooting a good buck, and the lowest low of tracking him and not being able to find him. Fortunately everything turned out all right!

page: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6