Jerry's awesome buck was aged at 5 1/2, and the hefty buck field dressed at 181 pounds. With a net score of 209 1/8 P&Y inches, the deer is a new non-typical state record by bow!

Three does came in from behind. They seemed nervous, but soon settled down. The lead doe left, but then returned with a 6-pointer in tow. After these two deer passed, Jerry tried a calling sequence that included bleats, soft grunts, a snort-wheeze and some antler rattling.

A second sequence called the young buck back. This time he sniffed the very scent canisters that he had previously ignored, and then he exited while watching his back trail with suspicion.

AN AMAZING SIGHT
Fifteen minutes later, Jerry tried his calling sequence again, and this time he saw movement 20 yards from where the 6-pointer had appeared. The heavy cover obscured everything -- everything except the 12-inch drop tine on the buck's right side. "My heart was racing -- I knew this had to be the big guy," Jerry said. He kept his excitement in check by refusing to look at the rack. The buck lumbered along, eventually hitting the not-so-carefully-placed scent trail.

"My early morning mistake was going to channel this deer right on top of me, only to get him too close to draw without spooking him. He walked head-on within 12 yards. Then he followed the turn that I had corrected in my drag trail," the hunter noted.

It was a dramatic moment. "I was frozen in one position, and I started to get fatigued." Jerry said. "This buck was starting to act nervous, and I had a feeling that he would soon bolt. He took one more step and offered me a broadside lung shot -- if I could thread the needle through an opening the size of a coffee cup saucer."

A 12-yard shot at a world-class buck is not easy, even if practice shots at that range cluster so tightly that lots of arrows get ruined. This, the highest-pressure shot of Jerry's life, left no room for error.

After three years of virtually nothing happening, enough excitement for a lifetime of hunting would be compressed into a few fleeting moments. "All I remember is drawing back my Hoyt Pro Vantage, finding the center of the opening and letting go," Jerry said. "I heard a loud crack and saw the deer take one leap and a step back the way he came. He stopped, looked around and started walking away from me like nothing happened."

PLEASE GO DOWN . . .
Jerry struggled to keep his emotions from riding a roller coaster. He thought about his poor decisions and began to fear the biggest disappointment of his life. Then, 20 yards away, the animal stopped and started to sway from side to side. Jerry's feelings began an upward swing -- the monster buck was going to drop.

Jerry's feelings plummeted again as he feared that he might have skewered the gut. That shot would be even worse than a messed-up opportunity at a quality trophy -- and with it would come the dread of tracking a poorly hit deer with low odds of recovery. Then Jerry's buck lay down!

"I thought that if I could only wait him out, he might expire right in front in me," Jerry said.

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