Pennsylvania Trophy, Brad Strohm

My name is Brad Strohm, I live in Hummelstown, PA and I was fortunate enough to shoot this buck on the morning of November 9, 2011 in in management Unit 5B in Lebanon County. It's a main frame 10 with both brow tines split and a small kicker off the left base. The buck grossed 150 3/4.

I got into the tree early Wednesday morning with high hopes of shooting a buck. I'd been seeing a large group of does and fawns using this area for the past few weeks and noticed the buck movement really pick up during the week.

I had some close encounters with small bucks all year but once I got trail camera photos of this deer on 10/14, I knew what deer I really wanted to put my tag on. It was a cool crisp morning, one that you love to have in November when the rut is kicking in.

Just after daylight I had a doe come out of a thick draw from my left and walk across two old pastures and go in a thick draw to my right. About 15 minutes later I had a small doe come along the creek from my right and feed around me for the next few minutes.

I was watching this doe and would look around every so often and when I turned and looked back to my left I saw him walking with his nose to the ground about 70 yards out. He came in on a trail that would lead him about 20 yards from my stand.

The wind switched just a little and started to blow towards him. At 26 yards he stopped and started to throw his head up and lip curling try to catch some scent. I had doe estrous and trails end out but didn't know if he was smelling that or me so I decided it was now or never.

He was quartering slightly towards me, my shot hit him in front of his right shoulder and came out just behind his left shoulder. He jumped and tried to run but his nose couldn't get off the ground, he made it 60 yards and piled up in a bush. I had to sit down because I had a release of adrenaline and probably would have fallen out of the tree. I watched him for 10 minutes and he never flinched so I called my wife and told her that we were going to have a taxidermy bill! I couldn't get down soon enough to get over and put my hands on my largest buck to date. When I got there I was amazed at his size and that I actually was able to put an arrow in him. All this and it was only 7:15 in the morning, I shot the buck at 7:02. -- Brad Strohm

Congrats on a great buck Brad!