On the afternoon of opening day (11/15/23) just before 5pm I was able to successfully conclude the quest for a very nice 5 year old buck that my family and I have a lot of history with. My daughter missed this deer during Michigan’s youth season and she was in a double ladder stand with me when I was able to get a shot at him. The intention was for her to get a second chance at the deer but she was so overcome with the excitement of buck fever when the massive deer came in following a doe that I ended up being the one taking the shot as the doe and buck were looking like they were going to exit the woods thus no longer giving us a shot opportunity. This deer was fairly well known through the neighborhood and my family and I had several encounters with him throughout his life while farming the land and deer hunting the property. I consider myself very lucky to have been able to harvest him and celebrate the hunt with several family and great friends. It is thanks to the sound management practices that our neighbors and our family have gradually implemented that we are fortunate enough to hunt deer of this caliber!