I’ve left my property behind my house for my boys all of bow season. Being the last day of bow season before gun opener I figured I’d give it a shot. I’ve had a camera on a food plot since September and had several decent bucks coming, I’ve never seen this one. At first light a doe come through and right behind it I heard walking, of course you anticipate a buck coming and then the grunt. I anticipated the distance at about 45 yards and said if it’s a shooter I’m going to need my bottom pin. A he steps, the biggest buck of my life. I lift the bow and take the shot. He ran off abruptly and it was 7:15am, the frost was thick, my heart was thumping, I was in hope I connected in this once in a lifetime shot. I wasn’t gonna prematurely get down and potentially push him, it didn’t sound like it ran far, it’s sounded as he piled up, but I didn’t know if that it sounded as such as that is what I was hoping for. I was out of arrows, I left my quiver in another stand the night before. Enough time passed, plus I figured if he came back I only had my bow to throw at him, no arrows. I got down from my stand and marched off the distance to where I shot at him. It was exactly what I thought, I peered at the ground in hopes of seeing a bloody arrow or a drop of blood. A minute passed which seemed like an hour, I lifted my head and looked in the direction where he ran. He laid there dead as the morning was calm, I was in disbelief, this all happened so fast. I just shot the buck of my life on my own property. I called my wife and said send the boys outback I just shot the buck of my lifetime. She of course mocked my excitement, but only a few minutes later they were galloping into the woods, they were at first mad that they hadn’t had the opportunity to see the buck of this magnitude, but quickly there frustration turned into excitement. They were ecstatic that this monster graced the very woods that they grew up in, the 10 acres that they call home. They instantly learned that in moment a opportunity can be presented to bag a buck. As they capitalized on a opportunity to sleep in there dad was making a memory that will last a lifetime. The Dalton Twp Duke was drug out of the woods as a pot of coffee was being brewed at the house. After a cup of coffee was enjoyed the deer was dressed and loaded into the truck. Me and the boys were going for a ride. It’s time to show this thing off, we went to a couple deer camps that were populated with our friends preparing for rifle opener the next day. After pictures were taken and the story was shared the migration went to a couple more camps. A day that was initially planned to be pretty uneventful became a day of sharing the stories with friends that were desiring to do this very thing the next morning for rifle opener. #puremichigan