I’ve been hunting my friend John’s property for 20+ years with nothing coming into view or shooting distance other than spikes and small basket racks. This night he and I looked at each other, prayed and knew something would be different…

The buck came in at 6:45 pm from the East through some thick brush, head down, at 30 yards. I raised my Ten Point Vapor, an Easton Carbon bolt affixed with a G5 Striker V2 broadhead, and took aim just behind the shoulder. A 20” window between a split tree gave me the shot I needed. I remembered what my brother always told me, “find a hair and concentrate, breathe, take the shot.”

Once I saw the buck fall to its front haunches, I knew it was the shot I needed. It ran, crashing through the brush and thickets out of sight. Giving it 15 minutes, I slowly exited the stand and look where the deer stood. My bolt had cleared through the bucks lungs and embedded into the tree behind it.

After giving the deer an hour, and only finding two areas of blood, John and I backed out and contacted Gary Gillette, his wife Sara, and their Chocolate Lab, Gibson. Long story short, mans best friend took a total of ten minutes to successfully find my buck.