Hunter hunting along a marsh

Ryan Vander momen

Information

  • Date Taken: 11/15/2019
  • Time Of Day: Morning
  • Method: Shotgun
  • County: Ottawa County
  • Property: Private
  • Dressed Weight: 170

I got in my stand at 6:30. It didn’t take long and I could see deer about 150 yards away in the field. I knew it was a buck chasing doe but it was to dark to see how big. It was a long sit watching them and it being to dark to see him well. They went into some brush at about 6:50 a.m. it wasn’t until 7:10 that I seen a doe come out of the brush. Meanwhile a half rack buck came in 50 yards away from me. The half rack was staring at the brush. Then out of the brush stepped the 11 point I had seen chasing doe when I got in my stand in the dark. I put the cross hairs on him and pulled the trigger. He walked to the tree line 10 yards away from him. I couldn’t see him. I thought did I miss….. None of the other deer did anything for 5 minutes after I shot. They just stared in the direction he walked. Then the half rack ran over there and Chased one of the doe over towards me for the next hour I watch the half rack fight off a little 5 point and mate with the doe 3 times. The whole time I was thinking why would the big buck let the other ones have the doe if he was still alive???. After they started to leave I started to pack up to go see if I had blood. Then I seen movement by the tree line. It was the bug buck coming back into the field. I grabbed my gun and shot this time he took off like I hit him. I waited 20 minutes then got down to go look for blood. I had good blood so I started tracking right away. About 100 yards later I ended up jumping him. I couldn’t get another shot before he went into a thicket. So I decided to back out and let him lay. In a little over an hour I went back out to track him. I ended up jumping him again 30 yards from the last spot I had jumped him over an hour earlier. This time I got another shot on him. He went about 30 yards before he fell over.