For 16 years I've hunted whitetails at our family's century farm in central Minnesota, but never have I seen an exceptional buck ... let alone been granted the opportunity to shoot one. My luck finally changed Sunday evening—the second day of archery season—while I waited with my BowTech Invasion on stand. As a cold front moved in, so did that long-awaited handsome buck.

The 7-point brute is now at Great Bear Taxidermy in Long Prairie, Minnesota, where he'll be preserved for a lifetime of honor on my wall. I'll share the full story as an Online Exclusive for the November 2012 issue of North American Hunter, so stay tuned. Until then, best of luck to you in the whitetail woods.