I bow, and rifle hunt in the western part of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. We have tent camped in the same place every year since the early 1980’s. A friend of ours, who lives about 5 miles from where we camp, stopped in on about the 3rd. day that we were there this year. He got out of his truck with a big grin on his face, and said

 “Boys I was sure glad you guys left when you did last year, because I was driving by the camp site when I saw a doe standing next to it by the road. I stopped my truck to look at her when I saw a really nice shooter buck bedded down about 20 yards away. So I get out of my truck, take out my rifle from the case, and load it. The whole time this buck is staring at me from his bed. As I bring my rifle up, he stands up and starts to move, but he was in my crosshairs, and I dropped him in his tracks!”

He brings out the pictures and it was a 14 point (Eastern Count) non-typical, that gross scored a little over 187 Boone and Crockett, and dressed out at 225 pounds.

After we joked around a bit, he invited us to stop by before we leave to go back home, and have some coffee and look at the mount. (He had gotten it back from the Taxidermist just before we came up this year.)

Two Days later he shows up at camp again. “Boys come over to the house I’ve got something to show you.” We go to his house and hanging in his barn is a massive 10 point, which he just gotten with his bow. This one dressed out at 185 pounds and looked to be about 4 ½ years old.

After we joked around some more on where he got the buck (This one was from his 40 acre section down the road from our camp.)We went in for some of that coffee that he promised, and I said “Boy some people have all the Luck".
But it couldn’t have happend to a nicer guy.

Yeah, I know what you mean. I've killed three with my bow already and you'd think I was lucky, but my grandaddy has kill at least 7 and has had shots at bucks he wouldn't shoot that I probably would, epsecially with a bow. He's one of the best people I know though so it doesn't bother me.

After you've spent days in the woods and come up dry, don't you just hate people like that? While I don't bow hunt, one of the guys in my hunt club decided to take up bow hunting and got a crossbow. He got one of those ground blinds and was only in it a short while when a doe came up and he killed it. His comment was "I thought you guys said this was hard."

I'm having a slow year this season. I went back and looked and last season I had already killed 5 bucks and one doe by October 27th. Right now, I only have two bucks and one doe and it's Oct. 26th. The summer dry spell, followed by the monsoon flooding and the prolific acorn crop is putting a damper on my season!!!!!!

I remember a year many years ago when I hunted with eight guys from work at the steel plant. Well, the night before opening day (gun season) we all went out for a little dinner and a "couple" of beers. Well, the guy who owned the land had a couple for everyone in town. So, comes 5AM and Fritz is shall we say "On the Fritz" and there's no getting him up. So the rest of us head out one guy driving Ye Olde Stationwagon dropping us off. Now at the appointed time he comes and picks us up to go get a little lunch before the afternoon hunt. When we get back to the cabin Fritz is putting new glass in the kitchen window. Said he got up about tenish went to get a glass of water and a bottle of asprin literally. Looked out the window and twenty yards away eating apples under Ye Olde Apple Tree is a ten point buck. He said the blast of the shotgun made him think his head was going to explode. After gutting the deer and replacing the glass in the window he went back to bed. We got a little revenge we had heart and liver for lunch.

Have not going out as much as I could have. Got a 6 and an 8 during archery(could'nt stick a doe). Got a 6 and a 9 with my muzzle loader. Reg gun opens this coming weekend. Good luck to you all.

Finished the blackpowder season with another 9pts. This one was pure luck, but made my buddies jealous.