Empire Bucks Club Member: Steve Sheffield
West Town of Dunkirk, New York
11 Point, 2009 Bow Buck
Sunday, November 01, 2009
Gross score was 176 3/8, 11 point, 200 lbs. dressed
We found the sheds from this buck early last Spring on my friends property and I was hoping I could get a shot at him. Well, on November 1, 2009 I had my chance.
I saw him about 150 yards away heading in to the brush and I figured I wasn't gonna see him again for the day. Well, about 10 minutes later I looked to my Left and here he comes chasing a doe about 40 yards away, I had just enough time to grab my bow and draw back before they were both on a run that went right below me.
As I drew back my arrow popped of the rest. As I was re setting it with my finger, the doe saw me and spooked. I aimed and released the arrow just as the buck started to take off after the doe. My shot hit back behind the ribs and I could see the fletching sticking out as the buck took off behind the doe until I lost sight of them just on the other side of some brush.
I new it wasn't a great shot so I chose to leave the woods and give the buck a chance to lay down before I went looking. As I went home, I had a terrible feeling in my stomach knowing that I just had a not so great shot on a huge buck.
I packed a bag with some water and a couple flashlights and headed back out 6 and 1/2 hours later, I went back to the spot where I shot the buck but couldn't find any blood. Knowing that the area I was hunting is covered in thick brush I knew my tracking job just got a lot harder so I decided to walk to the last spot that I heard him.
I walked 20, 30, 40 yards with no blood. Just then I looked up and saw the huge buck piled up only 50 yards away from where I shot him.
UPDATE 020310: Photos Added, Back from Taxidermist
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