My dad and I decided over the summer that this was the year we would finally take up an offer to hunt a family member's farm in Steuben county. We scouted one day in August and hadn't been back since but we kept notes and had a pretty good idea on the areas we wanted to key in on this time of year. We drove out after work last night filled with excitement and anticipation. However, it was discouraging when the morning came and went without any deer sightings.
That all changed in the afternoon as my dad saw three doe and I saw two longbeards that passed by out of range shortly before this guy showed up at 4:30. He snuck in on me with the heavy winds this afternoon but I managed to grab my bow and bleat to get him to stop at 35 yards just before he reached a cluster of trees that would have cost me an opportunity to shoot. I quickly settled my pin and sent my arrow his way and 5 minutes later I had my hands on my first NY whitetail. I couldn't be happier with him. He had broken off a droptine that would have made him a 7 but nice mass and a heavy body. I couldn't weigh him here but I estimate him to be 175-180#, by far the heaviest deer I've shot to date. No bait, no trail cams, just plain old-fashioned scouting the sign. There's no greater feeling than arrowing a mature whitetail buck in the October woods.
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That all changed in the afternoon as my dad saw three doe and I saw two longbeards that passed by out of range shortly before this guy showed up at 4:30. He snuck in on me with the heavy winds this afternoon but I managed to grab my bow and bleat to get him to stop at 35 yards just before he reached a cluster of trees that would have cost me an opportunity to shoot. I quickly settled my pin and sent my arrow his way and 5 minutes later I had my hands on my first NY whitetail. I couldn't be happier with him. He had broken off a droptine that would have made him a 7 but nice mass and a heavy body. I couldn't weigh him here but I estimate him to be 175-180#, by far the heaviest deer I've shot to date. No bait, no trail cams, just plain old-fashioned scouting the sign. There's no greater feeling than arrowing a mature whitetail buck in the October woods.
