hen explained to her that the wind was good for a particular spot, actually the home of the buck I was focused on for the year... A big 6x6 that I had been drooling over for the last month, but never had the chance to hunt, yet. 

I explained that if she didn't mind using the muzzleloader, she could try for my buck, and I would film, she quickly agreed. An hour later, after a practice session with the smoke pole, our plans were in place. When we pulled up to the parking spot to walk in, Hunter informed me that she didn't feel right about our plans and that she would feel better if she just waited for better wind at an archery blind... WOW, and I thought I was a dedicated bowhunter. She also informed me that she would rather watch me try for my buck... So, thats what we did. 

I had gotten Stealth cam pics of this buck only three times in daylight, over the last month. Every one of those times being at 3pm. With it now being almost 4pm and we were still walking in, I had no expectations WHAT SO EVER...

After half an hour in the blind, a doe and fawn walked in... The doe looked back into the timber past our blind and stared at something for a brief moment before continuing on... Twenty seconds later this GIANT buck walked out right beside the blind!!! My whitetail hunting career flashed through my brain, at light speed confirming that what I was looking at must be false... 

Every year I put on thousands of miles putting out trail cams trying to locate the whitetail of my dreams! I don't usually find "Mr. Right" until about the last ten days of the year... From there, he either stays completely nocturnal, or vanishes again as quickly as he showed up. I then spend the rest of the season hopelessly sitting in my blind, with icicles hanging off my facial hair, peeing in a bottle every few hours while I try to count the rifle bullets that sizzle over my head... All on that small petite little whim that the chosen one will show himself "any minute." The moment never does happen, and my love for whitetail hunting grows cold with the arctic temperatures. 

So, coming back to road speed; I now had a maximum of forty minutes invested into hunting my chosen buck for 2012, and he was there standing before me!!! It didn't make sense... I calmed myself down and decided to make the best of the rare encounter, planning to get the most footage I could before taking the shot. 

The buck walked right out in front of me, and began rubbing his face on a licking branch! He then proceeded to freshin up a scrape, the camera was rolling the whole time!!! Completely dumbfounded that this was all happening I never thought once to pick up my gun, I just kept filming capturing crazy awesome footage of him. 

Next thing you know, I have five minutes of film, of the the biggest whitetail I have seen in the last three seasons... And he turns and starts walking away!!! I panicked! grabbed my TC IMPACT and tried aiming with my WRONG hand while filming with the other!!!... before you know it, he was gone, and I was left sitting there with the stupidest look on my face I have ever had!!! 

Twenty minutes of silence and no sign of the buck returning... I played it over in my mind... I was going for a home run on footage, and gambled, and lost. I felt about half an inch tall as I sat and thought about what an opportunity I had just wasted... Calculating how costly that mistake could potentially be by the end of the season if I didn't get another crack at such an elusive deer.

Darkness began to fall as I stewed in disappointment. A doe appeared to the right... She walked passed me at forty yards. Shortly after she passed, I heard a grunt from behind the blind!!! It was him!!! He stepped out only thirty yards away... He continued on out in front of me!... I quickly raised the muzzleloader and squeezed!!! 

With the effort I have put in this year, I can't honestly say I deserve such a beautiful buck, but I'll take it! I'm sure I will pay the price down the road for this years good fortunes! 
He has more mass than any buck I have ever taken. He has gorgeous dark chocolate antlers, and even though I don't feel I have earned him, I couldn't be any prouder! 

Huge thanks to Hunter Frankfurt... New best camera girl on earth!