WHEN STAYING PUT IN YOUR HAWK STAND IS NOT THE ANSWER

It was a windy rainy evening and I got off work early since we couldn’t cut beans. A buck I had been after the last few years was moving during daylight as I had tons of pics of him going out to my food plot.

 

I figured I could get a quick hunt in so I sat out in the rain and was getting soaked, but being a dairy farmer I hunt when I can. Not many opportunities to get out when it’s good due to taking crops off. I was sitting in my HAWK KickBack stand texting my cousin who was hunting the next property over, and was actually hunting the same buck. I caught some movement out the corner of my eye, and to my surprise it was the deer I was after standing up out of the beans on the top of the hill. He stood there and shook himself off, I’ll never forget it. Then he started shaking his head off and proceeded to bed back down. At this moment, this was the closest encounter I’d ever had with him and had never seen him more than one time the previous 2 seasons.

I thought about all the possible approaches hoping he would come in and walk right by me. Sunset was slowly creeping in and he just kept standing up, shaking off then bedding down. I had made the decision next time he beds down, to get down from my stand. With the wind and rain knocking down the noise from the beans, it was a perfect stalk opportunity. There was a small hill coming out of my food plot into the standing beans, I stayed low and crept slow and easy up the side of the hill. When I was about halfway up the hill I could finally see the tips of his antlers. Suddenly he stood up. I thought I was busted. After several anxious minutes he bedded back down again. I just kept moving slow. When I almost crested the hill I knew he would see me so I drew back and crested the hill. He stood up and looked right at me. My pin settled and I let the arrow fly. I planned for a duck, as he dropped hard and turned at 50 yards. The arrow stayed true on path and up being perfect, double lung shot!

 

(The above Photo: HAWK Fan Payton Oney several minutes after the stalk for his 206″ OH buck)

 

Score: Net 206″
Age: 5.5
Date: September 28, 2016
Location:  Ohio
Treestand Model: HAWK KickBack Hang-On