Face to face with "The Great Eight"


StrictlyWhitetails

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Here was my hunt this past weekend, what a hunt.

As the evening hunt wears on I wonder if I'm going to see a deer. With 20 minutes of light left, I glass a nearby bean field. After making out a few does, I spotted a 2 year old eight point. Then out of beans popped "The Great Eight!" Where did he come from? And within seconds I determined their path wouldn't bring them my way.

Screaming in the back of my head was Andy saying "Get Aggressive, Go After Him." I found myself at the base of my tree in record time; I grabbed my grunt call, binoculars, range finder, and bow. I ran 300 yards across the field; I must have looked like an idiot. Arriving along the fence row, I glassed the beans but there was nothing. Did I scare them? After several minutes I saw the smaller eight crest over the riseand soon to follow was The Great Eight.

My heart was pumping out of my chest as they walked in my direction. I tried to look through my binoculars; I was shaking so bad I couldn't hold them steady. I tried to regain my composure and couldn't. How could this happen, I can't stop shaking. But then something spooked them and they bounded back. A coyote poked his head out of the corn

So there I am, standing in a fencerow with nothing between us. (Except 80 yards)

I worked on calling but nothing worked and they hung up. Finally with 5 minutes of light left, I knew it wasn't going to happen. There was just too much distance between us and not enough time. But then 60 yards out another buck stuck his head out of the corn. I reached down and blew the grunt. He looked straight at me, then ran right at me. He was coming fast and I was a nervous wreck. I dropped the grunt call, backed as far as I could around the bush and got ready. I could hear the beans breaking. Crush, crush, crush, and then it stopped. He was right there on the other side of the fence staring at me. Because of all the brush the elevation difference I could only see his face and white chest patch. Face to face at less then 10 yards!

After a stand off, he snorted andran back to The Great Eight. After a small sparring session they moved on. He wasn't the bigger of the two but he was a great Michigan, 4 year old eight point. I would have been proud to take him. Heck, I was proud to be so close.

After the whole ordeal, I was unraveled. I could barely control my emotions and I was still shaking from the experience. Getting aggressive, taking on a mature buck on the ground face to face was one of the most amazing experiences that I've had. It is times like those that keep me coming back.

Brian Miller

Outdoor Writer and Speaker

http://www.strictlywhitetails.com/apps/blog/

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