Submitted by: Harley72

Member since Oct. 2004

It was opening day of firearm season November of 2006 and I had just
climbed into my stand for an evening hunt. I was sitting there
watching the wildlife and passing some time when I heard something
behind me. I turn around to see what it was and to my surprise I did
not see a squirrel but a nice doe. I did a 360 in my stand and
shouldered my Remington 870 and clicked the safety off. I carefully
aligned my cross hairs square on her shoulder and squeezed the trigger
and she dropped to the ground. I stood there and watched her for a few
minutes and all of a sudden she jumped up and started running so I
pulled off another shot and dropped her again. I decided to give her a
while to make sure I didn't spook her and make her run again so I sat
back down and my stand to wait for a while. As I sat there waiting to
get down out of my stand I hear a loud noise coming from my side and
when I look over I see this bruiser running directly at me, he was
grunting and definitely on a mission. I bring the 870 up to my
shoulder as fast as possible and pull the trigger but to my horror
nothing happens. I had forgotten to chamber another slug!!! So I rack
one in the chamber really quick and the buck stops dead in his tracks
about 40 yards and takes off running broadside to me. I have my 870
shoulder, a round in the chamber and the buck dead set in my cross
hairs and I'm following him in the scope waiting for the perfect
moment. Finally the moment was there to pull the trigger and I do –
the bucks legs just fold right underneath of him from the result of a
perfectly placed 12ga slug right though the neck.  This was the nicest
buck I have ever taken in 20 years of deer hunting and the first one I
have ever mounted. 20 years of hunting sure did pay off for me this
fine day. For all of the years I have spent in the field and all of
the years I went home empty handed, I sure felt like I had finally
deserved what I got. To this day I still look at him on my wall and
remember that day and wish my father had been there with me. It is a
memory I will never forget.