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The Hunt That Even A Neighbors Target Practice Could Not Disrupt

By Josh SturgillJuly 16, 20144 Comments

LAST UPDATED: May 1st, 2015

Date: December 5th, Time of Day: 5PM, Weather: 45 degrees with a slight NW wind, Location: Ripley County, Indiana.

Q: Tell me a little about how you harvested this buck?

A: This is the story of the hunt for a deer I named Double Take. I started hunting him Oct. 5th and finally harvested him on Dec. 5th in southeastern Indiana. I documented my hunt for this buck by video camera every time I was in the field. I got my first glimpse of him on a trail camera I had set up on a mineral lick. When I viewed my trail camera I had to take a quick second look at his picture, that’s when I decided I would name him Double Take. I had 3 encounters with Double Take before actually killing him. He disappeared for 18 days during the Indiana firearm season. I was pretty torn up to say the least, but one evening while glassing a cornfield with a spotting scope he walked back into my life. The hunt was back on.

A Hunter with his Trophy

Persistence and faith paid off huge for bowhunter Johnny Howard.

I set up the next day on the picked corn field I had glassed him on the day before. The excitement I felt while I sat in the tree that evening was almost unbearable. That was until the neighbor on the adjoining property decided to site in his handgun less than 350 yards away from the tree I was perched in. I was so disgusted. I slowly started to put my gear away. I just knew the neighbors target practice had ruined any opportunity I might have had at killing double take.

As I slid the rangefinder into my bag the shots stopped and my neighbor made his way back into the house. Although I was reluctant to stay I decided to stick around for a little longer. I am so very glad I did. It did not take long before I had a five pointer that I had seen numerous times enter the field….with Double Take right on his heels! I was afraid to pull my Range Finder out of my bag, for fear of spooking this awesome buck. I guessed the yardage at 45 yards and got ready to take my shot.

The rear view of the buck

The rear view of the Howard buck clearly shows that this buck had plenty of mass to go with its numerous points.

As I attached my release I heard the unmistakable thunder of a shot coming from my neighbor’s property. As the pistol thunder rolled the five point bolted toward my stand and Double Take went the opposite direction. I watched as he stood on the field edge 75 yards away. I could not believe all of my hard work was being destroyed by my neighbor with an itchy trigger finger. I watched as the five point slowly move within 25 yards of my stand on the field edge. Double Take seemed to gather his composure and at a trot started making his way toward the other buck. As Double Take hit 25 yards I was at full draw and doing everything I could to get him to stop. He finally pulled up and threw those massive horns in the air while he scanned the area for the noise that had just interrupted him.

The Trophy on the Grass

Sometimes what seems like bad luck is really a blessing in disguise.

With the adrenaline coursing through my veins I released the perfect arrow. The buck only ran 100 yards and I watched as he dropped. I have never felt so many different emotions while hunting. This was by far one of the best hunts I have ever been on. Hunting this buck was a roller coaster ride for me. I used every tactic that I knew. I had to pass up many bucks to harvest this one buck, but that was ok with me because I already knew that he was the only deer I wanted to shoot.

Q: What were the major Factors that helped you harvest this Buck?

A: I think the major factor in closing the deal on this deer was having a great amount of patience, running good trail cameras, and glassing the fields any chance I could. He is my largest buck to date although I have harvested four P&Y qualifiers and one that is already in P&Y.I have been hunting deer for 31 years and bow hunting for 27 years.

Equipment:

  • Bow: Hoyt Maxxis 31
  • Sight: Sur-Loc Lethal Weapon Max sight
  • Arrows: EASTON Axis 400
  • Broadheads: G5 T3
  • Scents: Ozonics Scent Eliminator
  • Camo: Mossy Oak Camo
  • Boots: Lacrosse Boots
Josh Sturgill
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