Permit shot gun buck down

**tcook8296** · January 3, 2016

After missing a buck I was after during 6 day, I was totally disgusted with myself and have been kicking myself for rushing a shot that should have been a slam dunk shot on an old heavy buck. I originally thought I may have hit the deer and killed him, but just couldn't find him. I searched long and hard, but never found him. After that 1st day, he vanished and I had no idea of the bucks fate. I have been trying to keep the farm quiet for the last couple weeks, in hope of him returning but I dint think he would come back if he was still alive. I try to hunt my property different than most, only hunting the edges and leaving the center of my farm as a sanctuary. After 6 day and my buck disappeared, I started getting pics of a new buck that moved in. I started getting steady pics of him but only in the middle of the night for the last 3 weeks. Fast forward to last week, the buck I shot at 6 day comes back on camera but in the middle of the night. I am relieved to see the deer back and still alive. New Years day, the wife and I are at the farm checking some cameras on one of our food plots and see both bucks showed themselves last week right before dark. I already had a stand set on this plot but decided to hang another in case of a bad wind I could still hunt the plot. I saw the weather today with the temps dropping and figured it would be a good day to sit the food plot and see if one of the 2 bucks would make another daylight appearance. Afternoon was surprisingly slow with no deer movement until about 20 minutes before dark I see 2 does coming into the food plot. Then I see a few more and a few more and before you know it I have about 15 or so does in the fields feeding on turnips, radishes, clover and winter rye. Its getting late in the game and Im thinking its not going to happen when I hear some crunching coming towards the food plot. I cant see through the cedars on the edge of the plot. I have my binos focused on one of the trails and I see 3 does step into the plot and then I can hear another coming and the deer steps to the edge of the food plot and I say to myself, there he is! I put down the binos and grab the 220. He walks out into the food plot and starts feeding about 50 yards out. I settled the cross hairs and squeezed the trigger. The whole field emptied . The buck ran about 60 yards and piled up. I cant ask for a better season, I killed my first 2 bucks on my place in Illinois and now my 1st one here on my farm in NJ.

Edited January 3, 2016 by tcook8296