By Sherman Shifflett
Twice the “Lucky Buck” had dodged the bullet. Saved by unique circumstances after coming within range. But the “Lucky Buck” finally ran out of luck. I tagged him Wednesday afternoon before dark. I got some backstrap in my freezer and am now waiting for a good day to cook some “deer nuggets.”
I decided to use a different tree stand. The “Lucky Buck” had dodged the bullet at two different tree stands. The third time was not the charm.
This stand faced the shooting lanes in the cut-over, with the back of the stand towards the beanfields.
Not much action for the first couple of hours. Around 4:3, five large wild turkeys emerged from the cut-over and started feeding in the beanfield. They were about 200 yards away, not far from another tree stand. I checked them through the scope and all five had beards. They finally disappeared into a cedar thicket at the far end of the field.
Darkness was creeping in when “Lucky” sashayed down the shooting lane in the cut-over directly towards me. I was thinking, “That buck is suicidal.” He was within shooting range (I had Ruger .30-06), but I let him continue walking. He stopped at 50 yards and looked straight at the tree stand. It was a front-on shot, but he received a warm reception. Dropped in his tracks.
“Backstraps for the family,” with apologies to Ted Nugent.