Backyard Big Bucks!

Two years ago I was hunting with my uncle behind our house where there are two fields, roughly 45 acres.  This is a great evening spot to hunt.  The deer start funneling out of the woods and naturally come to these fields to feed in the evening.  It’s a great spot, very close to the house.  Making it very easy to rush home from work, throw on some camo bibs and sneak up to the edge of the field to see what pops out into the field just before dark.

I started noticing huge buck sign very close to the house and road.  These are spots that I typically never hunt because I am always trying to get up to the field as quickly as I can.  One morning my uncle and I were hunting the fields, and the wind was not to our favor.  I am thinking that we are going to have much better luck hunting across the street from our house where there is a huge swamp and several hundred acres of hardwoods on the other side of the swamp.

I meet up with my uncle to explain to him the change in plans.  We are now standing on edge of the hedgerow that separates the two fields.  He has his back to the house as I am facing the house and road which is probably 300 yards down from us.  As I am talking to him my eye catches something very interesting down by the road near the house.  My uncle notices my distraction and asks me if I see something.  I reply, “I think I do”.  I throw the binoculars up and sure enough there was a huge 8 point buck with two does standing in the goldenrod.  It was like looking at a photo on the front page of a field & Stream magazine. 

The buck realizes that he has been spotted and turns around, crosses the road and into the swamp he goes.  I can’t believe what I just saw, and rush to the house to throw on my waiters to go in after him.  I spent nearly 5 hours walking through the swamp in hopes to find this monster.  I really do not recommend this kind of swamp hunting.  There were several times I thought I was going to die.  Once I got in, the brush got thicker, the mud got deeper and the water higher- not good! 

Well to make a long story short, just as I was giving up and coming out of the swamp on the opposite side, there he was with the same two doe, in what I call prairie grass.  The deer get up and start to run up into the woods, when I shout to them, and they pause for a moment.  I set my sights on the buck and shoot.  He instantly disappears and all I see are white flags bouncing through the prairie grass heading towards the woods.  I again can’t believe what just happened, and radio my uncle to let him know that those dear where heading up towards him. 

As I begin to walk towards the direction where all this went down, I notice the grass moving around.  As I approach this area and look down to the area of moving grass, I shout on top of my lungs, “thank you Lord”!  I got him- when I shot he instantly dropped, I honestly thought I had missed him.

This hunt taught me many new things about hunting whitetail deer around my property.  I couldn’t believe how close he was to the house and road, and this all started at about 7 am.  Since then I have set up trail cameras near the house and have got some nice 6 point buck and many other deer on camera.  So never underestimate your boundaries.  The hunt should start the second you leave your property, you may be surprised what your passing as you're leaving your yard.