Kirk Gott Buck

Story:

Kirk Gott Buck 

By: Jeff W. Hill  (Originally published on buckmasters.com)

     Kirk Gott of Wellington, Ohio, started preparing for his third deer season by scouting in September. During one of his pre-season visits afield, he saw three does feeding in a bean field just before dark. And at dusk, a very stately buck joined them.

     Kirk watched slack-jawed as the biggest buck he’d ever seen, alive or dead, pranced around as if it owned the field. When shadows grew longer and darkness began to fall, the heavy-antlered whitetail left the field to the does, which had been ignoring him anyway. Kirk sat there awestruck, wishing that Ohio’s season were already open. He knew that his chances of seeing that buck in the wide open again were very slim.

     On the morning of Nov. 13, Kirk awoke to his alarm early. As he enjoyed his morning coffee, he flashed back to the day he saw the buck that was almost too big to believe. He wondered if he would be lucky enough to see it again. Probably not, he decided while loading his gear into the truck.

     When he reached his destination, Kirk parked about 150 yards away, dressed and started slowly making his way to the stand within sight of the same bean field. He nestled into his hiding place well before sunrise. It was about 100 yards from the field, and it overlooked the edge of a small ravine choked with heavy cover. Kirk liked the spot because he could see both the food source and the gully, a major travel corridor.

     At the break of day, the forest came alive. The squirrels and birds were busily feeding on the ground and in the trees around him. About 7:30, he noticed movement at the edge of the bean field, about 150 yards distant. A doe was easing into the field to feed – the first of four to do so. This boosted his hopes of seeing the buck. After all, the rut was peaking in that part of Ohio.

     Kirk watched as the females fed aimlessly through the field before moving into the woods about 100 yards from him. They wound up circling his stand, and none seemed spooked or uneasy. They eventually disappeared into the ravine behind him.

     “Where is their boyfriend?” he wondered.

     A sound from his left lifted his spirits, but when Kirk slowly turned that way, he saw three more does snaking through the woods en route to the bean field. Within seconds, he heard grunting. Could it be?

     When the vocal buck materialized, Kirk was a little disappointed. However, although it wasn’t the monster he’d expected, the 8-pointer was certainly big enough – if it would only present an opportunity.

Kirk tried grunting to lure the buck his way, but the deer’s gaze never strayed from the does he was trailing. The rutting animal was clearly on a mission, his nose to the ground in an effort to decipher whether one of the gals was in estrus.

     Kirk could only hope that the females would bring the buck back into range.

     The 8-pointer pushed and chased the does around the woods, but he never came close enough. This went on for about 20 minutes before the foursome disappeared into the wall of trees.

     About 9:25, Kirk heard the sound of footsteps fast approaching from his right. Moments later, a doe appeared, running full throttle. She was following a course that would bring her past his stand at about 30 to 35 yards. And then Kirk saw why she was running. A buck was chasing her, though Kirk couldn’t get a good look at it because it was weaving through thick cover.

     It was obvious, however, that the one giving chase was wearing a large rack – certainly more impressive than the 8-pointer’s. He decided immediately that if the buck gave him a chance, he was going to try for it.

     Kirk missed his first opportunity for a shot when the couple passed through an opening he’d not seen in time. The big buck was pushing the doe really hard; he wasn’t about to stop. When the buck was nearing the last possible shooting lane, Kirk raised his Horton crossbow and squeezed the trigger just as it cut through the small clearing.

     Kirk admits that the bolt hit nowhere near where he was aiming. But as luck would have it, the broadhead severed the moving target’s femoral artery.

     Although sitting there was tough, Kirk knew that his shot was off and that he needed to wait at least 30 minutes. The deer would require some time. Kirk’s hopes soared, however, when he discovered a very good blood trail, which made tracking the animal a piece of cake!

     He followed the trail for about 50 yards or so and then he spotted the deer on the ground. There was no doubt that he’d bagged the monster buck that had been haunting his dreams since September. Thumbing the massive rack, Kirk realized that he’d simply been lucky. No use sugarcoating the story.

     On that day, he would’ve traded all the skill in the world for a little dose of luck!