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YOU CAN DRY OUT THE CLOTHES, BUT NOT THE MEMORIES! This hunt started a few days before the famous opening day of gun season at Ft. Leonard Wood, Missouri. Brad McAnally was spending both the woods and camp with his bowhunting pals, warming up with a little time on stand before opening morning. Everyone was seeing plenty of deer, with some bucks spotted chasing does, and trails and funnels heavily worn. The action was fast paced as the rut was getting ready to kick into high gear. As many bowhunters know, sometimes just seeing plenty of deer activity still isn't enough to put an arrow in one. Even with no kills, just a lot of close encounters, Brad was ready to surprise those whitetails when he replaced his bow with a 12 ga. slug gun on Saturday! Well, Friday brought nothing but rain all day, without any signs of letting up. While the rest of the guys stayed in camp keeping dry, Brad decided he needed to reposition his climber he'd been hunting out of all week. But in the rain? That's where his plan came into place: Using the heavy downpour to cover all contaminating scent and sound, he slowly worked his way into a predetermined stand for the next morning's hunt. He was familiar with the area, and had missed an opportunity at a nice buck there the year before. It seemed the buck or some of his relatives had really been working over the area, a riverbottom with thickets and open hardwoods, which created good cover and edges. Using mother nature to his advantage (rain), Brad hung his API climber quietly and scent free. Just as he was getting out of the woods, he bumped a nice buck out of its bed. Distressed, he was worried about spooking the deer clear out of the area, but decided to be in there anyway at first light the next morning. So it came to be, opening day of firearms season in Missouri started out overcast, damp, and cold as Brad looked out from his perch some 20 feet in the air. Just at daybreak, he could hear what sounded like deer running all around him, bu couldn't make out what was causing all the commotion. Then, like it always seems to happen, a doe just appeared out of no where right in front of him. As she seemed to be checking her back trail, the doe suddenly bolted off into the thick brush. This was PERFECT! Well, you guessed it. Following her was a 120+ class 8-point that Brad wanted to go home with him in a real bad way! The shot rang out across the bottom, and the buck went crashing into the thick brush. Too excited to wait, he climbed down the tree to look for blood, and finding a decent blood trail, took chase after the buck. But the chase didn't take long, and after a quick follow-up shot, Brad stood proudly over his best buck yet. I bet he hopes it rains everytime he hangs a stand before a hunt now! written by Matt McAnally hunter profile-Keith Pinson | Whitetail Feeding Habits All Year Long | The Ridge Stand by Matt McAnally | Off & Running--J.P. Mahn | Elk Photos | Confidence Doe | Shed Hunters | Chad Goetten Buck | hello M.B.B. Rob | Mud Lick Monster | | Return Home | Taxidermy Shop | Hunting Photo Gallery | KIDS TRAIL! | Wild Hog Mania! | Fishing Photo Gallery | |
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