The TV buck zipped across the river and right into my freezer.

Just as he was steps away from a perfect shooting lane at 15 yards, the buck spotted the two decoys 18 yards south of our tree. I thought he'd come around into the perfect opening to confront the decoys. Again, no such luck. The buck ignored the decoys, and before I knew it he was walking away!

This was the largest buck I'd ever seen in the area, and he was in bow range. But he was going away, and the camera was rolling. Panic tried to set in, but there just wasn't time for it. I settled my 20-yard pin on the buck's rib cage and touched off the release. The buck bolted for another bedding area to the southeast, but when he got just inside the cover he stopped to figure out what had just happened. Through some sort of fluke my broadhead had centered his heart, and the buck tipped over within seconds, just the way I like it.

I SUPPOSE HERE'S where I could throw in the old cliché about a plan coming together. But think about these two hunting stories...

In North Dakota, I did the scouting, put us in good deer country, and was prepared to take the shot when a buck came within bow range. No luck involved, just a good plan, except for one thing -- I failed to clear a few branches in a potential shooting lane. That was poor judgment, not poor luck. Had I cleared those branches, I would have had a clear shot.

In Minnesota, I did the same things to prepare for the hunt. I had a report of a good buck, I anticipated his travel route, set up the ambush site, and hunted only when the time was right. A buck I had expected to see walked where I had expected him to without seeing or smelling me or my cameraman, and I made the shot (that's where the luck may have come in). In that case, I didn't fail to take care of details.

Of course, our best plans don't always work. Heck, we're bowhunters, so our odds for success are slim to begin with. I don't know if I would have killed that Minnesota buck had I not re-routed the ridge trail. But I do know I might have killed that North Dakota buck if I'd only taken the time to cut a couple of branches.

Hunting for television is a lot more work than just hunting for yourself. But it does amplify the need to pay attention to details and make all the right moves -- something that must be done even if you don't have a cameraman looking over your shoulder. We're all just supporting actors.

The deer are the real stars.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: On this hunt I used a 70-pound Mathews LX, Trophy Ridge Dropzone rest, Trophy Taker Top Pin sight, Easton Axis arrows, Bohning Blazer vanes, Barrie Rocky Mountain Ti-100 broadheads, Nikon optics, Summit Copperhead treestands, and a Seat-O-The-Pants full-body safety harness.

The author hails from Wahpeton, North Dakota. Catch him in his supporting role in Week 13 of Bowhunter Magazine TV on The Outdoor Channel. He'll also be appearing in weekly "Tech Talk" equipment segments with Primedia Outdoors VP Group Publisher Mike Carney.