Outfitter Butch Carley (right) had told me that virtually any buck with tall antlers and deep forks will make the P&Y record book. My beautiful blacktail clearly meets those criteria.

Time dragged as we persisted back and forth through the afternoon heat, eyes sweeping the ground for any telltale clues. But in the end the sky held the clues, as circling vultures led us to where my buck lay sprawled maybe 100 yards off the dirt road. Talk about relief! And, wow, what a buck -- tall antlers, deep forks, and twin eyeguards. After admiring and loading my buck in the Bronco, we went to check on Dyrk. In his own words, here's his story.

THE STALKING PLAN worked great. I'd slipped within 30 yards of the deer when the 3x3 suddenly stood, only 20 yards away. I drew my bow, hoping the 4x4 would stand, too. But the 3x3 got nervous and bounded away up a ridge. The big buck jumped up and raced after him, giving me no chance for a shot.

Disappointed, I decided to hunt the rest of the ditch and then go help you guys find Mark's deer. Since this was the same area where I'd seen a big 4x4 opening morning, I was hoping to bump into him again. No such luck. All I saw was a 3x3 and forky. So I returned to the truck and headed down off the ridge to find you guys.

I'd gone only a little way when I saw two deer bedded in the shade of a lone tree a couple of hundred yards away. I drove out of sight, parked, and slipped back to glass the deer. They were the same two bucks I'd jumped in the ditch!

There wasn't much cover, and the wind was in my favor, so I decided to crawl directly toward the deer. I'd closed to within about 125 yards when the big 4x4 stood, changed position, and bedded again, facing away from me. I crawled closer, just sweating and hoping.

When I'd got within 80 yards, the big buck stood again, and I froze, and when he began to walk away, my heart sank. But after only a dozen yards he bedded again. He was broadside but still looking away from me. Then I noticed a small tree. If I could slither to that tree, I just might get a shot after all. I inched ahead.

Somehow I made it to the tree and its meager shade and fished my rangefinder free. I felt confident of making the shot if the buck would just give me the chance. Fifteen long, hot minutes later the blacktail rose and turned to lick a rear leg. This was my chance. I drew my bow and patiently settled into the 50-yard shot. It felt and looked good all the way. The buck leaped ahead and raced out of sight around the side of ridge. But he didn't go far.

AUTHOR'S NOTES:
Dyrk was shooting a PSE Scorpion drawing 75 pounds, 300 Radial X Weave arrows from Carbon Force, and 100-grain Rocky Mountain Ironheads. Mark used a 58-pound Mathews Conquest compound, Gold Tip 5575 arrows, and 125-grain Thunderheads. For full details about the quality blacktail hunts offered by Butch and Brenda Carley, write carleyranch@comcast.net. Bookings are limited to two to three bowhunters each season in order to guarantee a quality experience.

Mark Zastrow makes his home in Watertown, Wisconsin. Dyrk Eddie is an accomplished bowhunter from Montana.