Hayden Kilbourne

Harvest Story: It’s always pretty exciting when you have history with a deer. I was fortunate enough to watch this deer grow for the last 4 years until he reached 5. Last year I had hung a stand for my younger cousin to try to get a shot at him when he was 4 and he was around a 130 inch deer then. I honestly never thought he would get much bigger. When I checked my first round of summer cameras on this farm I was shocked. When I saw the unique split brows and that he had put 20 inches on I knew right away he was high on my list. I did not hunt this farm the first 2 days due to less than ideal winds. I checked the wind on the 3rd day of season and decided to give it a go. The past season I had noticed that I would have bucks on camera whenever I was not there but when I hunted I never saw them. I decided to change my entry route and see if that worked. I had not been getting pictures of this deer but every once a week or so but I knew he was in the area. Due to the cold front and good wind conditions I felt like a had a good chance. I walked through a thicket for several hundred yards to get to my stand. I took about an hour to walk in, making sure to make as little noise as possible. Around 6:45 or so I glanced into the thicket in front of me I saw tines and a big frame moving through the woods. He stood for around 5 minutes before stepping out into the field. He looked much bigger in person and I knew right away I was going to shoot him. I watched him feed in the beans and make a scrape at around 70 yards. A spike stepped out behind him and began to feed as well. Almost immediately I noticed the spike ran back into the thicket. Shortly after the bigger buck ran into the woods as well. I checked my wind and thermals and both were good. I was hopeful he would come back out but grateful to see such a beautiful buck in person. Around 5 minutes later he stepped back into the field and proceeded to make 2 more scrapes. He turned on a dime and headed straight for my tree. He walked 23 yards in front of me and turned slightly quartering. He lifted his nose in the air and I felt my wind shift over my back. I placed an arrow directly behind his shoulder the best I could for the angle. I got very little penetration and almost immediately was devastated. I messaged several friends, family and my dad saying I had blew it. I got down shortly after and was unable to find a single speck of blood. I stepped into the thicket and could see a white belly and honestly was overwhelmed with excitement and emotion. Quite the roller coaster of emotions. I am incredibly thankful and blessed to be able to do what I love another season and share these stories and memories with friends, family, and fellow outdoorsman.