I have to give thanks to this website for allowing me to meet my longtime (now) friend Jeff.. back around 2003 or so because of this site.. he ask for some help on here around the NOVA area and I responded and we struck up a great friendship.. we hunted together a lot over the next 6 years or so.. and he went to WV hunting with me once and TN once.. he is originally from Illinois and moved back there in 2009 .. but our friendship continued and he flew back out to hunt with me in Turkey season once and we double on a couple Nice toms on that trip I remember.. since he moved he has invited me to hunt IL every year, but something always got in the way.. well I decided this year I would finally make it happen.. he ended up buying a piece of land with a couple of his friends about 220 acres that they used to lease, but now they own it.
I flew out to help them plant food plots and hang stands back in August.. then made the drive out for an Archery Hunt last week.. I arrived on Wednesday and hunted Thursday through Sunday.. but I got lucky and was actually done by Friday at around 8:00 AM
.. I stayed two more days to film Jeff, and I tell you it was a blast.. I saw shooter bucks every day, and the rutting activity was really good.. a lot of cruising and some chasing.. even got to witness two studs fighting about 60 yds out of bow range in a ditch, we could never get anything into range for Jeff, but it was a blast .. Jeff is still in camp and hunting and I am just waiting on the text from his kill
.. he is even more picky than I am about shooting big mature deer so it has to be a true monster for him to pull back..
This is my biggest Archery buck to date .. and biggest body ever for sure.. I couldn't budge him without Jeff's help.. We didn't have a scale, but estimated him around 225 lbs .. He read the script and walked around a fire break and into the woods with me for a 12 yd shot and expired about 75 yds later.. I heard the crash but still waited to recover him for 2 hours when Jeff came to help..
Here is the recovery Video.. and some pics..
https://youtu.be/5EaqrQZkbZY