This nice 8 point buck showed up on my trailcam a couple of days before Christmas. I had never seen this buck before and had no photos of him earlier in the season. This camera is located in a narrow strip of woods between two half acre clover/chicory foodplots. The strip of woods serves as a funnel between a thick bedding area behind my place, the row crop fields next to me and a large block of timber across the road.





Notice the date/times on the pics... I got photos of him early morning and late afternoon on 12/23. I have a stand in this funnel and hunted it pretty hard between Christmas and New Year’s as I was off of work.

The camera is about ten yards from my stand and I would swap out the SD card most every time I hunted. The buck would show up on camera about every 3-4 days, usually in the daylight, but not while I was on stand! I think he was cruising for does and only bedding on the property behind me on occasion. Of course I could be wrong and he was there the whole time doing what a big buck does best... avoid me!

When I returned to work after New Year’s things at work got busy and I was working 7 days a week, at least 10 hours a day... pretty much dark to dark. It was killing me to not be able to hunt. I did check the camera a couple of times and had pics of the resident does and the buck was now showing up about once a week. The Alabama season closes Jan 31 and I was determined to get a final hunt for this buck

The weather was right on Jan 29 and I was able to slip out of work early. I got settled in the funnel stand and was only there about 15 minutes when deer started coming out of the bedding area into one of the foodplots. Five does & yearlings fed in the foodplot for a while and then slipped back into the thicket. It was still early and I had that good feeling that today was going to be the day. At 4:15 a heard a deer walking in the strip of woods that forms the funnel and here come the big 8 point about 45 yards away and walking straight towards me. As he walks by I draw the Hoyt Maxxis 35 and when he stops at 12 yards the pin settles and I dump the string. He bolts into the thicket crashing through the sweet gums out of sight. The Easton FMJ tipped with a 125 grain three blade VPA broadhead is buried in the ground where the buck stood seconds earlier. A great blood trail led to the buck which had only gone about 60 yards.



He is a very heavy 8 point with lots of mass. Inside spread is 16.5 and the beams are only 20 & 21, but what he lacks here he make up in mass.



I scored him at 132 gross, 126 3/8 net... not bad for an 8 point Bama buck. I tried to score him as accurate as I could because I knew he would be close to the 125 P&Y minimum. Whether he makes the book with an official scorer after the drying period will have to be seen.
Either way, it's a buck I am very proud of and I feel blessed to have had a crack at him.

Well done Andy.

Very nice buck...well done.

Congratulation on a good looking deer.

Beauty of an 8......well-done.

Excellent write up and pictures, I enjoyed it.

That buck is a true trophy, Congratulations.

Nice buck thanks for the story and pictures.

Ain't it grand when a plan works!

Way to go!!!!

Awesome deer...and even more special that you have him on game cam as well. Thanks for sharing the details and photos!

Great buck and excellent report. Sure looks like a nice mature deer with that mass.

Very nice. It's so rewarding when you finally put all the pieces of the puzzle together and tag a buck you know with archery equipment at close range. Congrats.

Nice buck - well done! What county?

Thanks guys,

Madison County, north of Huntsville, just south of the Tennessee state line.

Well done! Hope you make the book!!

Good scouting and good Buck!
Congratulations

A Dandy indeed!

Great pics & story. Thanks for sharing.
JCHB