#10 - Damon Hoard

#10 - Damon Hoard

It was the first week of November. My birthday falls on Nov 5 (def meant to be). Started with an observation sit the first night. Which led me to my first sighting of a big buck working a scrape line in the back of a pasture 500 yards away. Checking the wind for the following day, it was perfect to set up along where I saw that buck.
#1 – David Powell Reading #10 - Damon Hoard 3 minutes Next #9 - Matthew Weber

Damon Hoard, 48
Location: Ohio
Gear: Phantom Saddle, Predator XL Platform, One Sticks, Skeletors

It was the first week of November. My birthday falls on Nov 5 (def meant to be). Started with an observation sit the first night. Which led me to my first sighting of a big buck working a scrape line in the back of a pasture 500 yards away. Checking the wind for the following day, it was perfect to set up along where I saw that buck. The following morning, I used my skeletors, climbed up and got set up before first light. I didn't see much but that evening, I saw 4 shooters of course not in bow range. They seemed to work towards a ridge I was familiar with that has a pretty good pinch in it. So I left my sticks and that setup, just in case I wanted to come back to it quickly. The next morning, with another platform and my one sticks, I went to where I suspected these deer to be traveling already wearing my phantom. Was able to slip into my spot easily and quietly. Sat for almost two hours not seeing a deer but hearing a lot of grunting, tending grunts which I had never heard myself before and multiple snort wheezes. I had enough, and knew the wind was in my favor. So tore down my set in no time and eased my way down into the creek bottom where I knew there was a good pinch point. After getting almost to where I wanted to be my movement caught the attention of a deer that raised its tail and slowly walked away in the bottom. During the 30 min I just sat still I could hear a lot of deer vocalizing on the lower ridge across the creek from me. I finally felt I could make it to the pinch I had been working towards. Made my way to a tree that the wind was barely out of what direction I felt the deer would come . Within 20 min of being set up a doe came running up from where I suspected the deer to come, with a nice buck in tow. He passed me too quickly. I grabbed my grunt call and got his attention. He started raking a tree directly to his left and tearing the ground up under his feet. I decided to snort wheeze and he took the bait leaving his doe in the brush next to the creek. He got in range and just as I was about to shoot he saw something he didn't like, but it was too late for him, I had already let one fly. Double lung. He only went about 90 yards before crashing. Not a world beater but my best buck to date.

CONTINUE READING

#1 - Lukus Troyer
2023

#1 - Lukus Troyer

Hunting, for me, doesn’t start when I pull on my camo in the dead, still morning or even when I make my quiet trek to a carefully selected location to hunt… it starts with education. It’s watching ...
#2 - Nolan Taylor
2023

#2 - Nolan Taylor

Albert Einstein once said, "the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, and expecting different results." While this may have been true for creating the Theory of Relati...
#3 - Matthew Reaves
2023

#3 - Matthew Reaves

To begin this story let's go back to the 2022 season. Myself and a few buddies decided to make the drive to some public land in Kentucky for the opening weekend of bow season in hopes of tagging a ...