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19 4/8

14 5/8

21 6/8

161 5/8

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25 5/8

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shot gun

Typical

Bryan Gaddis

My name is Bryan Gaddis, age 14, from Shelbyville, IL. I shot this 10 point, 156 7/8" buck on opening day of shotgun season, November 22, 2002. Two years ago I shot my first buck, a 1 1/2 year old 7 point buck on the second day of 2000 shotgun deer season. The 2001 season I watched 36 deer but ony one was bigger that the 7 pointer that I shot the year before and it was too hard of a shot through the thick brush, but I did kill a coyote that year, which was fun. Both deer were killed with one shot. The 7 pointer 2 years ago was shot at 10 yards as he was about to walk under my tree stand, he was shot through the spine at the base of the neck as he smelled the ground. The 10 pointer that I shot this year was 35-44 yards out broadside and he was hit in the lungs.

My Dad and I have sat in the stands together every year I have deer hunted. This year he had a stand about 75 yards away that he could see my stand from. We didn't us it instead we both got into my stand togther again this year. I had seen a doe and two bucks that morning, but the bucks were both over 50 yards away through thick timber. Neither buck would respond to the grunt call and I chose not to try the long shot and watched them walk off. At 10:00 I decided to end the morning hunt so I could get back to school after lunch and make basketbll practice and a school dance that evening. You are required to be at school a 1/2 day to attend. My dad had offered to make a still hunt pass around the edge of the timber we hunt to see if any deer would move to the funnel, where my stand is located. I took him up on that idea before we left the timber. While he was gone I watched the direction he was moving through, I turned and looked behind me and saw this big 10 pointer looking at me. I was facing the wrong way and didn't have my gun up. I just froze, trying not to spook him and hoped he would look away. He then started through the timber walking at a fast pace. I got my gun up and ready. He was making alot of distance quickly. I blew the Knight and Hale magnum grunt tube. The buck turned and came back to about the same place I had first seen him. This time I was ready with my gun rested on a tree limb and shot him on the front shoulder half way up his body.

He bolted and went about 50-75 yards before piling up. The timber is so thick I coldn't see him fall. I waited a couple of minutes before getting down to look for him. My dad showed up shortly after hearing my shot. The next two hours were not much fun. I guess when I got down out of my stand and went to look for the deer, I was a little off on which way the deer ran. When my dad got there I was already looking for the deer, Dad said, we needed to find some blood. We went back to where I had shot the deer and started looking for blood. We made arches through the woods in the direction I thought he had gone, into the crabapple thicked. We kept looking for blood. I went back and got into my stand and showed dad where I though the deer had gone. At noon I was getting desperate, while dad was concentrating back on the spot where the deer was when I took the shot. I headed for the thicket sure he would be laying there dead. It was so thick in there I got turned around. When I got to the edge it wasn't where I had went in. I couldn't find my way out. I call to dad for help. He heard me and headed west to the end of the draw, getting as close to me as possible before caling back. My dad had found the deer on the way in. It hadn't went far and left a good blood trail,. but he went west after I hit him. Not north like I thought. Besides the fun I have had talking o hunters and showing the pictures of my deer, I learned a good lesson on what to do after the shot. Not getting into a hurry getting out of my stand, and making sure I have good landmarks as to where the last place I see the deer standing when I take the shot. I am sure this will be a deer season I will remember for a long time.

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