Below is Mike Croucher’s story for the “Show Us Your Buck + Story, Score Some Gear” giveaway. He took 4th place in the contest. We will be sharing all four winners’ stories throughout the following weeks.

This hunt was several years in the making but over in the blink of an eye. That morning was an odd one. I had a young buck follow me from the truck to the stand, which is about a 15-acre walk through an alfalfa and clover field. He stayed around 80 yards away at all times but was fixated on me. I thought my day was over before it had even started. He stayed at the woodline around 50 yards away once I entered the woods where my treestand was nestled about 25 yards in. He eventually lost interest and went on his way. The woods woke up, and I had young bucks and does all around me most of the morning.

Once they wandered off, I grabbed a quick bite from my bag, used the 25-foot restroom and sat back down. Not one second after I sit do I see this giant rack just bouncing back and fourth out of the corner of my right eye. This monster was coming full sprint through the field following the exact same path I took to enter a few hours earlier. I raised my crossbow and put the crosshairs on the treeline. By this time he was only a few yards from the treeline and was still full sprint. I let out a loud “meeep” and he froze about 10 yards into the treeline and only 15 yards from my stand. He was quartered toward me, and I let one fly. I snuck it just over the top of his right shoulder hoping it would wreck a lung and liver, and it did just that. He crashed back into the open field, ran about 80 yards down the treeline and piled up about 10 yards into the woods. From the time I first saw him to the time of the shot, only about 10 seconds had passed. All that work. Scouting for a good spot. Setting a stand. Clearing lanes. All that buildup. For 10 quick seconds. And the biggest buck of my life!

Check out the other winners below: