Froze Toes Buck

1/02 Sidney, Ohio

Well after a long month and a half of bow hunting I did not get any good shots to take on any nice bucks that I saw. So we all know how the story goes after always going home empty handed and getting made fun of by your wife, you just about want to give up, especially once the fridged temperatures start to set inand your fingers and toes feel like they have submerged in one of the great lakes for about 8 hrs.

So anyway it had been a couple weeks or so since I had been out in the woods .With four children,a wife and a job that just don't slow down I've been pretty busy.

The date was December 2, 2002 this past gun season and it was the first day.Since I work nights I knew I could get off at 7:00 am and still get to my stand for a good days hunt . As the night went on at work I debated whether I was going to go after work or not since I knew I would smell like the work place and I would be tired, and not leave out it was cold .Nothing sounded better than going home and getting into a nice warm bed and relax. Well as those wonderful black hands on the clock started inching their way closer to 7o'clock high, I started to get I guess what was my second wind , and a butterfly feeling in my stomach that said to me. "Scott today is the day your going to get your prize." The one you've been waiting for . I knew with my rifled barrel Remington 12 gauge I would not let any nice buck within my shooting range get by me, unlike while when I was out in the previous weeks with my bow.

Ok so it is now 7:00 am and I am out those dreadful doors to some wonderful fresh air and I said to myself, heck with it get on the ball Scott you've seen plenty of bucks earlier this season and there isn't any excuses, GO! just GO! so I did . Got into my truck and went , I went as fast as I could go since I had about five miles to get to my hunting spot . So as I was driving along at stupid rates of speed on the rural ohio country roads and I was trying to change into some of my clothes to save time, I made it to my destination safely and half dressed. I jumped out of my truck finished gearing up and away I went, on the big gun season whitetail hunt.

As I walked slowly and cautiously to my stand I seen and heard nothing but a few birds chirping while flying around.It is now 7:35AM and I'm sitting securely in my stand when I hear BOOM!! from about quarter mile or so down the way , then BOOM BOOM , from about the same area. Now I know the deer are going to be moving , I look down at my watch it is now 8:00AM I still have seen or heard nothing but those shot's. Then all of the sudden I hear that beautiful sound! the rustling of the brush and thicket, so I slowly turn my head to the back right of me and there he was walking along like he didn't have a care in the world through all the thicket about 40-45 yards away .I raised my gun up slowly sighted in on his vitals and BOOM !! he was hit, and it was a good hit although he took off running at a slow speed I stepped down and fired another shot grazing his back front leg and hitting his chest cavity underneath. I knew he was a nice buck and I hit him well , so I waited about 5 minutes and at that time it was 8:12AM, then I began to get down and track him. I could hear him staggering into the brush and tree's but he was bleeding too well to lose.

That buck traveled about an eighth of a mile up and over one hill and about three quarter a way up another hill before he fell. Finally I downed my big buck, he is a nice 10 point but he had two points broken off of two of his tines which was kind of a disappointment, but never the less I was still very happy. It took me forty minutes to drag him down to low enough ground to where I could get the 4wheeler to him.

After all said and done, I got my trophy 228 pound 10 pointer on a hunt that lasted about roughly thirty minutes. Guess I didn't have to worry about freezing my bum off !

I would also like to thank my wife (Tracie) for all the work she did while on her lunch break helping me with my deer, she really amazed me ...

Scott Frantom
Sidney,Ohio