Scott Hazelton

Scott Hazelton
Ohio
12 Point
Bow

We arrived in Ohio on Saturday November 1st. The weather forecast was for unseasonably high temperature for the beginning of the week with a front moving through late in the week. From Sunday through Wednesday the temperatures stayed near 75+ degrees. We split our hunting time between the Belfast farm, Bennington Road and Andrew's house. During the first part of the week we saw little rutting activity, if any. I saw one shooter (huge 10) and Scott P. saw one shooter (10+ in the 160's class) both on Tuesday. We decided to hunt Belfast on Thursday morning. I got to my treestand, that was located about 100 yards into the wood off from a CRP field, roughly 15 minutes before legal shooting time (still to dark to shoot). Scott was about 400-500 yards to my south, and Doug was about 300-400 yards to my north (all of us with our stands in the woods). At my tree stand the wind was perfect (out of the west) for deer movement that I had seen passing through the wooded cooridor earlier in the week, and a weather front was supposed to be moving in during the morning hours. It was about 35 - 40 degrees (finally got a little colder) and things were crunchy in the woods. As it got light, I saw a small buck (5 pointer) work his way passed me towards Scott. Then 1/2 hour later I saw a decent 8-pointer working his way down off the hill to my right going slightly away from me. I grunted 4-5 times at him and he proceeded to circle me around to my left to try and get down wind of me. He got down wind of me but my Scent-Lok suit and scent free spray proved their value because he never once winded me. After watching him for 15-20 minutes, and scoring him in the 120's, I decided that I was going to shoot him if he presented a shot. I struggled with this decision but justified it to myself because he was a decent buck (bigger than anything I had ever shot with a bow), I hadn't seen anything close enough of his size to shoot at, and because I wasn't sure if I'd get the chance at another one before I left. At 100 yard down wind of me he turned as if to walk out to the field so I grunted two more times at him. This turned him and he kept coming right at me from my left side. I picked a lane that he was headed for. It was 32 yards away on my range finder. I stood up, got ready, and beleive it or not I wasn't shaking at all...yet. Just before he stepped into the lane I looked down at my bow string, put my release on the string, and looked directly out infront of me (I'm not sure why) across the swampy area. To my suprise (I never heard anything), here came this BUCK with what I quickly determined had a wicked set of hardware on his head. Nowwwww I began shaking...so bad you don't even understand! He was coming right at me with his ears back and his head down. I assume that he was coming in to kick the other buck butt. Thankfully, I didn't really have time to think about the situation. I drew back my bow when he disappeared behind a cedar tree that screened him from my tree stand, and picked the spot that I thought that I was going to try and stop him at to get a shot. I didn't have to stop him because he stopped just to the side of the cedar tree in front of me at 19 yards and turned broadside to scent check a rub. I put the pin just behind his shoulder and released the shot. It was the most awesome site and sound, seeing and hearing the Rage broadhead hit him and sink up to the fletchings of my arrow. My lumenock lit up and was easily followed after he buckled and kicked and ran back accross the swamp. I saw him slam off the side of a small tree and snap the eluminock end of my arrow off, watched him go up over a small knoll and out of site, and then I heard a loud crash! What an adrenalin rush! Now I REALLY started to shake...UNCONTROLLABLY...so much so that I turned around and grabbed the tree that I was in. Then I sat down, and replayed everything that had just happened in my head. Screw the 1/2 hour wait was my conclusion while sitting there! This was the biggest dear I had ever shot at, and I was getting down to go find him. I walked over to the cedar tree where I shot him, marked the tree with a piece of ribbon, and then started walking towards the direction that I had seen him take off in. At this point, I had forgotten about the eluminock that I had seen fall to the ground. It didn't matter because I had a blood trail that was blowing out both side of the deer that I could follow, and at one point after picking up the eluminock end of my arrow I realized that I could walk right up the middle of the blood trail. I got to the top of the knoll where I saw him go out of site, and after scanning the woods with my binoculars saw him piled up in a big thorn bush. I new he was dead and quickly walked over to him and began counting points. One, two, three....WOW...I had just arrowed a 12-pointer, the biggest racked buck that I had ever shot with anything. I couldn't wait to show Scott and Doug and it was only 8:00 a.m.. Scott finally showed up at 9:45 a.m., was impressed with the dear, and we continued the drive that we had planned toward Doug. Doug was equally impressed when we came back to my spot. This is one that I will never forget. Everything that i've read, seen on television, utilized and practice for myself, it had finally came together for me! Good Luck This Year Scott