By Brett Sade

-- I overslept on Saturday, Nov. 15, 2008. My wife woke me up at about 5:40. I sat up in bed and thought: “There’s no way.”

I stumbled out of bed, went to the window and noticed the dancing tree limbs, which almost convinced me to stay indoors. But then a little voice in my head reminded me that the Kansas rut was underway.

I took a scent-free shower, dressed and was out the door by 6:15. By the time I arrived at the field and began putting on my scent suit, the sun was mostly up. I grabbed my bow and started walking to the stand.

The wind was blowing really hard from the North. Once again, I thought “What a big dummy I am!”

I climbed into my stand, got situated and sat down. About 30 to 40 minutes later, I was convinced I was wasting my time. Five minutes after that, I wasn’t so sure. I noticed a buck about 100 yards out in a cut cornfield directly south of me. I thought, “That’s nice. Still, I don't have a chance.”

But the buck came closer.

My stand is in a ravine between two fields. One field is higher than the other. Once the deer was within 50 yards, I figured it best to grab my bow. At 20 yards, the buck was behind some brush, which allowed me to draw.

After I’d pulled back, I looked down and noticed a doe standing underneath me. I thought, “Oh, thank you, sweetheart!”

Her would-be boyfriend came out from behind the brush and walked exactly to where I needed it to be, but it never stopped moving. I even hollered at it, and it paid me no mind at all.

I knew if it went much farther, the door of opportunity would shut. Just then, the animal finally stopped. Without hesitation, I launched an arrow and scored a perfect hit.

I watched the buck run about 30 yards before it staggered and crashed to the ground. Man, I was happy.

After a few minutes passed, I got down, walked over to it and started counting points. I couldn't believe there were 16. I had no idea the whitetail was so big.

I called my wife and asked her to wake our sons and to bring them so they could see the deer. I wish we’d taken better and more flattering photographs, but I was too excited to think about posing.

I had been bowhunting for five years, but this was my first archery buck. It was green-scored at 190. I felt like a kid in a candy store with all the money in the world!

--Brett Sade

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