Movement through the trees drew my attention, and I slowly shouldered my crossbow and leveled my scope on the game trail in front of my stand. A giant four-point buck sauntered into view with his nose to the ground. The hulking body was easy to find in the scope, and when the buck stopped to check the wind, my arrow launched off the rail. The buck kicked up his back legs and bolted into the trees with a crash and commotion that ended in silence. My hands started to tremble excitedly, sensing that weeks of hunting the big, old buck…
Author: Brad Fenson
Brad Fenson
Brad Fenson has a passion for hunting, fishing, camping, cooking, and conservation. Brad travels extensively to field test the latest and most advanced gear, including firearms, archery products, ammunition, optics, clothing, and camping and cooking gear. Brad’s accomplishments include over 70 national communication awards for writing and photography. Fenson started writing over three decades ago and has been in print in over 65 publications in North America. Fenson has been involved with several bestselling book projects, like Total Fishing Manual, Total Gun Manual, and Total Outdoorsman Manual.
I arrived in bear camp shortly after lunch. Shooting my crossbow and organizing clothes and gear didn’t take long. The rest of my hunting crew was running late. When they finally showed up, I was heading out the door to sit in a tree for the night. They came back with a little ribbing about me being overly competitive, but that didn’t bother me a bit. I barked back some teasing as well and reminded them, “The early bird gets the worm.” It was a beautiful May evening. The warm sun was a welcome shot of vitamin D. The best…
I had been eyeing up a new range finding optic for my bow, and the Burris Oracle X offered tried and tested technology. The Burris Oracle X is a vertical bow sight that ranges targets, provides a precise aiming point, and calibrates angles into the equation. Burris introduced its Eliminator range finding riflescope over a decade ago. Popular with hunters and long-range shooters, the proven technology has been integrated into archery sights and scopes with positive results. Making arrangements for a hunt in South Africa with Mike Birch at Hunt the Sun he encouraged me to bring my TenPoint Flatline…
The first time I caught sight of this buck, it appeared to have something wrong. Its body was oversized and bulky, and it looked like a weightlifter with rippling, overgrown muscles. Its antlers were tall and mature, sporting four points on each side. I dubbed him “The Big Eight.” That buck immediately went on the fall hit list. Big, old bucks seldom cooperate, making it seem like one strange year in the deer woods. Like most deer hunters, I had lots of excuses: Warm temperatures, drought conditions, poor feed, deer staying in heavy cover as challenges. I am fortunate to…