It was Sunday night the 14th of November 2004, and just eight days shy of my birthday. I had moved my tree stand into the thicket a few days earlier due to watching a buck come into my calls but hold up in the brush outside of shooting range. My cousin Jake Lenz called me that evening and mentioned that he heard I had seen the deer the few days prior and asked what I thought it was. I replied that I had seen the big dogg, but I never got a good look at his antlers. Still I knew he was the big boy because of his body shape and reactions. I thought to myself if it was a little buck he would have come to the meadow edge to investigate the first day I called him in.

Jake then asked if I was going out that next day and I replied “yeah”, “I got to get back in there while this buck is still callable.” I knew I had a short window of time before this bruiser got doed up and would not be interested in calling. Jake then asked if he could tag along and film, due to the fact that he took his 4 point buck a few days earlier with his bow. I was excited that he offered and replied "yeah, awesome!"

We were dropped off that morning in the dark by Big "D" and we made our way to the stand.

Jake climbed up first and I second, and then settled in and waited for daylight. I knew not to call until I could see my pins glow because a lot of good it would do me to have a buck under my stand that I couldn’t shoot because of low light through my peep.

As soon as my pins began to glow I began sequence of calls with my "Can" and "Easy Grunter".

It wasn't 8 minutes before for the first time in my hunting life I heard a buck grunt. A long some what higher pitched grunt came from 50 yards away, and this caught my attention and forced me to look in that direction. There he was like a dream. Here's where the problems arose he was on my right side and I was sitting in my stand with my shooting zone to my left. I quickly had to get up and turn around so I could shoot with somewhat normal form; now how do you do this with a wise monster 50 yards and looking for you. Very carefully!

When I began to move I think he sensed something and locked up in behind some trees. Meanwhile Jake is asking me "can you see em?", "yes, he's held up behind those trees; start grunting". I exclaimed.

Jake turned the camera on pause and started to grunt and bleat; it took a matter of minutes before the big daddy broke through the trees and began making his way to the deer that he thought he heard.

"Ken - Kenny, Kenny!" Jake began to whisper wildly at me thinking that I didn't see this monster walking towards me, but I was froze trying not to make any movement that would give away our ambush. After all he was only about 15 yards now.

As soon as he went behind a small clump of pines I brought my bow to position, and Jake was relieved to see now that I knew the deer was coming. The deer walked in a staggered fashion stopping to scent check and sight scan. I am now at full draw and holding. The deer was now 8 yards and under my stand and anyone who has hunted whitetail knows that at this range they can sense any type of movement. I am shaking a little now because of adrenaline, nerves and the uncomfortable position I was in. I thought to my self this is not the shot to take he is facing me, this just isn't right. I waited, and all of the sudden like text book he looks up at me, and without any hesitation bounds off. Jake and I began the most horrifying display of deer noises trying to stop the bruiser from leaving us forever. Both of us in disbelief, he stopped and turned broadside about 28 yards out; I wasted no time and let the arrow fly.

Wack, was the sound after hearing the faint whistling of the arrow through the air; the deer turned and ran for about 10 yards before slowing to a walk.

Jake and I both looked at each other in excitement and disbelief. "Do you think you hit em'"? Jake asked in a whisper. "I'm pretty sure I hit him, it made the exact same sound as it did when I hit my elk". I replied.

Jake then began reviewing the video footage that he had just taken. After watching the shot about ten times we made the conclusion that he was hit, but I decided that we would wait 30 minutes before we got down from the tree and looked for the arrow just in case he wasn't far off and we may spook him.

30 minutes goes by filled with the reenactments and high fives of the moment’s just past. Still till this day the whole thing plays back through in my mind over and over.

We decide that after 30 minutes we can get down and search for the arrow, and still with a little doubt lingering it was a long 28 yard walk. The arrow laid glowing on the ground with crimson perfection, not to sound too much like The Nuge, and Jake and I hugged each other with a proud embrace only “brothers” could do.

We then slowed down and moved into tracking mode. I made the decision that we needed to take a break back by the pond for about another hour and a half. I felt this would give him plenty of time to expire; after all we had all day. We sat next to that shoreline talking about life and experiences with bow hunting, and I'm not sure what was better, that moment or the actual harvest.

Little did we know that our day was only just getting started! Jake and I got up and started the track, and both of us thought it was going to be a short one. We knew we were mistaken when we began following a blood trail that was jumping fences. Despair starts filling my heart as I begin to lose hope, and I was scared to lose my Cousin Jake's confidence. I mentioned my thoughts to him after we lost the blood trail about 80 yards from where I shot. Jake assured me that he was still confident in me and that we need to buck up and find this thing.

We went back to the last blood and began a partner blood hound technique that was invented by us at that very moment. Jake would find a speck of blood and stay with it, showing me the line the deer was taking. I would then move out in front about 10 feet on hands and knees and find more blood; I would follow it until it ran out. Then I would stay there while Jake ventured forward searching for more sign.

Jake and I perused this for about 130 yards until we made it to the small pines of the forest where the animal seemed to be heading. Jake said to me "Ken he just in there a little ways, he was trying to make it out of the open and into the thicket for cover before he wanted to lay down." and this gave me a ton of confidence. I knew that as long as we had a blood trail I would follow this thing to the end of the earth.

It was a short 50 yards into the thicket with a blood trail that seemed to be the best, when I spotted him laying perfectly tucked away in the small pines, just like Jake said he would be.

The shot was perfectly placed in the shoulder and vitals were mortally wounded; the big boy just needed to be here to die, I thought to my self.

I still cannot describe the feeling or emotion that I felt after overcoming the odds and not giving up on this perfect animal who gave me his life. Jake and I will share this memory with others as well as each other for the rest of our lives.

I am paying tribute to this magnificent monarch by having his beautiful memory bestowed in my heart and on my mantle for years to come.

Ken Lenz 29 years of age from Coeur d'Alene Idaho
Jake Lenz 23 years of age from Coeur d'Alene Idaho

"Cousins; who are we kidding brothers forever side by side."