"The hardwood hollow I had been hunting circles away from the clover field, around an adjacent farm, to the area where I had relocated the buck," Baxter explained. "Obviously, the deer had completely reversed its previous pattern and was now traveling out the opposite end of the hollow and crossing a blacktop road to reach the other bean field."

After receiving permission to hunt a small tract of hardwoods and cedars between the field and road, Baxter slipped into the woods that night and positioned his climbing stand.

The following morning, shortly after daybreak, the giant buck suddenly walked into view, only 60 yards from the concealed archer. Unfortunately, the deer got no closer and quickly disappeared in the brush as it headed back toward the hollow.

During the following two days, Baxter spotted the buck twice, but in both cases the deer was not within shooting range. Late in the evening, on his fourth afternoon at the new location, a huge 10-pointer walked directly under the stand. The temptation was almost overwhelming, but the hunter gritted his teeth and let the big deer go by.

One thing most bowhunters are extremely good at is second-guessing themselves. However, in this particular case, Baxter was comfortable with his decision. After nearly two months of everyday scouting and hunting the same buck, he remained totally committed to taking only that deer.

Forty-eight hours later, the hunter was positioned at the same location. Just after sunset, he began hearing a noise that sounded like a deer walking somewhere in the brushy ravine. Initially, he attributed the sounds to a squirrel, but as time passed, the noise became more distinct.

"The road was no more than 100 yards above the small bottom where I was located, and every time a vehicle passed by I couldn't hear anything," Baxter said. "Eventually, there was a break in the road noise and, almost immediately, I was able to hear the steps of a deer walking in the dry leaves. Try as I might, I was unable spot anything until suddenly, a flicker of movement from directly below caught my attention. Looking down through the branches and leaves, I could partially see a buck standing under the stand."

Thirty feet above the ground, the hunter could see very little of the deer and only a small part of its rack. Nevertheless, that glimpse was enough to know that both were big.

"I was fairly certain the deer was either the buck I had been hunting or the 10-pointer I had passed up," Baxter said. "I knew the big whitetail had a very identifiable abnormal point, several inches long, on the left beam just above the brow tine. I kept trying to look through the canopy of branches, hoping to see that side of the buck's rack."

As the buck slowly continued on toward the bean field, it turned onto a second trail and momentarily stopped behind several trees. This gave the hunter an opportunity to lean outward just far enough to see the deer's rack; the abnormal point was clearly visible on the left beam.

"When I saw that antler point, I eased back into a standing position and got my bow up," Baxter said. "I had a shooting lane just ahead of where the buck was standing and, assuming he stayed on the trail, I estimated the distance at about 27 yards."