“I had watched the deer enough to know approximately where I wanted to be located,” Welch noted. “And I was confidant I could position my climbing stand with a minimum of effort and noise.

“On nearly every occasion during my scouting trips, the buck would stop after crossing the pasture and mill about within the point of woods, before continuing on its way toward the hollow. Regardless of the buck’s precise travel route, I knew that narrow strip of trees would act as a bottleneck and help funnel the deer within bow range of practically any stand location.”

Not long after Welch climbed into position and got situated, he spotted the buck on the far side of the pasture, heading in his direction.

Because whitetails -- especially big whitetails -- are so totally unpredictable, seldom does a specific hunting strategy unfold exactly as planned. But on this occasion, the deer continued its approach as if drawn by a string.

The hunter was constantly reminding himself to concentrate only on the deer, not its rack. He watched the buck draw closer and closer, finally stopping just inside the tree line, only 30 yards away.

Despite being well within shooting range, the concealed archer made no attempt to raise his bow.

Several weeks earlier, Welch had broken his arm. Although the fracture had healed, his arm remained quite weak. As a result, he’d found it necessary to lower the poundage of his bow and realign the sights accordingly. Even then, he was unable to hold the bow at full draw for more than a few seconds.

“Due to the situation with my arm and the reduced poundage of my bow, I wasn’t comfortable with making that long of a shot,” Welch said. “The last thing I wanted to do was make a bad decision and possibly wound the deer.”

Almost everyone experiences moments when time seems to stand still. Welch was pressed tightly against the tree, almost afraid to breathe. He stared down through branches and foliage that he prayed would continue to keep him hidden.

The huge whitetail was only a few yards away, and this was one of those do-or-die moments.

“I’m sure it was only a few seconds,” Welch said, “but it seemed like the buck stood there forever. It looked first in one direction, then another. At that distance, it was impossible to not occasionally glance at its huge rack. Eventually, the deer resumed walking and I readied myself for a possible shot.”

As the big deer angled closer and closer, Welch tracked the buck with his bow, but because of his arm, did not come to full draw.

At 15 yards, with the deer slightly quartering and completely in the open, the hunter drew, aimed and released -- all in one motion.

“I knew instantly it was a good shot, even before I saw the arrow pass through the buck,” Welch said. “I honestly don’t believe the deer realized what had happened. Other than a slight flinch, the buck exhibited little reaction, except to turn around and walk back up to the edge of the pasture. Within a minute or two, I noticed the deer stagger sideways and then fall.”

Staring down at the giant buck, now lying only 40 yards away, Welch experienced a rush of emotions that only another hunter can fully appreciate. After waiting a few moments to calm down, he descended from the tree and walked over to examine the big deer.

“High and heavy” would be an apt description of the whitetail’s huge rack. The 6x5 typical frame includes an inside spread of 18 6/8 inches, main beams that exceed 27 inches and four tines that tape between 12 4/8 and 9 1/8 inches.