TURNING UP THE HEAT ON A TROPHY BUCK C LIMBING DOWN from my tree stand at dark on the archery deer season opener, I checked a nearby trail camera to see what might have visited the area in recent days, when I wasn't there. Scrolling through the photos, a mature 8-point popped up on the screen. He'd been there six days earlier. Studying his features, I recognized the buck. Another of my trail cams had recorded him in a different area months ago. This was only the second photo I'd gotten of him, but I knew he was close. Now, the chase was on. I thought about the buck for some time that night. I knew the general direction he must have come from, and correspondingly plotted the route I'd need to take to and from my stand, and considered the wind direction most likely to play in my favor. Overlooking a pinch-point between a food source and bedding area, the stand seemed as good a place as any to intercept him. The many white oaks dropping acorns within bow-range of the stand made the spot all the more inviting. BY EMILIE OKOPAL OCTOBER 2020 7