The Cory Sudbrook Buck

Cattaraugus County NY Archery 10-Point

As told by Cory Sudbrook

It was Saturday morning, October 7, 2023. I climbed 20 feet up into a stand we call the "Primary Scrape." We had trailcam intel of a good 3.5 year old buck passing through regularly between 6:45 and 7:30 am. At 7:20 am I saw a doe and two fawns working towards me from 75 yards out. They passed to the left side of the treestand and I watched the lead doe get her picture taken on our trailcam as they worked behind me.

Considering it was October 7th and not November 7th I was focusing on them, and not looking for something to be shadowing them from a distance. I had slowly turned my body to watch them browse past when I heard a "crunch" behind me... it was close. Whatever it was had snuck in from the right side of the tree as I watched the does and fawns. I froze, and sneaked a peek over my left shoulder. I could tell right away he was a shooter, a heavy horned wide buck that was picking his way through an old apple orchard beside the stand.

I slowly grabbed my bow, pulled back, found an opening and waited for him to fill it. When he did, I grunt stopped him at 15 yards and let the arrow fly. My Luminok lit up in the early morning and drilled him with a good double lung hit. He spun and ran about 85 yards before piling up. The time that passed from the first sight of him to letting the arrow fly was no longer than 6 seconds, a crazy fast adrenaline ride."

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