HawkeyeHerps
New Member
I'm a little long winded...
This afternoon I made a promise I was hoping I could keep. I told my three year old son that if he took a nap I would shoot a deer just for him today. Big talk for a guy who had been out 10 times already this year without bagging a deer. I'd seen plenty, could have shot a few, missed one, and lost one. I'd been trying all week to find a monster I'd seen a week before. No luck. Saturday morning was a bust. Probably saw 20 deer but the bucks had the does running all over the place, none of them were just milling around. Only one shooter in the group and he went through at 20 miles an hour, nose to the ground. Maybe this afternoon would be different. Tineseeker came over and we headed out. I was in a good mood due to all the morning activity and the Hawkeye win over Minnesota.
We got to our spot and parted ways. I climbed up a tree I'd been in 3 or 4 times this season. I missed a buck and lost a doe from this tree. An hour passed, no deer. One and a half hours, no deer. Crap. I'm cold, I'm sleepy, and I'm starting to think that I don't even feel like going out tomorrow. Where in the heck are all the deer!? Suddenly I hear a crashing sound and see a buck slide down the side of the ridge I was set up below. This was really weird, the deer always go around the ridge or walk the side of the ridge, they never crash down the middle, there's not even a trail. I could see antlers, this was a buck and he was heading my way with his nose to the ground.
Yesterday I had a doe coming in and I couldn't decide whether to take her or wait a little longer for a buck. By the time I had made my decision she was around my tree and I was stuck in a half crouch. My legs were cramping, but she turned her head away. I tried to stand but the bugger outsmarted me by turning back real quick in time to catch me trying to stand. She ran off, blowing the whole way.
That wasn't going to happen today. As soon as I saw him I stood up and froze. He was coming in fast. I went through my mental checklist: turn wrist out so I don't hit my arm; make sure the trigger release is locked; draw. Dang, he wasn't stopping. He walked right past a new scrape and only gave it a cursory smell. I mouth grunted as load as I could. He stopped! I had my pin on him! Oh, Crap, I wasn't looking through the peep! I found the peep. He was still frozen in place, 20 yards, quartering away. Click. I released and he took off. I saw him run and jump. No blood. He was going pretty fast and leaping as he went. I can't believe I missed! I watched him run out of sight and then I heard it. CRASH! It sounded like a 20 foot tree just went down! There were a few more loud cracks and then nothing. I looked down where I fired but I couldn't see the arrow. I didn't know what to do. I'd already lost a doe this year by tracking it too early and chasing it into 40 acres of standing corn. Should I look for him? Should I sit tight? For 10 minutes I stayed in my stand and then I decided to climb down and at least see if I could find any blood. As I was climbing down I must have made some noise because out of the blue I hear this voice, "That deer's down".
"What?"
"Stay in your stand and try to get a doe, I saw that deer go down". It turns out that the deer crashed about 40 yards in front of Tineseeker's stand. I didn't even know he was over there, he was headed in a different direction when we parted. I let out a whoop!
"Shhhhh." Sorry Tineseeker. How in the world was I going to just sit in my stand for the next hour knowing that deer was down and waiting for me? I got out my binoculars and started looking at the spot the deer was standing. There was my arrow sticking out of the ground, the fletches covered in blood. Dang, how many points was that sucker? He didn't look too big but he was a huge upgrade from my six point last year. Two bucks in two years bow hunting. My mind was going a mile a minute. I started thinking about the recipe from my uncle that I've been waiting a year to try. Deer roast slow cooked in beer and onions. Great, now I'm excited and hungry. Why is time going so slow?
The bewitching hour came and I hear a voice again. "Go get the truck and bring it around to the other side." Dang It! He wasn't even going to let me see my deer. Well, since he was going to help me drag it out I guess I better do what he says. I practically ran to the truck. I drove it around to the other side where I saw Tineseeker waving. I got out, climbed across the ravine, ran through the woods, and there he was! He was a nine pointer. The arrow went in a little far back and barely skimmed a lung going in, but coming out it went right through the other lung, dead center. Now I know why quartering away is the best shot.
This wasn't even the fourth biggest buck I've seen this season, but I don't regret for a second harvesting this one. He sure does look delicious hanging in my shed! And that rack won't look too bad on the wall either.
Thanks Tineseeker!
This afternoon I made a promise I was hoping I could keep. I told my three year old son that if he took a nap I would shoot a deer just for him today. Big talk for a guy who had been out 10 times already this year without bagging a deer. I'd seen plenty, could have shot a few, missed one, and lost one. I'd been trying all week to find a monster I'd seen a week before. No luck. Saturday morning was a bust. Probably saw 20 deer but the bucks had the does running all over the place, none of them were just milling around. Only one shooter in the group and he went through at 20 miles an hour, nose to the ground. Maybe this afternoon would be different. Tineseeker came over and we headed out. I was in a good mood due to all the morning activity and the Hawkeye win over Minnesota.
We got to our spot and parted ways. I climbed up a tree I'd been in 3 or 4 times this season. I missed a buck and lost a doe from this tree. An hour passed, no deer. One and a half hours, no deer. Crap. I'm cold, I'm sleepy, and I'm starting to think that I don't even feel like going out tomorrow. Where in the heck are all the deer!? Suddenly I hear a crashing sound and see a buck slide down the side of the ridge I was set up below. This was really weird, the deer always go around the ridge or walk the side of the ridge, they never crash down the middle, there's not even a trail. I could see antlers, this was a buck and he was heading my way with his nose to the ground.
Yesterday I had a doe coming in and I couldn't decide whether to take her or wait a little longer for a buck. By the time I had made my decision she was around my tree and I was stuck in a half crouch. My legs were cramping, but she turned her head away. I tried to stand but the bugger outsmarted me by turning back real quick in time to catch me trying to stand. She ran off, blowing the whole way.
That wasn't going to happen today. As soon as I saw him I stood up and froze. He was coming in fast. I went through my mental checklist: turn wrist out so I don't hit my arm; make sure the trigger release is locked; draw. Dang, he wasn't stopping. He walked right past a new scrape and only gave it a cursory smell. I mouth grunted as load as I could. He stopped! I had my pin on him! Oh, Crap, I wasn't looking through the peep! I found the peep. He was still frozen in place, 20 yards, quartering away. Click. I released and he took off. I saw him run and jump. No blood. He was going pretty fast and leaping as he went. I can't believe I missed! I watched him run out of sight and then I heard it. CRASH! It sounded like a 20 foot tree just went down! There were a few more loud cracks and then nothing. I looked down where I fired but I couldn't see the arrow. I didn't know what to do. I'd already lost a doe this year by tracking it too early and chasing it into 40 acres of standing corn. Should I look for him? Should I sit tight? For 10 minutes I stayed in my stand and then I decided to climb down and at least see if I could find any blood. As I was climbing down I must have made some noise because out of the blue I hear this voice, "That deer's down".
"What?"
"Stay in your stand and try to get a doe, I saw that deer go down". It turns out that the deer crashed about 40 yards in front of Tineseeker's stand. I didn't even know he was over there, he was headed in a different direction when we parted. I let out a whoop!
"Shhhhh." Sorry Tineseeker. How in the world was I going to just sit in my stand for the next hour knowing that deer was down and waiting for me? I got out my binoculars and started looking at the spot the deer was standing. There was my arrow sticking out of the ground, the fletches covered in blood. Dang, how many points was that sucker? He didn't look too big but he was a huge upgrade from my six point last year. Two bucks in two years bow hunting. My mind was going a mile a minute. I started thinking about the recipe from my uncle that I've been waiting a year to try. Deer roast slow cooked in beer and onions. Great, now I'm excited and hungry. Why is time going so slow?
The bewitching hour came and I hear a voice again. "Go get the truck and bring it around to the other side." Dang It! He wasn't even going to let me see my deer. Well, since he was going to help me drag it out I guess I better do what he says. I practically ran to the truck. I drove it around to the other side where I saw Tineseeker waving. I got out, climbed across the ravine, ran through the woods, and there he was! He was a nine pointer. The arrow went in a little far back and barely skimmed a lung going in, but coming out it went right through the other lung, dead center. Now I know why quartering away is the best shot.
This wasn't even the fourth biggest buck I've seen this season, but I don't regret for a second harvesting this one. He sure does look delicious hanging in my shed! And that rack won't look too bad on the wall either.
Thanks Tineseeker!
