I was shooting a bit today and began thinking about some fun spontaneous hunting situations I have experienced over the years. The first one I remembered was an extremely fast moving situation that occured maybe 7-8 years ago. I was bowhunting later in the season when a group of does moved into bed late in the morning. Well they caught my wind and bolted. I realized that was more than likely my only chance at arrowing a deer that morning. But was it? I was hunting a high ground thicket with a similar thicket on the next ridge over. I quickly scurried down the tree and ran about 150-200 yards to a point where I thought they would cross over to the other thicket. Within 2 minutes they came around the corner. They were on high alert. I drew my bow behind a tree and eased up.....they locked eyes on me. I held steady and released at what I thought was a 30 yard shot. Well it was a 20 yard shot but in the heat of the moment I blew it. Shot right over her back and the Muzzy stuck in the tree. I smiled ear to ear. What a blast! I was watching my kids a few years ago during hunting season when I noticed a doe right in my back yard. Are you kidding me? I was only wearing bluejeans and as I looked down from upstairs I wondered how I would be able to get down to my bow in the garage, ease out the door and still remain undetected. Well I got to the bow in the garage and eased outside. I literally stalked behind my truck and rose up to shoot. Well I had left a 6 foot ladder standing up outside and it obstructed my view. The doe was now locked on me as I was only 15 yards away. I shot through the rungs of the ladder and drilled her. Dead doe. A couple of years ago I had ended a morning hunt with my friend and was on my way home when I saw a little old doe out in the middle of a grass field. My friend laughed when I expressed an interest in giving a couple hundred yard stalk a try on that doe with no cover. Well somehow I pulled it off and arrowed that doe with nothing but grass between her and I the whole way. What about you all, any spontaneous hunting situations come to mind?
The first good buck I ever took............I was on my way to a ground blind at about 1 pm during the rut. I was just about to my blind when on the other side of the ditch a buck came grunting and trotting following the ditch directly across from me from me. I watched him get about 60 yards past me, crossed the ditch and started grunting and trotting up my side of the ditch. I grabbed an arrow, drew back, wide open, no trees around me, he kept on coming, nose to the ground until I bleated to stop him at 7 yards and put an arrow right through him. My hunt was over exactly 10 minutes after I shut the truck door. There was no doubt that love made that 9 point throw caution to the wind. Sometimes a good dump takes longer than it took to get that buck!
My buck this past season was pretty spontaneous. I had just bought a Gorilla stand and sticks from Tony "Peakrut", and I had it in my truck. I was planning on just going to one of my pre-hung stands, until I ran into the landowner on my way to hunt that afternoon. He told me he saw "the biggest ****in deer I have ever seen" about 200 yards East of my stand the other day. So I decided to use my new stand and try and at least see this huge deer. I ended up shooting my biggest buck to date at 150" even out of that stand. Not the huge deer, but definitely a great deer to me.
Yep, 2007, New Years weekend. I was in So. Illinois, public land, hoping to maybe smoke a doe. I still had a buck tag, but did'nt have high hopes of seeing one. I just climbed the tree, and see a small, single doe feeding my way. She turned and started heading away from me, maybe 100 yards out. Just to see her reaction, I let out a super loud BAAAAAAAAAA! She stood looking, and actually started coming. Just then I hear all hell breaking loose behind me. It's a huge doe and a buck coming fast. The buck stops at 25 yards and I drilled him. I believe my mouth call brought them in from the neighboring farm. I sat there in shock that this just happened in all of a half an hour, but an awesome day!
It was late october with my vacation coming up in a week. I have been seeing a buck that looked very cool. He had a typical 5 point left side and his right was very cool. The right side main beam grew down and curled up to his nose. The tines off of that grew up so it looked like a football face mask on the right side of his head. I ran out to my stand right after work to a finger in the edge of the timber in hopes that he would come by. I guess that I had to many soda's at work that day so I had to use the restroom. I finished the soda I took to the woods and around the thicket I hear a stick break at 12 yards. It was the buck I wanted catching me doing my business. He was looking right at me. I did not move and when he looked away I grabbed my bow and could not even get it all the way up before he turned to look again. Then off he went at a good trot. My buddies and friends said I was telling stories until I took my buddy Randy out with me to shed hunt. Guess who stepped in the road right in front of my truck in mid January. Yup it was my buck and he made it through season. I am not sure if he ever made it or he grew a typical side the next year because I have never seen any growth like that again. A neat buck with a missed chance. What more part of hunting is there besides making the kill? LOL
