Crazy ending to my morning hunt. I don't know if I'm pissed, dejected, excited, or what. I've replayed it a thousand times in my head. I'll try to make it as short as possible. I didn't see squat all morning so it was time to pack up and head out of the woods. I'm sitting about 30 yards inside the woods overlooking a bedding area in a little funnel. I pack my stuff up and climb down. Walking down the little path that leads to my stand and I catch a glimpse of a body of a deer along the field edge about 40 yards away with it's head down. So I stop in my tracks, back up against a buckthorn bushy thing and quickly gauge possible shooting lanes. Take an arrow out of my quiver. Slide about 3 steps forward to give me 2 other possible lanes depending on where "it" was going to go. No idea what it was yet and "it" had no clue I existed. I was 90% sure of where he was headed and would've put me 15 yards from "it". Now that I'm in what I feel a perfect position I focus more on what the deer is and start watching it intently. All of the sudden I see feet scraping, mud and leaves flying... hmmm buck! Then he stands up on his hind legs and devours the licking branch. BIG 10 pointer (probably 140's). Now he's walking more steady and can see his head gear sticking up through the swail heading right towards the happy trail. All of the sudden I see another deer approaching from the other direction but heading towards the same trail. It's a little 6 pointer. He cuts in front of the 10 and starts walking down the path I anticipated the 10 going. This thing gets in the opening, stares at me for about 30 seconds and disregards me. The 6 starts walking RIGHT at me! I put my head down and closed my eyes. I could hear him no more than 5 yards from me and he stops. Not sure if I'm going to get pummeled by the thing, if he's going to bust me, where the heck the 10 pointer is, anything. I just sit there listening. I didn't want to move a muscle. So I hear him start to walk off away from me and I take a quick glance. The 6 is walking away looking away from me. I wait until he is 30 yards or so away and refocus on the big dude. He is just making his way inside the woods on the same path as the other one. He's coming the same exact route as the 6 pointer. So I decide I better get to full draw while he is behind some cover and let him have it when he gets in the opening so he doesn't walk right at me like the other one did. Draw back when he's about 3 steps away from the opening and the other buck spotted me (somehow...was probably 50/60 at this time heading away) and hops away a little bit. Enough to make the big boy stop and look around. All goes silent. The 6 pointer is looking at me the 10 pointer doesn't know what the hell is going on. The 10 disregards everything and starts walking again. Just about in the lane and the other buck that was still staring at me BOLTS like a streak of **** through the woods. Game over! 10 pointer takes 5 or 6 leaps back into the field. Tried grunting him back in to no avail. He gave it a few looks and then just trotted away. Unbelievable.... not sure how I could have played it different (10 more minutes in stand wouldnt have hurt). Maybe waited until he was in the shooting lane instead of before? Maybe should have glanced at the 6 before drawing to make sure he wasn't looking at me? Went from so sure he was toast to over in the blink of an eye! Sat there dumb founded for a few minutes. Put arrow back in quiver and took long walk back with a million thoughts.
That's a tough situation. I probably would have done the same thing. Sent from my HTC VLE_U using Tapatalk 2
You just burnt a memory that will last a life time.. Something to draw upon when this senario plays it self out again some where down the road.. Be happy that something so cool happened to you at what you thought was the end of a hunt..
Wow! I was picturing that the whole time I was reading it, and I was excited! Being on the ground makes it more intense. It sucks, but it is what it is. Knowing your track record, you will get another shot.
That's kind of like hitting a great shot in golf. It keeps us coming back over and over. It will make it that much sweeter when you kill him on that scrape. Can you get a stand near the edge to kill him there? He will be back for sure.
Now you've got a great story,so it wasn't a waste. I remember the ones that got away just as much as the ones that didn't.
Ouch, that would sting a little but WOW, what a story. In that situation and with the adrenaline pumping, I wouldve done the same thing you did. Sometimes it works out, sometimes it doesnt. Oh the joys of hunting.
Man NY, awesome read right there. Felt like I was there with ya. That's just huntin... sometimes we win, most times not. At least you were close...and know you have a real nice shooter there. Good luck man, you may get another crack at him.
I think you did the right thing, great job on hiding from the young buck i probly would have kept looking right at him.... ill have to use that sometime.
I'd rather have had the 6 see me and spook than the 10. Sounds like the 10 just bolted as a precautionary measure. You might get another crack at him somewhere along that field before the rut hits full swing.
That stand is actually 40 yards off that scrape (about as close as I can get to the edge). They'll usually slither into my setup after walking along that part of the field edge. I would have had a chipshot behind my stand from where he was headed ....(if I was still in it ) Good news I guess is he was on his feet well into daytime hours. And I don't think he really knew what was going on. Didn't completely blow my stand and he never smelled me... wind was right in my face.
I usually hardly ever get down this time of year. Had to go fix a furnace and already hung out 15 minutes longer than I figured I could sit and still make it on time.
