Why do these things always happen to me? Went out yesterday morning. Saw a dink buck and a few does, nothing special. I had to call it quits at 9:00am... had some stuff to get done (or so I thought). Walking out along the creek bottom and I catch a glimpse of an absolute STUD 10 pointer!! I freeze in my tracks and back up against a willow tree. This dude crosses the creek 25-30 yards in front of me and beds down! I'm sitting there watching him and he has not a clue in the world that I am there. Not sure how because I certainly wasn't exactly stalking my way out of the woods. The wind is right in my face and he is 25-30 yards bedded in front of me. Beautiful 10 pointer that goes easy 130". Now I have no clue what to do. I'm sitting there for 10 minutes watching his neck, head and rack above the grass. He would look my way and have no clue I was there. I was backed right up against the trunk of the willow. Do I grunt and try to get him on his feet? Do I sit there and hope he gets up soon? Do I make a noise to bump him out of there because I have a million things to do that I'm behind on? I decided I'm just going to sit there and wait it out. He can't lay there forever. 1 hour goes by... 2 hours goes by...nothing! Has not moved an inch. To hell with it I said. My legs are getting tired from standing against the tree so I wiggle into a little crotch to rest my rump. I half leaned and half stood against that thing until 4:30pm. 7 hours of waiting this thing out that hasn't moved a foot!! Finally at 4:30 or so he gets on his feet. My heart is going 800mph. He starts heading to my left and a little away from me. Perfectly quartering away. At this point I've played out every possible scenario in my head according to where he would move and what I would have to do. The way he started walking required me to lean off the tree and take about 3 steps forward right and I would have a clear shot at 30 yards. Well he wasn't waiting for me so that's what I had to do and that's what I did. I got off the tree without a problem. Already had my release clipped on (around 4:00pm). He was walking slow toward the opening I saw. I took my first two baby steps and he didnt' hear me. One more step and I clear the last bit of sapling and he's mine. Yep... the famous last step. I put my heal down and just as my toe hit the ground he snapped his head and was gone in a flash!!. Un freaking believable. I was 99.9% sure when he was walking looking away from me and I got off the tree and took two steps without him busting me that he was mine! Would have been the best hunt of my entire life. One half of my last step away from letting it fly from the ground at a quartering away monster that had no clue I was there. 7 hours of looking at his neck head and rack in the most uncomfortable position you would ever want to be in for it to go down like that.
haah i know i wouldnt have waited 7 hours..thats for sure..i would have tried to be aggressive or grunted a few times or something..waiting for him turned into a full day sit..geezz.ha
We've all seen you shoot your bow Tony, the knife is really your only reasonable option. Just kidding, jeeessssssssss
Another crazy story NYB!! You've had some different things happen to you this year while out deer hunting. You showed some great patience there!!
Wow....I don't know how you waited him out. I don't think I could have waited more than a few hours. I would have screwed up probably by trying to get him up earlier. Good effort, maybe you'll catch up with him later.
In a few years it will one of your fondest memories....so It maybe one of your best hunts anyway. SB pain is good
Wow that's something NY...I know I'd have tried to grunt his butt out of bed in the first hour. I gotta hand it to you, for your patience!
Wow. 7hrs. You, my man, have some serious patience. It's a story you will be able to tell for years. Kind of like me putting the bead of my shotgun on the head of a nice Tom last spring after a 1.5hr vocal battle, only to find out my shotgun wouldn't fire :D You're mad as heck for a while, then slowly you can laugh about it. Good luck the rest of the season!
