This year started differently for me. The opening weekend on the front for bears was slow. Last year had me kneeling over a bear the second day of the season, one of six I was in proximity of that day. This year the rain and clouds settled in and they never showed there face. It is the way is goes though. Anticipation was high though for a hunt with my brother from PA. We were to go to eastern MT for antelope for a week. There, the year before I shot a 78” goat, and witnessed first hand how awesome the rut is for antelope. The stories were too great and he decided to come try his hand with the wheelie bow.
I arrived early to scout and already knew it was going to be good. I got to within 30 of two the first few days, but never had the shot. He arrived and it was on. Many bucks were brought to the decoy. Day three he missed one at 20 because he aimed with his 30 pin. Trimmed some hair off that bucks back. The woes of the compound hunter! All in all we had 4 within 50ish. Arrows were flung, but none were harmed.
Fourth day in we were on a ridge overlooking much land. We spotted a buck down below and had a look. He was on a small flat below a small sandy cliff real low in the draw. He didn’t look huge, but looked mature enough. After some deliberation my brother said “why don’t you give him a shot”. After days of carrying the decoy and no bow I didn’t argue.
Down the draw I went. GFA quiver on my back and binos in my pocket. First I had to make it into the main drainage and it seemed with a lot of glassing I made it undetected. At about 700 yds it looked as if the buck was staring at me. And after glassing antelope further than that yardage that were already spying us I thought he was doing the same. Deer don’t have the same hawk vision though as the antelope and I dropped that fear. I saw his dark body against the hillside and knew if I watched the position of him I could move through the crux of the stalk. This was where the draw merged into two and I would have to cross it. Slowly I moved. Suddenly the dark spot was gone. Again, it was so far that I couldn’t really clearly see what he was doing. I was betting on the fact that if he was broadside he probably wasn’t looking at me. I told myself he probably bedded. It sort of seemed to good to be true, but I was far enough into the stalk it was worth moving on.
I got through the opening of the two draws and up the other side. Running was the theme of the week and I wasted no time getting closer to my position. I had the hillside to mask my movement. A bunch of cows didn’t like my momentum and fortunately they were out of sight of the buck. Mooing a stumbling about they cleared out. 60 yards from my mark and the shoes came off. Side note: the antelope and bear I shot last year were in socks. I’m trying not to make it too much of a theme but man can you quiet up!
I knew I was above the little bluff the buck was under. The problem was he disappeared from my view long ago and I was only assuming he bedded. I had no fixed reference for where he was. I made a few draws with the bow as I approached the edge to warm up. Slowly. Very slowly I approached the edge. I had an aching thought my brother was watching this buck running off and I was stalking something that wasn’t there. As I edged over there was nothing. The bluff was much more featured than I had anticipated. I backed off. I knew he had to either be a little further down or not there at all. I decided I would move 25 yds further down and peek over.
Slowly I crept. Feet placed perfectly. For sound and cacti. Nothing. Nothing. Then boom. There he is. Bedded. Perfectly. Looking directly away from me. Ears facing away from me. What luck! He had no idea. After a week of watching my brother take quick frantic shots at antelope bucks getting in our face quickly I felt I had all the time in the world. I rose my bow. I’m not sure of the words, but somewhat told myself to relax, take your time, and make the shot. Joel turner wouldn’t be happy because I don’t remember much after that. I drew, anchored, and released. I recall seeing and black hole appear.
He was bedded. Kind of quartering hard away. I was maybe 20 feet above him. He was maybe 7 yds out from my position. Straight line 15 yards? Arrow enters further back in vitals. He gets up and I remember seeing the arrow head wiggle out around his armpit. Seemed great. He gets up, runs away,then turns uphill to the slight ridge I am on. I snap out of it, get another arrow on the string and miss him. Running at 80 ish. He runs to about 150 and stops. Stands. Then starts to lay down. I glass him and there is just a body in the sage brush. I immediately am elated and fist pump and scream silently to myself. I was adrenalized. Not only did I make a awesome spot and stalk, my big brother got to watch. Technically he is my half brother, he was kind of like my second father. He taught me a lot of hunting and he got to witness the trad skill! I was honored. After I calmed down I gave him a quick “hey”. “Grey pack”. In there were my tags, game bags, and the knife our father made me when I was two. That knife always see the action!
Down he comes. As he makes his way I look back over the site. I felt like I scrambled down the cliffy bit and was immediately in the buck bed. I found the front half of the arrow and it had good red blood on it. I came back up and met my brother. As we approached I told him what happened. He glassed the whole scene, but lost the buck when it bedded. After I shot it rolled out of his sight and he didn’t see it go down. I told him it was right over the way and we approached. At about 70 yards to my dismay he picked up his head! My brother didn’t know where he was so a grabbed him a said don’t move. Slowly the buck laid his head back down like one would rest there head on a pillow. Antler on the ground. We slowly lowered and sat.
Side note. The last time my brother and I were in the field bow hunting we were in northern Canada in 2008. I made a poor shot on a caribou with a bumped wheelie bow sight and tracked the animal for miles. I tracked it down with much perseverance and got it thank god, but I didn’t want a repeat. We sat and talked. He wanted me to go into the draw in front of it. I didn’t. If I was going to close the distance I wanted to go down into the draw, get ground between our sight and get behind it. From above. That’s what I did. I popped around out of sight and was soon above. 40 yds out he picked his head up drearily. When he set it down I rushed him. As I suspected he was done. I stood over him. Made a finishing shot. Maybe not necessary, but I ended it there.
The rest you’ll see in photos. A great hunt. Much game was seen. I had bulls close before he came. We had antelope rushing us. I got the privilege to make a stalk I’ve dreamed of. He’s not the biggest. I am proud though. More so my brother got to see the skill. Feeling blessed. I love when I get to share with y’all. Apparently the saying back at the lease in PA is “We got the luck, we need the skill”. Giving everyone the best of luck!
Toelke whip 62” 52@28. Spruce trueshaft arrows. 160gr grizzly
Topic: Got the luck, need the skill (Read 859 times)
