On the morning of the second last day we were there we awoke to cold temps and a steady snow falling. What a great day to be alive and hunting in the mountains.
I decided to give the blind hunting a rest, give my legs a stretch and hunt some ridges at the back end of our valley. There was an old skid trail that skirted around the back side of our valley and it would allow me to get to the back without traveling through it. After hitting the end of the skid trail I worked my way up to the top of the ridge through an old burn.
The ridge I was on would let me overlook the back end of our valley and with the fresh snow it would be easy to see any deer moving through the 4 to 6 foot seedlings planted there.
I had just got my pack off and and my coffee out when I looked to my far left and spotted a deer meandering through the bottom. A quick look through my binos confirmed it was a buck with heavy horns and a big body. In the past I had seen bucks checking and scenting for doe sign as they cross the valley and head for some bedding ridges trying to locate a doe in heat. I knew of an entrance trail that they seemed to prefer as the wind would take any scent from the ridges and allow the buck to scent check a large area without having to search all through it.
I decided I had nothing to lose, grabbed my pack and bailed off the ridge to try and beat the buck to the area I thought he might be headed to. I slipped and slid my way to the bottom not really concerned with the noise I was making as there was a lot of country between me and that buck. Once I got to the bottom I positioned myself on the upwind side of where I hope the buck would come from and tried to catch my breath and slow my heart rate. I had just put an arrow on the string when I caught movement off to my left coming through the 4 to 6 foot seedlings. This was going to happen fast and close. I got an impression of a big body with horns ghosting toward me and got ready to shoot. At 10 yards he stopped directly below me and lifted his head to scent check the wind. I remember coming to full draw, telling myself to hold, pick a spot and the release happened on its own. There was a sound of an arrow sticking flesh, a scrambling of hooves then silence except for the wind. I had to sit down as I was shaking so hard from the after reaction I near dropped my bow. I was going to give him some time by sitting there and having a cigar but I couldn't get the dam thing lit as I was shaking so hard.
I gave myself a little time to settle down and then went to the place he was standing. I expected to see blood sprayed on the snow and my arrow but all I saw was the skid marks where he took off down hill. I couldn't wait, I felt heart sick and needed to know what happened. I noticed that after his first jump his tracks looked funny in the snow and by his third jump blood was spraying on top of the snow. In hind site I wish I had taken out my camera and had documented the tracking. He made it down the hill with a broken shoulder about 100 yards before piling up in the snow.
I just stood there for a long time thanking God for the opportunity to live a life where I'm able to do the things I do, hunt the way I wish to and have the friends and family he has blessed me with. Oh yea and I finally got that cigar lit!
Topic: Lost hunt pictures FOUND (pic heavy) (Read 840 times)
