What a Saturday

[Curtiss Cardinal]

It started before sunrise. I stood in the early morning gloom. The temperature was 38 degrees and the only thing I could see was the steam of my breath. I put on my ASAT 3D Pro Vanish suit and my sneaking shoes(new balance cross trainers with a thick pair of berber fleece socks pulled over top of them. I strung my Crooked Stic Longbow and attached my Great Northern bow quiver. I put on my Skookum glove and shut the door on the truck as quietly as possible. Then it was time to make the big loop around the bedding area I know is just 200 yards away. I've parked up wind of the bedding area and now I need to circle wide around as quietly and carefully as possible before the deer leave the bean field and cut cornfields near by for this sanctuary. It's a oak grove profusely grown over with honeysuckle and blackberry briars, both so thick you'd be lucky to see 5 yards in any direction. Last year I found an ambush spot, a micro funnel that leads into the bedding area fortress of tangle foot cover. There is a large blow down here at the ambush spot now that makes the small funnel even narrower. The blow down must have happened when Ike made it's way all the here to Southern Indiana. The blowdown is definately a Godsend. It will offer cover for a 12 yard maximum shot across the wind and on the side of the trail that I feel is best for the way the deer approach the bedding area. I find a spot I think will offer me good cover while not hindering a shot and settle down and wait. The sun is just peeking over the horizon and I see shadows in the distance heading my way. I nock an arrow, a Goldtip 5575 with 560 grains up front, a 160 grain Snuffer on a 100 grain adpater with a brass insert and added weights. These arrows, even though grossly front heavy, fly like darts out of this 64# longbow. I watch and wait as the shadows grow larger and the sky get just a bit brighter. I'm pretty sure the second deer in the line is a buck. As he gets closer I even think I have seen him before. I feel my heart pounding like a jackhammer and so I look at the ground and take several cleansing breaths. I slightly regain my composure when the first deer steps into my shooting lane just 8 yards away, he's a really old buck thick gnarly spikes for antlers. He's really old by the look of him and past his prime. He's really sway backed and potbellied. I can just now make out the grey and white hairs on his snout and see that he drags his feet when he walks. Then I remember I was waiting for number two and it's now good shooting light and he is about to step into the shooting lane. My heart is racing, my mouth is dry and a feel a trickle of sweat going down my back because he has just stopped dead, just outside my shooting lane. His ears are twisting and twitching and he is scanning left and right with his eyes. He looks right at me three times but always turns away. He never locks onto me,Thank you ASAT. I force myself to be calm and think of something else and stop staring at him. I do recognise him. It's the same buck I missed last year and he is even bigger this year, both in body and in antlers. His rack is at least a couple inches wider and his mass has maybe doubled. The bases of his antlers look as thick as my wrists. This is beyond incredible. I almost come unglued when he take a step. He's entering my shooting lane. Two more steps and I'll have a slightly quartering away shot at about 10 yards. One step, then another, I slowly raise my bow and draw in one smooth motion. I pick a spot and focus my full will on it. My index finger meets the corner of my lips and it pull through creating full back tension as I set a rock solid anchor. Then just before I release the arrow I hear a voice and wake up. The meter reader is talking to himself as he looks for and reads the gas meter. I think you may have some inkling of how it felt to be awakened now that you know it was just a dream and you won't be seeing a pic of me with a big stupid grin on my homely face knealing beside massive buck at the end of this tale. Maybe you can sympathize with me a bit. It was truly the most realistic dream I have ever had. So maybe it was a vision of things to come. God I pray so.

[Broken Arrow 1]

Well you definitley had me on the edge of my seat!

[Shaun]

Definitely a vision, telling you to take the old buck instead of the magazine cover buck. Better go check that hunting area for blow downs and set up there. Thanks and good writing.

[Jerry Jeffer]

[NightHawk]

:rolleyes:    :rolleyes:    :rolleyes:

[JEFF B]

dang!!! not fair curtiss get back to ya dream i want to see how this ends.          

[Curtiss Cardinal]

Y'all took that about like I thought you would.  

[longbowben]

You need help  

[bbassi]

you sir, should be slapped for that! I didn't realize how far you sucked me in until you came clean. Nice writing.

[Curtiss Cardinal]

Slapped????  

[BobW]

BRING ON THE TAR AND FEATHERS!!!!!!

[Roy from Pa]

C2 you have some bad dreams. In my dreams, I stick em and track em and gut em out and take pictures. Hain't no wonder when I wake up, Momma is peering down at me saying, what the hell are you dreaming about:)  

LOL, I had a dream one night my Dad and I were sleeping by the fire and a wolf was sneaking up on us. I had to do something so I raised up on my right elbow and started growling at the wolf to scare it away. LMAO, next thing I know, Momma is peering down at me saying what in the hell are you doing? There I was up on my right elbow growling at the dog laying on the floor beside the bed:)  

That's my story and I'm sticken to it:)

[wtpops]

OK THAT WAS JUST WRONG!!!!

Man i hope to have a dreem like that one day.

[Benny Nganabbarru]

The number of donkeys and boars I've shot in my sleep...

I hope it comes true for you!

[kennym]

Dang! I almost had buck fever!!

[Curveman]

Well I guess we can enjoy it like good fiction then!        I do empathize. Lucid dreaming like that can be painful. I once had a dream I was on my honeymoon with Michelle Pfieffer. We where just "getting started" when the alarm went off. I wanted to kill myself!    

[Curtiss Cardinal]

Curveman, I think your disappointment concern Michele trumps a big buck. That woman is wonderously beautiful.

[Doc Nock]

How you holding up, Curtiss?

Down to T-minus 4 weeks of UC and then things go South fast here. Been thinking and praying for you and Benha a bunch...sure there are many others out there like us and more to come!

Course, a fella what can dream like that... he might be down a bit, but he sure ain't "out", cep't his ever-loving mind!

Course, with all that thick pucker brush, you didn't have to wade in there, tear up your lovely ASAT suit and lose 2pts of blood to recover and get him out! Always an up side, huh?    

Ya BRAT!      

[Curtiss Cardinal]

Yes I guess there is. If you look either real hard or from a skewed point of view.

[Frenchymanny]

It's a vision and a good omen!

Good luck this season

F-Manny