Got out last night in the rain. Got on stand about 3:30pm at a nearby farm I have had decent success on buck over the last 10 years.
The farm is about 400 acres and has two million dollar homes on it. I am good friends of the farms owners ( the millionaires). Anyway, 100 acres of it is flat with mixed soybean and corn, the remaining /surround in woods are in the form of bottoms and slight ridges harboring some real hammers.
Nonetheless, I slowly stalk my stand in one of the bottoms. The area had recently been logged so I am a bit exposed now with a few oaks missing. The rain is misting with an occasional light shower every 15 min. Once settled in I slowly turn my eyes and head with the speed of a 3 toed sloth.
After about 20 minutes I feel as if I am being watched. I look over my left shoulder toward a steam 12 yards away. There drinking is a nice fat 1.5 yr old doe with two others up on a hill nearby waiting for her to get zapped before they commit.
As I watch, I figure they will drink and move past me at about 10 yards. After 5 minutes, the doe slowly raises her head, and looks up at me as if I was a familiar face. Now when people allow you to hunt there farm for free, you dare not complain. Turns out one of the landowners sisters had hunted out of my stand a few times and believe me, she lacks the knowledge or skill to effectively kill a deer, nor does she care.
She HAS been picked off many times out of this stand( time to set up another). In a nanosecond the doe jumps back and stands in the shadows with the other two appearing spooked, but un-knowing of what it was that spooked her. With a flick, they trotted away and up towards the corn.
The rain is now increasing, but I decide to tough it out . I look at my watch, only about an hour left till dark. I text my wife that I am miserable in this rain. She replies, “stick it out, you won’t melt”!
Over the last two years a large 10 pointer has been seen in and around the stand and no one has had a crack at him due to his well honed skill of survival. This day, I am watching a slight ridge ahead of me in the bottom. In years past, I have seen bucks come down off this ridge towards me and I have been blessed with the ability to take a few.
As I come out of my semi-comatose state I see a blur of brown up ahead of me about 50 yards away through the leafy branches. Then another blur is seen. They are slowly moving to my left to drink at a steam. It is the large main frame 10, with a kicker on his rt. G2, in behind him is a very nice 120 class 8 pointer. I estimate the 10 to be 4.5 and the 8 ..perhaps 3.5 but very slight in body mass compared to the 10.
I watch intently as they drank from 40 yards away. They appear to be content with their cool water beverage. Without provocation, the 8 shoves the 10 with his body side stepping him over a few feet. In seconds the 10 bristles up like a porcupine.
The 8 lowers his head and without any effort, the 10 engages and engulfs the 8’s rack with his own headgear. The large brute literally shoves the 8 uphill gouging earth and leaves. In a straight uphill line, the 8 is sent like a football practice sled to the crest of the ridge. I estimated that 10 pushed the smaller guy, perhaps 50 yards. It was incredible the amount of strength these animals possess. The 10 disengages and the 8 runs off.
I guess the 10 was not finished and followed in pursuit, up and away into the leafy abyss. I was witness to an event very few people ever see. I was left with a lifelong memory in the fading light.
Topic: When push comes to shove (Read 458 times)
