It was going to be the perfect morning and I was going to be off work for the day. That morning was this morning Friday, November 16, 2007. My wife and I were off together today and I was going to the gravel pit in the morning and we were going to spend the afternoon together. The gravel pit is about 400 acres of which 200 are still in woods and my son and I have permission to hunt on. It is only about 30 minuets from my house. The temp was 31 degrees. This was the coldest morning of the year to date. I arrived at my stand just a few minutes late “as usual”, but it was the perfect morning. There wasn’t a breeze or even a stir of a breeze and the sun would be coming over the trees bright in just a little while. I waited with full anticipation for a few hours and nothing stirred, but after it was beautiful and the “perfect morning”. At around 8 am or so I text message my wife a hope for a good day ahead and reported that I was in my stand without any troubles. She replied with a wish of luck and will see you when you return. I sit and watched and waited and out of the corner of my eye I saw something move or did I. Upon closer examination, yes, there he was I could tell it was a young buck, but could not tell how many points. The buck was moving at a steady pace but not in a great hurry as I tried to count points. In Arkansas there needs to be 3 points on one side for the buck to be legal. He stayed about 25 yards out and behind the brush enough that I never could tell for sure if it was going to be legal or not. I thought, “ what can I do now” at that moment I reached for the grunt call and gave a couple short grunts. He slowed, but never stopped and continued to move behind me and out of site. Man that was exciting and I had just moved my stand to this point from a previous unproductive spot. I sit back down and decided to give a couple more grunts hoping to entice him to come back and investigate. I text my wife “ honey I just saw a buck, no shot yet” and she responds, “cool”. About that time I heard a slight noise behind me and to my right. Oh! That buck was coming back and he was going to get up wind of me. I stood again and turn to my right slowly with my right shoulder resting on the tree trunk my stand hung on. There is a logging road that way and if he crosses in the right place I may get a shot if I am ready. Just as I got settled I heard the noise again only this time it’s right behind the tree and a quick look showed a nice doe coming out of the thicket behind my stand into the clearing just as I had hoped it would. Suddenly 2 more came out with her and there were 3. The only problem was now that I had readied myself for that buck and I was turned with my back to the area I had hoped would produce “the shot”. Sure enough the lead doe was heading straight into my shooting lane only I couldn’t shoot because I was turned the wrong way. One of the other does had moved to within 6 or 8 yards of my stand and I was in a fix. I start to “very slowly” turn around to try to get a shoot on at least one doe. Inching around and watching, heart pounding about ready to come out of my throat. Praying for just one chance to loose a string, at least get a shoot. This is only my second season deer hunting with my long bow and I haven’t taken a deer yet. Could this be the day or not. The lead doe is moving right into my shooting lane at about 15 yards and she stops dead broadside. Oh! She’s sticking her nose up into the air for sure. I think she has moved far enough that she is down wind of me now. Sure enough she decides to turn and head back the way she came and the other two proceed to follow at a close distance. I don’t know if she winded me or heard my heart pounding in my chest, but there she goes back into the woods she came from. Gosh no shot, no deer, but the excitement is just as though I had harvest a giant buck with a P&Y rack. I settle back into my sit and wait some more for that first shot. It sure was a perfect day so far.
Topic: The perfect morning? (Read 393 times)
