Well, everyone is wanting to hear "the rest of the story". Even Gene is after me. I was hesitant on writing it for fear of people thinking we hunt in the zoo. Some folks get jealous but anyone can do it. The truth of the matter is I am only hunting two adjoining farms that total about 400 acres and are owned by two of my best friends. Our only "secret" is we keep them limited to bowhunting only. We only shoot a few does and limit the bucks to fully mature 5 1/2 yr. old bucks or better. That's it. Last week the one landowner and myself put up a new stand in a tree I've been watching for two years now. We named the stand "Buckshot" and it's quickly becoming one of my all-time favorites. In fact, I told the landowner after I kick the bucket I'd like my ashes spread around the stand. It's that good. Yesterday morning was perfect. It ended up being by far the best day of hunting I've had all season. By the way as a side note, yesterday, Nov. 21st marked my "anniversary". It was 53 years ago yesterday I killed my first whitetail buck. Anyway, the computer said 39 degrees but when I went out to the truck the temp read 27. Winds from the south at 5 MPH. I climbed in the stand before light. Shortly after pink light here came a 115" 4x4 walking east to west right down the main run at 12 yds. At about 8AM here comes a big male coyote trotting down the same run going west to east. I got to full draw and made a bleat with my mouth. Instead of stopping he turned inside out and reversed direction. No shot. He might have been a little shy because I heart shot his brother a couple weeks ago in a nearby stand. I watched that one go down, walked up to him and said "Meep-Meep" for the Roadrunner. Anyway, back to the tale. Five minutes after the coyote leaves I catch movement also coming west to east. At first I thought it was a pack of coyotes, I suppose because I had coyotes on my mind. But then I realized it was five does running right to me. Dogging right behind them is a stud. He was a clean 5x5 probably measuring over 160 inches. I noticed his right G4 was crooked and kind of twisted. I also noticed he had broken off four or five inches from the tip of his right G2. Ask me if I care. He was a dandy and I intended to take him. He was dogging the does and stopped broadside at 15 yds. now heading north but behind some whips. Just before he walks through my shooting lane something else catches my eye. Coming behind him is an even bigger buck. Although the second buck was "only" a giant 4x4 he was noticably bigger. I've always been of the opinion if you have two bucks both measuring an equal 160 inches, one being a 4x4 and the other a 5x5, the 4x4 will usually take your breath away even though he has less points. Anyway, this 4x4 was a bruiser. He had one of those dark foreheads and a gray face more common in mule deer. Even though both deer would undoubtedly dress over 200 lbs. the 4x4's rack was big enough to make the body look smaller. I instantly let the big 5x5 walk through my shooting lane. Here comes the big one. They have does scattering everywhere. He stops at 17 yds. frontal.. frontal. I wait with tension on the string knowing what was about to happen. He turns to follow the 5x5 only instead of walking across my 6 foot wide shooting lane he trots across it at 15 yds. He wasn't really running and I was totally confident in the shot. I'm usually very good at those shots. Unfortunately it was not meant to be. No excuses. I simply shot just below his heart missing him clean. Right about then I said to myself "Golly gee, gosh darn, son of a gun, dag nab it".. or something like that. I'll tell you one thing, when I was in my prime I bet I would have got him. I'll be right back... it gets better. BW
Topic: A 100 Year Old Man (Read 26094 times)
