Well Charlie Lamb and Vance "Iron Bull" Brewer were running late. It was already after 3PM and they were still an hour or so out, so Chad and I headed to the farm without them. I would be hunting a stand just inside the woodsline at the end of a long field, near a pond. Evidence of a recent scrape was to my left. A ridge the deer bedded on beyond that. Chad would be hunting another stand up around the corner of the field about 500 yards from me.
Good golly but the deer were active tonight. I saw 5 differerent bucks including a spike, a couple of smaller 8's, a medium 8, and a bigger buck I couldn't judge becasue of brush and distance...oh...and a few does. Had a yearling at 10 yards broadside at one point, but that was the closest deer to me. Saw a flock of turkeys too.
From my stand I could hear Chad grunting and rattling too. He's quite enthusiastic about it.
Right before dark I could hear something big coming my way. Very deliberate, very heavy sounding. I just knew one of the "bruiser bucks" in the area had waited until the last minute and was heading towards the field. The steps got closer and closer. I gripped my bow tighter and then relaxed, my fingers were around the arrow nock and my arm was already raised into position. I had to tell myself to calm down, it was only a deer as my breathing had gotten labored. Suddenly he stepped out. It was that stupid SPIKE again. A 250 pound spike from the way he was walking although he didn't look that big.....