I thought I would share my weekend hunt with all of you.
A last minute decision to spend the weekend out in the wilds of Nebraska had me scrambling to get packed. I had hoped to leave Friday after work but I had to do a favor for a friend Saturday morning so I packed up quickly and headed out on my adventure as soon as I returned home.
A short drive to the area I hunt, along farmland roads and across a creek, I arrived at the farthest point before my hike in about a mile and a half. The timber straight ahead and through to the rivers edge is my destination.
I quickly and quietly slipped through the timber and chose a site to set camp.
I was under a little pressure since it was about 3pm when I got to where I was going so I set the tent and imediately started chopping dead wood with my tomahawk. I found a wet, rotten log to use as a wind break, cleared an area, then set off to find some birchbark, grass etc.. to start my fire.
Brought along the .32 cal Davy Crockett too since it's a fun gun to hunt tree rats with, case I get real hungry!
This fire would be made the way it was done a thousand years ago-(err there abouts) The striker came from a fellow Tradganger and the Flint from a very good friend, the tin, lined with deer skin was of my own creation. I was determined to make fire "The Old Way".
Since I had unpacked I figured I had time to make a little ground hunt so with the wind in my face and sweat rollin off of me I set out. I moved slowly and using the deer, not human walk, I was able to slip into bow range of a nice doe who then bedded at 19 yards- hearts pounding! No shot no shot no shot, 15 minutes later she stands up, browses a bit more, lifts her tail half way up and just kinda trotted off. I saluted her sence that something wasn't right. Since the darkness was fast approaching I decided to head back to camp to catch a few frogs for my set line that I had hoped would provide a good eating, river raised catfish.
Now my challenge was necessary since it was beggining to get fairly brisk, I must say I really felt somehow connected when I saw the sparks fly off of the steel, light the char-cloth and watch as the bundle of tinder I gathered smoke and then burst into a flame. I stuffed it under the pile of sticks I so neatly aranged and blew at the base, to my suprise I had made fire! I layed next to the fire, cooked some soup and thought about past hunts and good people and all those who had done the very thing I was doing before me.
I turned in around 9:45pm and woke at 5:30am sharp....cold! I decided to make some good old coffee while I changed and prepared to head to the stand.
A very slow sneak put me in the tree in about 30 minutes and about 30 minutes before shooting time( a little later than normal but coffee is good when you're cold)
I climbed up and got situated, pulled up the bow (Moab) looked around and then nocked an arrow. A tapered cedar, spliced, traditional cut with a modified delta was up first, this being my number one arrow. The usual giant footsteps of the squirels had my heart thumpin, damn things. I spotted my first deer trotting through the woods around 7am( "beware of the lone doe", I told myself) shortly after I started seeing more deer and then turkeys, but not calm turkeys, running, screaming turkeys! Then 40 yards out I see something that was unexpected, a short white patch running behind 4 or 5 deer............a coyote! Wow, haven't seen one in the stand for a number of years, he was headed my way adn at one point he had stopped, contemplating his next move ....right er left, chase or breathe ....I felt the tension on the string then, he went right and gave me a 14 yard, broadside shot...I drew anchored and released, he yelpbarked and went down, reached back and bit the arrow clean off............! He expired shortly there after, the arrow had found it's mark tight to the shoulder and laced through both lungs. I drew my knife and raised my bow in it's honour, one predator to another.....
I looked behind me and there I could see four deer watching, like they knew the game was over.
About fourty five minutes passes, the woods are silent, Then out the corner of my eye, down wind( no I dont wear scentlok, and I stunk from sweating and campfire smoke) appear four does, first one is big, last one is big, middle two are lesser, check behind ......no bucks. These does were really concerned about the coyote layin there and they hesitated, again..tension on the string, 6 yards from the base of the tree the lead doe feels the sting of an arrow passing through her vitals, I see the blood and hear my arrow shaft snap then, seconds later and some forty yards away the death crash. The arrow entered high on the body and exited perfectly out the off side arm pit...textbook, although I would've liked her to be a little further out as a shot at this angle is a little lower percentage having confidence in your abilty and equipment helps.
I now began to realize the work that lay ahead of me, normally I would wait a spell and then follow the blood trail but I decided to follow up about ten minutes later. I followed a very easy bloodtrail full of good frothy red blood to my trophy just fourty yards away. I used my kneckknife that Stikshooter made for me a few years back to field dress her and start the task of dragging. I drug her to the coyote and then hauled them both about half way to the truck, before returning to camp to break it down. It's now getting warm so I had to hurry up, I checked my set line mmmmm no fish... covered my fire pit, packed and hauled my bow, gun and pack back out all the way to the truck, returned to the deer and coyote and hauled them back. Needless to say I was very tired and thirsty!!! I paused to take some photos before heading back out and to the check station.
What a great experience, I realize this is lengthy but thought a few of you out there would want to come along on this journey. I've read sooo many stories on here that I finally thought I would post one of my own. I have made meat and I wish all of you many good adventures with great friends or all alone in the wild......
Todd Duncan
Topic: My Wildman Weekend Hunt (Read 5457 times)
