Well, I had two days left to see if I could take a buck. Tomorrow (last day) was a given, but after work this morning I decided to try an old spot for as long as I could take it. 17 degrees and a stiff wind along the Delaware river. This place gets a lot of pressure through the year, but I am willing to climb where most will not. I’ve had some good luck here even though I only go here once or twice a year.
I grab some gear as soon as my wife is off to work. I hope I have enough clothes, and I’m out the door.
The hike in is steep, so I carry most everything, enduring the cold because I’ll be hot in no time. Well, I barely heated up, it’s that cold. I get up in my spot among the boulders and set up my torges style seat on a big oak. I start layering up and I sit back.
45 minutes into it, I’m feeling like I won’t be staying too long. The wind is gusting up the side of the mountain pretty good and my snot is freezing on my nose. I figure I’ll give it till noon if I can. It’s now 9.
Something catches my ey and I see antler big enough that I’m gonna shoot if I can. He’s making steady headway, but not too fast. He is moving up the mountain. I pick a lane where he should be coming through. I draw and hold , he steps in the opening, I give a bahh and loose the arrow simultaneously. He stops and looks. Too late, the arrow hits before he has a clue. A steep 1/4 away shot abou 28 yards hits behind the last rib and goes in to the fletch. I see the hot pink fletch in his side and he bolts! I’m shaking.... breathing hard... I see him tumble after an 80 yard burst of his last life force run. I fall back against the tree with a sigh of relief. It’s been a long season that I thought would end with tag soup.
The adrenaline and the cold take over and I can’t control my shaking. Bow down, trying to gather my self. I sit until I calm down about 30 minutes.
I pack up my seat, grab my gear and make my way toward the downed buck. I see the antler sticking up and I’m happy. Looks like a nice one. I approach, poking at him with my bow... dead, but something not right... one antler is broke off. Old break from fighting earlier in the season. It doesn’t change my mood, thrilled for this late season buck who was smart enough to live this long on heavily hunted public land.
The steep grade helps with the dirty work. Now for the down hill drag, easy. I’m back to the car, I look back at the mountain, steep, stark with trees leafless in their winter rest. I can see the outcrop of boulders that was my hide. I look down at the buck. It was about 6 years ago this spot granted me a nice seven point, now, a would be eight. I thank God for such a blessing and meat in the freezer.
Topic: Final frozen effort (Read 3464 times)
