Another hunting story

[dnovo]

So after following Kenny M’s hunting story and then Tim B’s story, I thought I would post my story from this week.
I’ve got a stand in a oak tree on a little finger ridge that comes off of the main ridge that’s a pasture on the back ridge of the property. This ridge runs slightly SE and I’ve passed a couple deer in past years from that stand for one reason or other.
Saturday I had a required hunt orientation meeting to attend for a managed hunt I’ve been drawn for. After the meeting I hiked and scouted the management hunt area for 3 hours so didn’t get out to hunt on Saturday. Sunday morning I got into the stand and after 3 uneventful hours headed back out. Now this stand is maybe 100 yards from the pasture. On the way out I found this.

[dnovo]

This cedar is a full 4” diameter. My neighbor says they’ve seen a big buck back around that pasture. My interest is spiked!
I wasn’t able to get back out that afternoon, but that spot was on my mind.

[woodchucker]

 

[dnovo]

Fast forward to Tuesday. I made it away from work early (self employed) and loaded a stand and sticks in the truck. I headed out back to that pasture. I can drive thru my fields then across my neighbors pasture into my pasture. He actually has cattle in my pasture as we leave the gates open year round for that. I drive right to edge of woods, figuring any noise will be regarded as normal farm work.
Having scouted more after finding the rub I had found a spot I wanted to pay close attention to with a trail crossing the top of the ravine where the small ridge joined the main one. The deer had a trail cutting across along with a trail leading to a hole in the fence they were going thru.
I hung my stand in a small oak then got in my truck and drove away back to next pasture. Then I snuck back and got settled in.

[TIM B]

Oh ya….
Tim B

[Bisch]

In!!!

Bisch

[dnovo]

After an hour or so I saw movement among the trees up near where the rub was. I’m just slightly off the crest of the ridge. Finally I make out 2 doe feeding on acorns about 30-40 yards away. One of the deer starts wandering slowly in my direction. It takes quite a while but finally ends up about 10 yards. A button buck. I just watch as he noses around where I walked in, then he goes back up by the doe and they feed off away from me. Maybe another hour and I’m listening to the squirrels cutting acorns but I was thinking I was hearing something in the leaves. There’s a cedar next to me on my right giving me cover but also obscuring my sight.
 Finally after a few minutes I can spot a deer only about 10 yards on the other side of the cedar. It slowly makes its way up toward me. Brush and trees really don’t let me get a good look. It finally comes around the back of my tree.

[dnovo]

It’s an 8 pt buck!  I’m looking at him and decide I’m letting him walk. I take about a minute of video of him going from 8’ from my tree to about 20 yards. Really cool. I need to mention that the wind is coming from the SE and blowing toward the field which is directly to my right while I’m watching the buck behind me. Good thing I didn’t want to shoot him cause he never actually presented a good angle. He has good width but thin antlers. I can’t believe I’m doing this as I usually figure I’m a trophy hunter until any deer comes by.
This buck wanders around toward the field taking his sweet time until it’s dark enough I can’t see him. I waited a while after that so hopefully wouldn’t spook him getting out.

[dnovo]

Wednesday afternoon I get home early again. I headed back out there with a new plan. I snuck in, took my stand and sticks down and set back up up the hill about 20 yards. I hung the stand in an old cedar without a lot a dead branches to clear. Set up in my stand I’m about 30-40 yards from that big rub. Then I notice a scrape that wasn’t there on Sunday about 20-25 yards away in the direction of the rub. When you’re on the ground that area is pretty open but in a tree it’s pretty thick. I can see in front on me pretty good but everything on my left is thick. There a mature cedars in front of me with all the low dead branches. Not good in terms of shooting lanes but I didn’t want to disturb the area more. The wind is blowing from the scrape to me and toward the field again. Some gusts that had my tree swaying pretty good.

[dnovo]

After about an hour I hear a snort from the direction of the field and 5 does and fawn run behind me. One small doe fawn comes my way and stops about 10 yards in the open but I’m thinking “ you sure are little” and just watch. After she walks away I sit for another hour or so.
Looking over toward the scrape I’m shocked to see a buck standing in it. How did he get there ?  I didn’t see or hear anything.
He starts really working the overhead branch good then paws in the scrape. I’m up with bow in hand cause I don’t know how big he is but I know it’s big enough!!
 He starts on my direction SLOWLY!  Works his way over to stand behind an oak in front of my. I’m getting nervous. He’s less than 10 yards!
 Coming from behind the oak he takes a few steps and stops just very slightly quartering to me but mostly broadside. But! He’s on the other side of a big cedar with all those dead branches between us.  I’m watching him and am getting bad vibes. His body language is telling me he senses something and I think he’s getting ready to leave. Crouching just slightly I can see a couple small openings thru the branches and decide to try a shot. I draw back and shoot. I mss as ke the shot without hitting a branch. When the arrow hits him, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a deer move that fast. He whirls and makes a J hook loop and gone back down the ridge. I think this takes about 1 second. The shot hit him a bit high and just slightly back. I could see part of the fletching showing with the broadhead end sticking way out angled down steeply as he was close. I have to sit! 

[dnovo]

I don’t wait as long as I should to get down as it’s cloudy and starting to dim and I just want to get the trail marked. I’m confident that with the way he bolted I’m not going to spook him if I don’t go far.
Looking all over I can’t find any blood anywhere and it’s getting dark. I head back to house.

[dnovo]

Back home I make a couple calls to see if I can get some help. My one son lives next door and he’s at cub scouts with his son. Another guy I work with sometimes says he can come by but it’s going to be an hour or more. I’m fine with waiting as I’m thinking it’s good to wait a bit. Only problem is rain moving towards us.
 We finally get back out there. It’s now about 3 hours after the shot. Searching the ridge top we cannot find any sign so we continue down slowly searching. I head down further and get down into the ravine looking for him. I work my way toward the guys and we haven’t found anything. I said let’s work down a bit and then there’s a flat bottom he might lay up in. All of a sudden Dave shines his light down into the ravine and yells”There he is!”
I’m so happy! 
It looks like he died on the run. He was stiff and I’m pretty sure he died vet quickly. There was fat plugging the exit hole which is why we couldn’t find any blood. He’s a beautiful buck.

[dnovo]

Really cool rack. He’s got 14 points! 

[Sam McMichael]

Good story. Thanks for sharing it.

[TIM B]

That’s an awesome buck Danny! Congrats!!
Tim B

[woodchucker]

CONGRATULATIONS, Daniel!!!!! He sure is a nice one!!!

 

[Bisch]

Awesome buck!

Congrats!

Bisch

[dnovo]

For those interested I used a 49# Destiny longbow by Wild Horse Creek bows, fir arrow with a Zwickey Delta 2 blade.
One thing I remember clearly is that the bow was absolutely quiet at the shot.

[JakeD]

Really good buck there! Congrats!

[1Arrow1Kill]

Good Going!  Congrats on a dandy buck!