Years ago, I went hunting down south with a friend. He asked if I wanted to ride with him, he had a new truck and wanted to take it. I agreed and so we left about 4 AM to make the hour and a half drive down to the Management Area. There was this stretch of mature and very thick pines that we both hunted, his spot was about 300 yards from mine but both on the same side of the road.
The road ran on the ridge top so this meant that we were hunting downhill from the road. I had never been to his spot nor he to mine but we both knew the general area of the other. He shot a compound with all of the bells and whistles with of course, a release. We had been friends for a pretty good while. He had bought a Blackwidow recurve off of his brother-n-law but wasn't anywhere ready to commit to it.
So, in the dark, I got out with my things, turned on my headlamp and started down while he moved on down towards his spot. Now neither one of us had actual trails marked or cut but we knew how to find our stands. I simply made my way down to a more open area in the timber that had some rubs and scrapes. My spot allowed for about a maybe 15 yard shot in places but at least I could see a little ways.
I was in my stand soon enough and simply waiting for daylight. There was a small creek about fifty yards below me but it was a terrible mess around it. I had called this spot the Fitness Center because of the sheer number of rubs, they were everywhere and most likely made by a younger buck or bucks.
So as the dark woods slowly begin to lighten up, I can make out the rubs around me. I am pretty excited because in this management area, it is hard to find places like this. The timber is in various growth from the sections being cut (clear cut) and replanted all in pine. Yeah, the hardwood was quickly disappearing. It was a slow morning, just crows mainly but I did see a few squirrels moving around. It was maybe 8:30 when I began to hear something moving behind me and off to the side.
My first thought was hogs tearing up the place but soon I realized that it had to be a human. Now I am thinking that someone is either trying to scout now or is lost. I sit there quietly as this person keeps going thru the saw briars and blackberries as noisily as possible. I catch a glimpse every so often of a person in camo but I am sure that they don't have a bow. I can tell that he stops every so often to stare or search around. Now I am sure that he is scouting and he is about to stumble right in on top of me. But then I see his face and I know exactly who it is, the guy I rode with here. So I whistle and this stops him so I whistle again and here he comes. Now I am thinking that he shot a monster and needs my help tracking or dragging. Bill makes his way over to me as I began climbing down. Bill looks around and says, "Wow, great spot." Then he looks at me and tells me that he had lost his release on the walk to his stand. He tells me how he had searched hard up and down to the truck and back to his stand but couldn't find it.
And now he says, "Uh, I can't hunt no more so I am going home. Translation, do you want to ride back with me or walk? I quietly nod okay and off we go. I had asked him before why he clipped his release to his bow string all the time and he had told me several times how secure it was and would never come off. I use a glove and even if I lost it, I am still hunting because I can still shoot and pretty good with or without it. Yeah, it was quite a while before I rode with him again.
Topic: Uh, Lost my release, I'm going home (Read 2485 times)
