I gotta start remembering to take the camera, just in case.
I left work at 3:00 and was at my hunting location by 3:30, thanks to a nice straight shot road to get there. It was kinda warm (upper 50's) I put my boots on, slipped into the bibs and put on my brown/black plaid shirt, strung the bow, donned the side stalker quiver and binos, grabbed my new thick seat cushion, and off to the woods. Arrived at my natural ground blind and settled in on my new cushion. I sit on a 7 gallon bucket with a swivel seat lid. There was a favorable breeze in my face.
I spent the first 1-1/2 hours watching squirrels and woodpeckers and such. At some point, I got one of those "you should probably look over here" feelings and lifted my binos to scan the tree line at the other end of my honey hole, about 125 yards away. Nothing at first, but then up from the ravine walks a nice doe. I yearling, but a nice, blocky, fat looking yearling. I have a combo tag, so if she comes my way, I'll fling an arrow. She decides to stay under the big osage and feed on a mashed up hedgeapple. If you want to see something funny, watch a squirrel try to carry one of those off.
I decide to have a little fun, so I grunt at her several times with my tru talker. She looks up each time, but never comes my way. Finally, a hedgeapple falls right behind her and sends her running. She comes back several times. She wanders back down the hill, out of sight and I see nothing special for about a half hour, then she comes back with a mature doe in tow. I note that the deer are all looking really big and healthy this year. The big doe is the size of a nice buck. They feed for awhile, then something sends the big doe packing. I raise the binos again and up walks a buck I saw last year that I want out of the herd. He has a tall, narrow 6, possibly 7 point rack, but he's a brute otherwise. I'll definitely take him if he moves in. They are content to feed on the hedgeapples, as is the fat red fox squirrel about 30 yards away from me. The big doe comes back.
They stay under the big osage, so I decide to try grunting again, because I got maybe a half hour of legal shooting light left. At first, the buck could care less. The yearling keeps prancing around playfully, like she's 4 months old again. Not sure what her deal is. I then decide to pinch the call down and go for more of a doe sound; that "calling to my fawns" sound. A couple of those and he's decided he better come on over and see what's going on. He starts walking to me on a string. I know he can't see me yet, and I definitely know he's not smelling me. He gets to about 50 yards upwind of me and both does take off running for some reason. He looks their way, then continues to me. He gets another 10 yards closer. My heart is pounding by now, and I'm feeling the string on my bow. Then one of those does starts making a big rukus in the tree line like they're wrestling back there or something. I can't see what she's doing, but the buck takes note and looks her direction. I softly grunt again and he looks back my way, then back towards her, lowers his head and slinks on off into the tree line. ($#@&%!) I think to myself. Next thing you know, the yearling pops out of the trees, runs in a big circle, then runs back in the trees. All is quiet again, then all 3 come barreling back through like their tails are on fire. I sit there wondering what is got them so spooked, then off in the distance, I hear a 4 wheeler start up, then another, then I hear two teenagers hollering back and forth on the neigboring property as they're loading up, talking about where they're going tomorrow.
To top it all off, I left my new seat cushion in the tractor shed where I park. I hope it's still there today when I go look for it. Oh well... there's always next time! I believe I'll be closer to that osage tree then.
Topic: *** Daily Hunt Stories and Pics 2009 *** (Read 8717 times)
