Here's a shot from the Cuddeback on one of the Blacktails I'm working on. He's a smaller one...
I'm still recovering from Friday night. 20 minutes, on my knees, in the middle of a grassy hillside, bent at the waist and holding on to Faith, arrow knocked.
Here are a couple of pictures of my "Special
Place".
Now, I won't string this out like some folks...
It started with spotting a nice sized forked horn, in the area where I always see these bucks. He scoots across the hillside and slows down before going out of sight.
I figure I know where he's going, and he's not going there fast. I make a move into the drainage below me and use that as cover to get the wind and close the distance.
Getting up to the ridge I bust a deer out from a bed under an oak tree...didn't see it but based on what I've been seeing I'm thinking it was one of the other bucks.
I use the ridgeline as cover, peeking over here and there to see if I can spot the big forkie. I'm hoping he hasn't made the big drainage which forms the top of the deep redwood canyon, which is where these guys go for cover and beds.
I finally make a spot, just over where the cuddeback took the picture, where I can go over the ridge and sneak into the top of that drainage that I think he's heading for. If the timing is right (he didn't look like he was in a hurry) I may be able to cut him off.
I'm skirting the edge of the drainage now on the bottom third of a steep grassy slope, heading for a tree and some brush that'll give me cover on the trail I'm hoping he'll be on. The grass is about 3-4 feet tall here...then I spot him. Just the tops of his forks about 40-50 yards uphill from me. I'm out in the open and sink into the grass. The wait begins.
I drop binoculars, quiver belt, take one arrow and start to crawl whenever I see his head drop. I get another five yards and his head comes up. And stays up. Now I'm locked down on my knees facing upslope, bent over at the waist, my hand on Faith. Minutes go by and he's not moving. Finally, I look up and he's walking downhill towards me! I'm thinking I'm good and he'll walk right by me at about 12-15 yards.
Then I hear noise below us in the drainage. Darn! Loud enough to be pigs, could be a cow or two, doubt that it is more deer. Either way I'm between a cautious mature blacktail and what ever is in the drainage and the wind is taking my scent into that drainage.
The buck stops cold. The sun is down now and I'm working against time and shooting light. He's not moving so I have to. Using the noise in the drainage as cover sounds like a plan so a scoot downhill to a deep break a few feet below me. I do the duck walk to the tree I was aiming for in the first place and take a look around. He's still there I think since I haven't seen or heard him break out.
I can now head uphill towards him since I have cover...so that's what I do. I make the bushes that he is on the other side of. Then he breaks and stops at 40 yards broadside/quartering to on the opposite hillside. Beautiful buck just doing his strut trying to figure me out. No shot to be had at this angle and the distance doesn't instill confidence in a clean kill. He decides enough is enough and trots over the hill. I follow at a run, sidehill and below him. We met up again at the edge of the treeline. He's back to me looking over his shoulder about 35 yards. Thats match point to him. His next move is into the trees and down hill in the drainage to heavy cover.
What a rush. Three weekends hunting with Faith, one arrow shot at a nice four pointer, spot and stalks on three occasions, and close encounters with blacktail bucks. Only thing better would be venison in the freezer but I'll take this anytime.
My time with Faith is done. I'll be sending her on this week.
Thanks Curt for putting thie together. Thanks to Dryad for the great bow.
Topic: The Adventure of Hope and Faith 2009/2010 (Read 6773 times)
