i never had the pleasure to personally meet and get to know Chris. We pm'ed back and forth a few times. i've spoken with Larry a few times on the phone and shared pm's with him as well. Chris and Larry knew i had never bowfished before, and we tried to set up a bowfishing trip in Pensacola for October. The hunt didn't materialize due to some personal obligations i had. We agreed that we would get together this spring.
When i heard the news about Chris, i was getting ready to leave on a hunting trip to Alabama with my best hunting buddy from college. The news made me feel like someone had punched me in the stomach and sucked the air out of me---the same feeling that each of you felt. i decided to dedicate this hunt in memory of Chris for the hunt that never was...
The first evening i hunted a very special stand to me, and i felt really good about taking an animal. A doe came in about an hour or so before dark. i was hunting about 20 yards off a green field in an oak flat finger of woods. i got ready to take the shot, and something told me to look back to my right in the green field. On the other side of the green field feeding in some sage under a big oak tree were three nice bucks. Instead of taking the doe, i decided to wait and see what happened.
The three bucks finally fed into the green field and proceeded to feed towards me and then away and then towards me and then away for almost an hour. About ten minutes before dark, the smallest buck and the largest buck committed to a trail that would take them about 12 yards in front of me.Right at last light, the biggest buck finally stepped in the clearing in front of me....i promptly shot just under his chest! i imagined Chris' voice in the back of my mind saying "you didn't get the shakes did you Randy?" That's exactly what happened. It took so long for them to get to me, i got buck fever!
The next morning i went to a different section of woods to hunt. i heard hogs squealing in the distance as i climbed up into my stand. i saw a few does and spooked a half racked buck when i climbed out of my stand. i heard the pigs squealing again in the distance as i made my way to the pickup point. When my guide picked me up we chit chatted about my morning hunt, and i mentioned hearing the hogs. He asked where. i told him and off we went on a little field road. About 1/2 mile up the road we could see the hogs rooting their way across the sage going away from us. We made a giant loop to try to get around them, and after a few minutes we saw them rooting in a sage and pine flat. My guide asked me if i was up for a stalk and off i went.
i got the wind right and was able to get into stealth mode after about 20 minutes. There was one big sow out in front of me that was slowly feeding away. i could hear the other hogs rooting and grunting their way back towards me. i knew if i didn't close the deal in a hurry the whole thing was going to blow up on me. Everything was in slow motion but moving at lightspeed if you know what i mean. i closed the distance as quickly and quietly as possible. At ten yards i waited for her to give me at least a quartering shot. As she opened up her side to me, i came to full draw and released. The arrow entered behind her diaphragm angling forward into her lungs tipped with a 180 grain silverflame. She took off in a half circle in front of me and fell over 30 yards away...as i watched her last breath escape, i could hear Chris' voice in the back of my head saying "that's the way i like it." This one is for you Chris! Godspeed my brother...>>---->
Topic: This one's for you, Chris...the hunt that never was. (Read 649 times)
