So, there I am enjoying a quiet afternoon in the woods. It was a still a little breezy, but nothing like the gales blowing this morning. A bit earlier I had a frustrating encounter with an SOB (Squirrel of Brashness). That little dude managed to avoid 3 consecutive judo chops and was give me the ol' crook eye from a dogwood a few steps away.
I sat there on my NiffT seat, contemplating sending a broadhead tipped Surewood his way. I nocked an arrow and slowly began to stand up. My favorite instrument was going numb from the way I was sitting on the seat, so I needed to get up anyway.
Let me take a moment and describe my setup. I was hunting in a stand of hardwoods that act as a natural funnel.My spot was in the bottom of a little draw, and I was sitting at the base of a big poplar tree. All around me were dogwoods, beech, various species of hickory and oaks, and numerous fallen logs. Behind and about 5 feet above me was an old roadbed, long absorbed back into the woods. It is a great spot and deer meander through it on their way to a 3 year old clearcut.
I wasn't using a blind, had no face paint on (I do have a full beard,though), and was wearing my Sitka Gear camo. That squirrel had interrupted me while I was getting set up, so I hadn't cleared the leaves from underneath my feet. I had planned on putting some sort of cover in front of me, but hadn't yet, so I was very exposed.
So, there I am, slowly rising from my seat, and behind me I heard a chipmunk give off its warning bark. I then thought I heard him hopping through the leaves directly behind me, less than 10 yards away. By this time I was standing up a couple of feet in front of the poplar. I slowly turn to see if it was indeed that chipmunk, and I'm shocked to see a deer getting ready to walk down the steep bank.
The poplar blocked his sight of me as he walked down the bank, and, before I knew it, the fat young fork horn was standing right beside me, less than 10 yards away. I didn't move a muscle. He glanced my way and froze in his tracks. He stomped his foot and glared at me. I was skeered. Not really, but I expected him to bolt out of there at any second.
A second later, I heard another stomp from back up on the road bed. Another second later, a second young buck dropped down the embankment and met up with the first one. He, too, immediately noticed something out of place. The first buck stepped ahead underneath a beech tree and continued to stare me down. The second, a larger 6 point, did likewise.
I couldn't move. My Halfbreed was quartered low, ready to swing into action. I was hoping for them to glance away just long enough for me to inch my bow up, but they continued to stare holes through me and give the occasional stomp. It was a faceoff and was lasting a ridiculous amount of time. I was standing in an awkward pose and started to get a cramp in my right calf. I was going to have to move.
I slowly started to shift my weight, while at the same time creeping my bow back to half draw. The first little buck stomped again, and, immediately, up on the roadbed, I heard a third deer. A slow twist of my head brought another fork horn into view, his head bobbing up and down, trying to see what the other two were all a'twitter about. I now had 3 young bucks glaring at me with their huge black eyes, and making like they were part of a Las Vegas dance troupe. All within 10 yards of me.
After a solid minute, the first buck decided he'd had enough and made a sudden, but short dash up the hill. He only went about 30 yards and turned back around and stared in my direction. The second buck crow hopped a few steps, which put him squarely behind a branch of the beech tree. He was still only 15 yards away, but the branches prevented making a clean shot. After another painfully slow minute or so, he simply walked straight away from me, joining his younger buddy.
The third buck walked down the roadbed behind me and came down the bank about 30 yards to my right. He picked his way through some undergrowth and never offered a clear shot. He never looked in my direction and I doubt he ever saw me in the first place.
The trio remained on the top of the knoll in front of me for about 30 minutes, feeding on browse and last years mast, before finally moving into the clearcut. They never did figure out what I was, and, incredibly, never winded me. No blowing, no flags waving, just some really hard stares. Typical teenagers.
Topic: Accosted by a gang of teenagers... (Read 244 times)
