Ok guys, I'm back. Strolled in this morning about 6:30. Got about 2 hours sleep and time to unpack.
I will tell you that of the four trips I've made to Pike Co., this one is the most memorable of the bunch (as far as deer hunting goes). Things started out slow and got slower only to finish with a bang.....well, I mean a fffffftttttthwack! or two.
There were 5 guys on this trip, 3 veterans and two newbies. It was a mixed group of two trads and 3 compound hunters and since I had just purchased a new to me dodge crew cab, I was elected to drive.
The back seat looked mighty sizeable, but I didn't dare test it by gracing it with my presence. Fearfull that it might take some axle grease and and winch to get me out of the back, I left that for the others. The trip up was mostly uneventful other than the constant complaining from the back seat about room and who gets to ride shotgun next. That mixed with plans for the upcoming hunt made the trip up go relatively quick.
We arived Saturday morning (sleepless) and since it was too early to check in, we decided to go set a few stands.
Running off of pure adrenaline, everyone went to work and prepared for there initial set up. As we drove to the hotel, we were all abuzz with excitement mixed with slurred speech from sleep depridation.
We began our hunt on Sunday morning and it went on for a few days with sparse sightings of smaller bucks and does. As we continued to tweek our set ups and analyze our mistakes, the deer movement slowly decreased. Oh yeah, we saw a couple does being chased and at least two booners were spotted just out of range, the rut was still just a trickle. Weather was fast turning rough with 25-35 mph winds and rain in the forcast.
We were having tremendous trouble keeping up with wind direction and in at least a couple of instances had it blow in 3 of the four main directions during a single sit (frustrating).
Wednesday night, with a forecasted wind that I wasn't prepaired for, I decided to sit on the ground and utilize my Bush-N-A-Bag poncho.
I set up in the tip of a little finger of trees that juts out into a secluded little cornfield that I have grown to know very well. It just so happens that I have witnessed no less than 8 P&Y deer pass by within shooting range of this little set up including wednesday mornings "Booner".
I opened up a couple little holes for shooting lanes, set my self up for about a 15 yard shot and leaned up against a large tree. Not long after, I heard the tell tale noises of a deer and was excited to see a doe aproaching one of my shooting lanes. When she aproched the opening, she decided to walk in to it rather than by it. With her head turned, i rotated and drew to anchor and waited for her to turn. At twelve yards, she looked at me and dissmissed my presence but would not turn away from quartering to me. As she turned her head again, I eased down and was spotted by a friend of hers. The "Jig" was up! and although I did not release an arrow, I left that evening with an incredible warm and fullfilling feeling from the close encounter and renewed excitement about the weeks hunt.
Thursday started off rough. Three of us reluctantly rolled out of the truck and into the rain hoping for a break in the weather that didn't come. I chose to hunt from an abandoned house that had a considerable amount of deer sign just outside the missing kitchen window. It provided me a dry place to sit while I avoided the 35mph winds and heavy rain.
I chose to hunt that moring because I was there to hunt and not sleep. I did however fall prey to making a couple of phone calls from the stand to take care of buisness, but that was the last time my mind left Illinois for the week.
Friday morning began with lots of excitement. We had the most favorable weather for rutting activity and a good feeling about the possibilities. I dropped off one of my hunting partners and proceeded to my parking location. As I was getting ready, I noticed that my had was no where to be found and this frigid morning was not one to be without a hat. As I searched for it, I realized that I had also left without my bow! Oh my god, what a dumb mistake. After a hasty trip to retreive my hat and bow, I was left with a somewhat lighted walk to my stand as things began to illuminate from the rising sun.
I climbed into my tree and readied myself. As I stood there, I couldn't help but wonder if I had just screwed up my moring or had inadvertantly created a good ohman.
As the morning progressed, I started to see a few deer and even had a spike go under my stand a cross at 8 yards (frequent occurance for the week). Then I spot movement from the far corner and realize that there is a cyote skirting the field only to disapear with out a shot. Moments later, a nice wide 10 pt enters the field, and quickly retreats as he gets a wiff of the cyote. Oh well, he was a little to young anyway.
After another 30 minutes, a heavy 10 point with a narrow spread (very shootable) angles across the field. I do my best to call him in with grunts, snort wheeze and even tried a bleet. I did turn him around in circles as he decided what to do, but he finally had enough and left without ever aproaching closer than 60 yards.
Things pretty much came to a hault for a couple of hours and as noon aproached, I called the other guys to let them know I would be sitting all day(or standing, as I was in the most uncomfortable stand I have ever been in).
As 2:p.m. aproached, a couple of does entered the field and I redied myself for any oportunity that might reveal itself. To my disapointment, they walked off with out a shot opportunity, but I was almost immediately rewarded with a long drawn out gutteral "grunt"!
Wholly Moly, was that really a grunt?, I thought. It was quickly followed by several short strained and tired grunts and an explosion of brush and bushes.
I realized that there were a couple of bucks dukeing it out in the HEAVY HEAVY cover directly behind my stand. They would tie up and then chase and tie up. The whole time grunting and trashing the bush. I was amazed not only by the close and personal action (all within 60 yards) but there ability to quickly transverse the heavy bush.
All of a sudden the biggest buck stood in a tiny opening not more than 12 yards behind my stand. I was already waiting. I had turned to face them and backed up to the point to where I could feel the edge of the stand with my foot.
As I chanted pick-A-spot in my head, I did just that and drove a "BigJim" broadhead through his heart. He immediately flinched and sheared the back of my arrow off at the fletching as the remainder continued through into the dirt. He launched into the brush behind my stand and most have entangled into the vines as he was delayed just long enough to expire after not more than a 10 yard run.
Oddly enough, the other buck never reacted to the commotion I thought. Then the bush erupted again and to my delight, a huge doe appeared at the base of my tree! Where did she come from? Man, there is no shot. Angle is impossible, and so I waited. Within a minute, she apeared in the same hole where I shot my buck. I drew and released. At the last second, the broadhead glanced off of a vine and drove straight into her spine.
I am beside my self with excitement. I just shot two deer in under 3 minutes and they both lay dead within 12 yards of my stand.
I called my friends and told them the news. They were on there way back from town and came to pick up the deer.
While I waited, I watched the remaining buck ease slightly from cover to bight and nuge the downed doe. He had no intention of leaving.
Just then the truck came down the hill and solved one of the afternoons little mysteries. There were really two bucks fighting the buck I shot. I had seen them both, but never at the same time. Action was so fast that I thought I was just seeing things as there racks were considerably different.
The following morning, I found myself again in the Bush-N-A-Bag and again leaning up against a big dead tree hoping for a shot or two on does before we had to retreat back to Georgia.
About 7:30 a.m. a small 4 pt caught me daydreaming and walked straigt to me only to turn at 6 yards walking broadside. Now I know my buck tag is filled, but for purely educational reasons, I decide to see if I could make the moves it would take to harvest him. Just then he stops and looks away from me into the near treeline and I make my move.
Yes sir! he would have been a gonner had I have been of the mind to take him.
To add icing to the cake, the buck he looked back at was a nice young 10 pointer that ran straight to me and then turning at 8 yards to follow behind the smaller buck.
I left Illinois feeling completely satisified. No, I did not take a "Booner" or even a "P&Y", but I did leave with memories that I will have forever and a buck that will always remind me of a truly fantastic day.
The rest of the guys had a great time with some missed opportunities and talks of if's and but's, and long conversations on how we'll do better next year.
I sure hope you have enjoyed my lengthy story. It is just a testemonial of my remaining excitement.......And then there's Kansas next week
thanks, bigjim
Topic: Big Jim Is back from Illinois. what a Ride! (Read 1768 times)
