So, so close again yesterday morning!!!
Gun season is in up here where we live in NY, given my past "luck" during gun season, mommy wont let Cade bowhunt up here with the boom sticks. So that leaves us with an hr trip south to Westchester County.
I'd hunted down there the day before and came as close as I've been all season to shooting a mature buck. Had him close enough, but never did release an arrow! He was a "tank", huge body, probably 4.5yrs old. The coolest part is I believe he was just a giant 6pt!
So, with Cade off for his Thanksgiving vacation starting Wednesday....we headed south at 4:00am.
Cade got a good nap on the way down, we got dressed, and by 5:45 we were set up.
Not too cold, but definitely deceivingly chilly. Super still and quiet....
An hour into the hunt we hadn't seen anything yet, and for the first time this season Cade was saying he was getting cold. We've been out on colder days, but for whatever reason, today was different.
I explained to him about doing some isometrics, wiggling his toes in his boots and such that I use to stay comfortable on stand. I also explained that you can't just do it few reps and expect it to work, you have to keep with it with many reps and he would feel the results.
I kept asking him if he was ok and asked if he could stick it out till 9:30....but all but guaranteed him we'd see deer soon.
We also talked about he'd had such a great season so far, but I was disappointed that the rut may have passed him by and he never really got a chance to witness some real rut action.
It seems every time I'm in a tree with him I can't help but think about "next year", and how I want to work even harder to be even better prepared for us to hunt together. I was thinking to myself about how I wanted to make a great effort to try to find some more and better hunting areas for him/us to hunt........
Then it happened!!!!!!
I see deer come flying up the hill below us...1...2...3....4, I see spikes on the 4th deer...then a 5th deer that I didn't see well...
This is all happening behind Cade and he's a little lower than me, but he can still see some of what just happened.....they go out of sight....minutes go by.....
I catch a flash and see that a deer is running back up toward where where I first saw them....a big, big doe...then another deer is coming and I see a rack and Cade can see him too!!!!!
He's a nice 8pt..... then comes the spike from earlier......for the next 15 minutes or so we just stood and watched the show from about 100yds away. They walked ...ran... stood....whatever the doe did....the 8pt did and the spike just hung back.
Cade says to me ..."daddy if the big one comes close,you take the shot, I know you've been waiting for a buck like that all season"
They were slowly working closer, but still over 80yds away...I couldn't see the doe anymore and didn't know where the spike was....then all hell broke loose again and I could see the 8pt start running up toward us!
I sharply whispered to Cade to grab his bow as I grabbed for mine, just before the big doe appeared, busting up over the hill about 45 yds away...the spike was hot on her tail and the 8pt didn't like it one bit and was trying hard to catch up!
They went by 30yds away running hard, turned to the east around a pond, then cut back south and disappeared over the ridge about 100yds away.....Cade was witness to one of nature greatest shows!!!
A few seconds later a smaller deer appeared trotting over toward where they had gone out of sight. It stood on top of the ridge looking. I could tell it was watching what was going on below her.
After a minute or 2, she wheeled around and started running right toward us, something was after her....we grabbed for our bows again!!!!!
Another deer came over the hill and was now going around the pond the opposite way they had gone before, I could see it was the spike and he was now bearing down on us too!
As the small doe ran toward us I asked Cade if he wanted to shoot her....he passed knowing the buck was coming...
The spike slowed to a walk,the back of his mouth pulled back in the typical "gasping look" of a tired deer....he was now 20yds and closing....
I see Cade adjust his feet preparing for the shot....I whisper..."pick a spot and drill him buddy!"
As he neared 15yds and broadside, looking right over his shoulder, I softly grunted to spot him...he stopped....and I waited for the arrow to fly...........
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I look down at Cade and he hadn't even drawn....and the buck was off in pursuit again....
"Why didn't you shoot"????
He says...."Daddy, when he stopped his leg was back and he turned just a little to us, so I wasn't 100% sure about the shot"
I smiled.... he'd made a great decision!
Then I though about it and he was right, the deer had done exactly as he'd said....it was a shot I would have taken without hesitation given the heavy set up I shoot....but with his light equipment...the shot just wasn't there....
He said he had no regrets not shooting.
He continues to make me proud!!!
The big doe and 8pt never showed again, but we did see a different spike show at about 100yds away to the west of us. We grunted, he looked....
Then Cade asked if he could use his grunt call. And he did for the first time of the season.
Again, the spike looked, came to us a little, then walked off. He liked using the call...
A few pix from the morning....
Cade right after he witnessed all the rut action...for some reason, he wasn't cold anymore
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The flat below the ridge is where the show started...
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The pond....
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As much as we hated to do it, it was time to leave...
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Cade among the shadows checking out where the deer walked by...
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Looking for hair from his close encounter 2 weeks earlier.....he found some too...
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Packing up....
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Quote of the day from Cade.....
"I LIKE THE RUT"
Topic: Next week he becomes a deer hunter....he did it again!!! Update pg.33... (Read 20977 times)
