Semi-live Stalker road trip to Iowa

[huntnmuleys]

Ordinarily that "no story tonight" response would be unacceptable, but since you're building me a bow I'll let it slide...

[Butts2]

[Ryan Sanpei]

Originally posted by Butts2:
   

               LOL! Too Funny


Good Luck Tomorrow South!!!

[xma]

What a fun read, tomorrow is the day--I can FEEEL it....now that new bow, I want details--specs and woods, maybe a close up or two. Wait, better not--not sure I can control myself!

[ichibuns]

Awsome story South cant wait to hear how it ends Good Luck on your hunt  

[Nathan Killen]

Good luck today South ! A lot of anticipation around here ! Lol

[ti-guy]

[elkken]

   so what happened ??

[steadman]

South is probably on the road right now. He'll have an update in the next couple days. I know there was some excitement.

[Iowabowhunter]

Great story so far

[Bivyhunter]

Sorry to have dragged this thread out for so long. I had an unfortunate incident and had to move out of my hotel room and thus didn't have any internet access. But that is part of the story, so I will get on with it...
   Monday dawned with an east wind. Stan suggested I hunt a stand that was set up along a strip of trees at the edge of a bedding area and CRP. The stand face due north and the east wind would carry my scent out into the CRP. I was sitting in a ladder stand, so I wasn't too high off the ground. I went to attach my harness to the tree, but realized I'd left my tie off rope back at the hotel, so I had to lower the safety bar on the ladder stand to make it safer. I don't care for them as they often get in the way.
 
Right at first light, a couple of does came walking down the edge of the treeline coming straight at me. I was anxious to put some backstraps in the freezer, so I readied myself in case the opportunity would present itself. As the deer got closer, an eddying wind must have carried a few molecules of scent down to them. The hung up at about 30 yards, their noses testing the air. After several minutes, as they milled around, I caught more movement coming out of the trees. An old doe, clearer larger and with a more weathered face came out of the bedding area. Her trajectory would bring her less than 10 yards below my stand.

[Bivyhunter]

As she got closer, I slowly rotated, preparing for the shot. I wouldn't have a shot until she got almost right underneath me because there was a bunch of branches that hung down from the tree immediately in front of me. Just as she was about to clear the branches, she jolted to as stop and spun around. Like the other does, some of my scent must have settled, instead of all being carried out into the CRP.
   I was a little frustrated and concerned about being winded twice in less than an hour of hunting, but was encouraged by all of the deer movement. I settled back into my stand and burrowed my hands deeper into my pockets. This was forecasted to be the coldest morning of my stay with the mercury dropping into the mid to upper teens. Sitting still in such weather wasn't my strong suit.
   A short time later, I caught movement coming down the same trail I'd first seen the does early that morning. Lifting my binoculars, I saw antlers coming my way...nice ones! It looked like about a 130" 10 point, plenty big in my book. I stood and pulled my bow from the small branch I had it hanging from. The buck plodded steadily towards me. I worried that he'd catch my scent just like the first does did. The faint east wind had picked up slightly from first light and I hoped that it'd be enough to carry over the the buck. On he came. I raised my bow as he was only a couple of yards from the position I'd decided to shoot from. As I did, my bottom limb tapped the safety bar. The buck went on alert as I drew to anchor. The shot was about 20 yards, a distance I was plenty comfortable with. As the string slipped from my fingers, the buck reacted and the arrow flew high. I was sickened as I watched the buck bound away.

[ichibuns]

awww man South what a bummer dude still get chance to put some bone down yes?

[owlbait]

South, you need to get rid of those leather elk and mule deer boots and get you some rubber boots for hunting those whitetails! Looking forward to the rest of the story, and seeing you in KaZoo this coming January.  

[Bivyhunter]

LOL, I was wearing Lacrosse Burley's.

  After the blown shot on the 10 point, I sat back down to wait out the next opportunity. At about 2:00, I saw a small buck pop out of the cedars behind my stand. He was being pushed by a big 8 point that was posturing as the small buck moved out. I again pulled my bow off the limb and turned on my stand. The big buck slowly walked towards my stand and stopped about 25 yards out. I had a small window through the cedars to his chest cavity, but with his current direction of travel I anticipated I would get a closer and totally clear shot after he'd moved a few more yards towards the CRP. I elected to wait for him to move and offer me a better shot. After another minute of standing, the buck turned 90 degrees and walked back into the cedars without offering me a shot.
  An hour later, a big 10 point trotted into the bedding area, made a couple of loops out of bow range and then exited in a northbound direction. He was a huge buck, probably in the  150" class.
That pretty well rounded out the action for Monday.

[Cyclic-Rivers]

This is good. Looking forward to the rest!  

[ti-guy]

[Warden609]

nice story  

[steadman]

Hey South just because you're hunting back east doesn't mean you should start count like the eastern guys lol!!  

[Bivyhunter]

Tuesday morning started out bad right out the gate. When the alarm went off at 4 I checked the weather. To hunt my action-packed stand that I hunted on Monday, I'd need another east wind. Instead, the forecast called for a south wind, the worst direction in could have blown from. That ruled out that stand. So, I jumped in the car and drove out to meet Stan. About a mile from his house, a small 8 jumped out in front of me. As I slammed on the brakes, I thought for a split second that somehow the buck would make it past me unscathed. Alas, it was not to be. I hit the buck dead center. The last thing I remember seeing of the deer is it upside down as he bounced off the windshield on the passenger side and then cleared the roof as his trajectory carried him off the road.
   

  Unfortunately, the impact punctured the radiator. It was now Tuesday and I was supposed to leave for Minnesota for a day before I left for home on Friday afternoon. This didn't look good! Not only was the wind blowing the wrong direction, but now I had no ride home!