My Traditional Journey...

[Sockrsblur]

Thanks for the kind words guys. I loved sharing my story with everyone after spending so much enjoyable time reading here myself. Let's hope we can find our way into some more adventures this fall. Good luck everyone! !!

[Shawn Leonard]

Great story and great read, hard to judge you on the shot. As has been said it is hard to say what a lot of us would do unless presented with the same situation. I myself was gonna take a head shot at a very nice 9pt. some years ago, as he was only 10 ft. and walking on a run right at me and I was in a top half of a ladder stand only 5 ft. off the ground. Luckily for both him and I he turned at the last second and I shot him broadside at 6ft. I make no judgement and congrats on a nice buck!! Shawn

[Sockrsblur]

THE GHILLIE BUCK 10/10/2013


    If the hunting season of 2013 was to have a theme for me it was the fall of the Ghille! The close encounters I experienced hunting on the ground in 2012 left me hungry for more of it in every way. To assist me in taking things a little farther this year I pulled out a woodland pattern, jute thread type ghillie suit I purchased the year before and had never used.

 

 It consisted of pants, a jacket and boonie hat with full face coverage. After some research I wanted to use the suit as a base or platform to add surrounding local vegetation to it, in a sense customizing it to that hunt, that hide specifically. In the six weeks and three days of the New York archery season I was off work and hiding every here I could think of.  Scent is still king but from my first encounters with game I was hooked on my newly broken outline the suit provided. Grab a coffee... make a coco... I would love to share some of my fall with you...

[4dogs]

[Chromebuck]

   

I'm in no rush.  Your story telling is epic!  Interesting choice to append to the Hurricane Buck Story.

Bring it on...

~CB

[Jayrod]

I will be waiting patiently

[Homey88]

Great story and great hunt! Congrats!

[swampbow2]

Great story ; thanks for sharing . Although I'd rather be caught hunting in my birthday suit than a ghillie I am looking forward to your tale with great anticipation !

[Sockrsblur]

Entering into last fall of 2013 the rhythm of all things traditional felt good to me. I started shooting a 60"  Zipper SXT longbow 51@28 that really agreed with me. I shot a long weekend at Denton Hill in July, camped with my dad for the weekend in Potters County at the Saw Mill shoot in Sept, really enjoyed making a dozen woodies for my Dad and brother Dan that they both hunted with all season, made myself a doz footed carbons from MFX blanks... nothing monumental but other than Denton all firsts for me. It simply felt like a little progress, like momentum...

   

Moving into Camp the begging of October is an annual ritual I look forward to more than  I need to say. Before the season opened the only real adjustment I made to my ghillie was the hat. I couldn't get use to shooting through the netting so I cut it out in front of my eyes and sewed it back some on the sides a little at a time until I liked the view. My plan was to wear various face masks to cover that portion of my face and that worked well for me through the different temperatures of the season.

   

October first came and my season began.  Action was seemingly slow the first week but just being there and settling in was more than enough. My first close encounter with a buck came on the 10th. I was hunting in a woods 75 yards off the back side of a field. The woods had been logged years ago and two tree tops falling towards each other created a small constriction point that the deer like to move through. 100 yards away is an area that was clear cut about the same time. It's thick with blackberry bushes and brush to the point of being nearly impenetrable. That being said its a wonderful bedding ground that the deer do use.

If I stood in this spot with you and pointed out the field, the thicket, the trail with the nice scrape and perfectly broken branch over it, pulled the trail cam photos from this spot for the last three years for you to see, you would say O Ya!  but I have a history here. In three years of hunting it, only during the correct winds and even then not to often I have never had a deer come through within 100 yards of me. To make it more painful the compound hunters, with out permission, hunt this area relentlessly and regardless of wind direction, haphazardly entering their stands through the field scattering deer on their approach... and yet still kill bucks here every year.  I have hunted this area almost more out of stubbornness than deserved loyalty, yet still, some part of me loves this spot... at least until the first series of grunts from another hunters tree stand break my morning solitude. lol

[Dan bree]

Man your killin me. Diging out the snow today wishing I was in the deer woods  great story. And pics  . Can't wait for fall   Your story and pics made my cabin fever worst .lol

In for another round! Were you using those BH's you got from me this past season?

Bisch

[Basinboy]

Wow! What a story and hunt!!!! Congrats to ya!

[Sockrsblur]

The pre dawn morning of the tenth of October was 43 degrees, calm and clear. The stars were out for my morning cup of coffee, the wind was a minimal 4mph from the southwest. After gathering my gear for the morning hunt, I slipped on my backpack, grabbed my longbow and I was out the door, into the remaining night. Traveling through the darkness of an early fall woods without the aid of a light is a simple pleasure to me. It may sound counterintuitive but I feel as though I see more without the modern technology of a magic light on my boots. Lightless... the stars pop from the gaps between the overhead canopy of foliage, twinkling as I move forward.  The depth of darkness within the woods seems vast and great, cloaked by its embrace I feel connected, belonging, simply another predator.

This early in the season 43 degrees felt cool and refreshing as I traveled through a long valley then up a hill side. The last couple hundred yards are extra slow. Nearing the field on a quiet night I like to be as silent as I can. Reaching my ambush spot I stand beside the stump and group of downed logs taking note of the wind. Its light but steady from the direction of the field towards me, drifting back down the hill I have climbed. I begin to unload my pack and set up in my spot. With a deep echoing four hoot call a Great Horned Owl announces his presence in the woods.

 view looking back to ambush from deer trail, my back was to the tree in the middle of the photo.
   

   
For this spot I use a small tripod type canvas top seat, its legs straddle the roots and rocks below nicely. To my back is a stump and y-split tree that I added a couple logs and cover to over the summer. To the right is the log end of a large black cherry top laying past me. In front of me where I expected the deer to travel there is a lot of low foliage, blackberry bushes, small trees and scattered general light vegetation. On a prior hunt I trimmed some plant tops and added a few leafy beech branches in front of where my feet will rest. This set up has an open feel for the ten yards between me and the tree on the opposite side of the deer trail, beyond this is the heavy brush of logged tops to the field edge. Ghillie suit on, I settle into my seat, lean back against the tree and wait in the dark for the tell tale grayness to appear over the skyline... as night yields to day the forest reveals itself slowly one shadow at a time. I take an arrow from my quiver and push it gently onto the string. My hunt this day... has begun.

[Sockrsblur]

Hi Bisch, I have not hunted those silver flames yet. I'm still using the 150gr two blade Magnus Stingers.
Thanks for reading along guys!

[longrifle]

I was hoping you would tell your story on here Jim, I know the outcome and it's a great tale. You are a excellent writer and story teller , and your photos just add to the whole thing .

[J.T.]

[Sockrsblur]

For me there is hardly a bad time to be in the woods but there is something awesome about the transition of day light from darkness and vise versa. As more and more light filtered through the sky and into the woods around me all seemed to remain still and quiet. The birds, chipmunks and squirrels seemed absent or waiting. The quiet night gave way to an unusually quiet, still morning. I can still remember how it felt... I sat still, back to the tree, bow in my left hand resting on the ground between my legs with an arrow nocked.

forward left view
 


forward right view
 


It had been just enough time for the sun to begin cresting over the hills behind me. I had to turn for a moment and look at the sunrise as the tree tops on higher ground toward the field came to life with the mornings first rays of direct sunlight. As my gaze returned to the field I did what we all do a million times a season... I slowly turned my head and scanned right and  then slowly left... I drew a quick little gasping breath... Buck!!!   seventy five yards out at roughly a forty five degree angle to my front he stood on slightly higher ground than me foraging only taking an occasional step, by far most of his movements were from his head bobbing as he fed, pulling at leaves on a branch and vegetation from the ground. With all the movement of his head I had a decent look at his rack. He appeared to be inside his ears width wise and had some tines that were not that long, he looked like a two and a half year old. He was the first buck of the season I had in a real hunting situation. He was without question on a prominent trail leading straight to me and through the constriction caused by the tree tops. The trail is seven yards in front of me, ten yards in front is a larger tree with thick cover behind it, if he comes he will be inside ten yards.

[Sockrsblur]

At first sight of him I had a flutter of emotion through my chest, drew a quick breath, then in a moment or two with some slow deep breaths... I calmed.
It was like he was taking a slow stroll through the buffet this morning. I had an unusual amount of time.  Slowly I moved the bottom of my bow around my left leg, still resting it on the ground I extended it as far as it could with my fingers remaining on the string and turned my body more right preparing for where I hoped he would cross. He continued closer... fifth... thirty... I could see his rack better, he was an eight point. It was the beginning of the season and I would have passed a spike, probably a four, maybe a six but honestly more than a big rack I longed for a close clean kill. If this buck gave me the shot he appeared he would I decided to take him.

At twenty yards out I had been close enough for a shot for quite some time, he kept coming with what I could describe as an occasional step and stride. His angle is what most concerned me, he was walking right toward me, no shot if he even kept his eyes closed, let alone looking forward to me often as he fed my way. At fifteen yards I began to simply be amazed the detail I could see on this animal, he was as relaxed and carefree as I have ever seen a deer.

At about twelve yards he stopped, still facing me, tilted his head towards his right flank and lifted his right rear hoof up to rub his face, his rack moving all around as he rubbed back and forth. Being that close at eye level was amazing!

[Sockrsblur]

At ten yards his seeming direct line toward me began to break to his left and into a more broadside position to me. For some time now he had been well within range but it was the angle of his body as well as his vision that remained the issue. He continued to slowly walk and turn in front of me, until he was at seven yards and not fully but mostly broadside. In the past I have had, surprisingly to me, good luck drawing slowly and having that motion stop an animal to look at me and provide a shot opportunity. This seemed to close for that, I would have expected him to bolt and stop some where at a safer distance to look back. I continued to let him walk, with my bow extended toward him I stared at his eyes and head waiting for an opportunity to present itself.

As he continued to move toward and more in front of me I was wondering how far past me I would have to let him walk for the shot to get right in relationship to his field of vision. Then something drew his attention toward the field. He stopped walking and turned his head fully left, away from me almost looking a little back behind him. When I could no longer see his eyes I slowly lifted my bow off the ground and put increasing pressure on the string. Looking at his muscular shoulder, considering the deer was very slightly facing me, I picked a spot as far forward as seemed safe.

I slowly drew back toward my lips as I looked down the arrow at the two blade Magnus superimposed over that patch of brown deer hide. I felt my fingers brush against my lips, the broad head lowered down the deers cavity as I settled into my sight picture, stared...  the arrow fetching flashed for what seemed like a fragment of a second then was sticking out of the deers side just where I willed it to. At the impact his front dropped down low to the ground as he wheeled left and turned back crashing through a cluster of loud dry limbs as he retreated almost the same way he had come. A couple bounds later I saw the dark fetching end of the arrow shaft flip end over end high into the air and disappear into a patch of blackberry bushes. As he loped through the woods I stood to see him better... as he hit fifty yards I saw his stride falter, he slid and then tipped to his side, legs went up into the air and soon came to rest.

[Sockrsblur]

As I stood there long bow in my hand, staring at the brown patch of deer on the distant forest floor... the morning woods filtered back into my consciousness... I looked up to the trees and saw the morning sun just at the very tops. I looked over my left shoulder at the now blazing ball of orange and red that was becoming the sunrise. I removed my hat and face mask to breath in the cool morning air. Looking towards the field out through the woods I gave a silent thanks for being here in this moment, remembering my uncle Bud, brother David and best friend Russell who are no longer here but I secretly hope are maybe watching with me.          

As a smile overcomes my face I catch movement to my left along the field edge. A second buck is making his way just inside the woods along the field. I slowly sit down and replace my hat and mask. He crosses out 65 yards or so. He appears to be another 2.5 year old with kind of a high looking rack. As he passes out and well by me I pulled out my grunt call and did a reasonable three grunt series of calls. He instantly stopped, turned around and returned the way he had come. Seemed strange but what he was doing was a big slow circle. He arced around to the trail the first buck came in on, took this trail all the way in to where the first buck was shot... seven yards almost broad side, stood there acting a little antsy.

His brow tines were curved a little different, he was missing points on his right side, looks like he could have been an eight but now it simple depended on who was counting, ha. Slick looking little buck. In a moment or two he got real sneaky and quietly moving through the under brush back toward the safety of the thick bedding area. Maybe the second buck is what the first buck was looking behind him for?! A review of trail camera photos from this spot show them together. Hat and mask back off I sat for a moment, what a morning.

first buck on left, second on right, tree 10yds from my ambush spot behind 2nd deer
     

a little sparing