Day 2, the first steps in the woods with bow and arrows in hand...
Big Ron and I headed out before day light to a spot know and appropriately named "Rob's Roost" and the "Watering Hole". just a little about these two spots to catch you up to speed. i found this little piece of paradise, not to be confused with that place down in GA. where other know Trad Ganger's hunt. any way i i was out scouting one day before the season about 15 years ago when i came across this ridge that runs about half way up Rough Mountain.
as i was coming down i noticed how it narrowed down and flattened out a little. right as it started to flatten there was a persimmon tree dropping fruit. now i knew them whitetails liked these edibles. myself, my first experience with them turned my mouth inside out and then some. (that's another story for another time).
any way as i worked my way down the ridge i found several rubs and a bunch of deer droppings. a finger split off to the south and dropped down into a deep draw. the path traveled down through some white oaks and then through a really quiet section of evergreens. once through the pines it opened up to the creek bottom with a nice wide spot in the creek where the ground was covered with tracks like those you would find in a barn yard. numerous critters had been visiting this spot for a cool drink from the fresh mountain stream. after this hike i was ready to kick back so i parked my butt at the base of a huge white oak to rest my tired feet and legs.
within minutes a doe with her two fawns tipped toed down the hill walking within 15 yards of my position. needless to say i started hunting this spot several weeks later. now back to the story.
by the time Ron and i got into the "Water Hole" the first hints of daylight were upon us. i showed Ron the lucky tree, we wished each other luck and i headed up the ridge. i was more on a scouting mission so i had opted to leave my tree stand back in the truck.
reaching the oak flat above the grove of pines i started looking for a good spot to construct a quick ground blind. with the help of the abundant mountain laurel i was able to set up just on the south side of the ridge about 20 yards from the crest.
i was visited by birds and even a fat squirrel that just wouldn't offer up a good shot. around 10am the crunching of dry leaves from behind me put me on red alert. from years of deer hunting i knew immediately that this was the sound of a deer walking up the ridge. all at once there he was. a nice 3x3 broadside at about 35 yards.
with the buck looking up the ridge in the opposite direction the shot was tempting but there was another deer with him that still had not shown itself. experience told me that this was probably a bigger or at least older buck and the possibility of getting a crack at a bigger buck overpowered the bird in the hand vs. the bush philosophy.
the 3x3 finally did a 180 and headed back in the direction from which he had come and the two deer were gone. i though to myself "only if"? and then a big smile came over me. i hadn't taken the shot, but the opportunity had presented itself, the buck was unaware that i even existed and the encounter had satisfied my appetite for the time being.
i gathered my gear and quietly eased down the ridge to see if Ron had had any luck at the "Water Hole". it felt good to be back in the mountains spending time with my old friend "Rob's Roost" the ridge that received it's name from many days spent perched in a tree enjoying the beautiful view and nature that make this spot one of my all time favorite places to be.
photo taken on "Rob's Roost" in 1989
Day 2 continues.......
Topic: Dates set for 2nd RMR see pg. 18 "Rough Mountain Rendezvous" (Read 4319 times)
