Well having lost possibly 75% of the deer herd in our area to the drought disease, and taking in account the liberal gun season tags offered each year in our state, this year found a lot of Il deer hunters, myself included, sitting long hours on stand with no deer sighted for our efforts. So when my buddy who lives in southern Il invited me down for a week long bow hunt, he didn't have to twist my arm very hard. Moving my hunting operations to southern Illinois was definitely a good idea. There are so many more deer down in the Shawnee than around here. The spot I was hunting was an edge where the huge pine trees gave way to the mature oak trees which had produced hundreds of acorns. These were being hit hard by the deer, turkey, and squirrel population of the area which was also drawing in numerous coyotes and bobcats. Although I didn't see any bobcats, my buddy saw at least two. The first night I hunted the stand I saw something that I have never seen while deer hunting. I had a young 8 pointer come in who had a broken foot on his right leg and could hardly walk on it. He was very weak and had two coyotes attacking him from behind, trying their best to hamstring him. I really felt bad for him and even though he was not a shooter, (probably only a year and a half), I waited for a chance to put him out of his misery. But he never came closer than 40 yards and finally ventured out of sight taking his uninvited guests with him. I imagine they got to him that night as he looked pretty sick and weak to me. The next morning we decided to hunt another spot that Denny said he'd seen some really nice bucks before the first shotgun season. Well a lot of sign and rubs, but also a lot of hunter's tracks from the gun season leading to a lot of nocturnal deer. Sit this area for a morning and evening with nothing sighted so decided best place was back where we had started. That first evening I had sat a ladder stand he had set up back in September, but I felt it was too far from the transition edge, and not really liking the location or the stand, I opted to sit up one of my lock-ons. I found a great double trunked ash tree and set my stand on the south trunk pointing north. I looked down at Denny and said I will kill a deer out of this stand. Ha, sometimes you just have that feeling you know? That evening I had three nice does feeding on acorns east of my stand which came in about 3 o'clock but never came closer than 60 yards. I had decided to take one if I got a shot, and had hung my bow on the east side of the tree with expectations that they would come in from that side. So there I am watching these three sisters when around 4 o'clock I happen to glance back west toward the pines. There I see a dark form ghosting it's way toward my stand but maybe 80 yards to the north, which was the direction I was facing. At first I didn't think it was a mature deer, these southern Illinois deer are slightly smaller in size it seems than their northern cousins. But as he got closer and I noticed he was a buck I had a change of heart, not a monster, but I felt a very respectable late season recurve buck, and very possibly a P&Y as a main frame 10. So here we go, game on. I thought that if he saw the three sisters he might be drawn by my stand on his way to them and give me a shot. As he gets to the edge of the pines he stops and momentarily looks their way but turns again back to the north and continues walking. Now I have to do something serious, because we have gotten a better look at the rack and we want him.(Me and The Tip)LOL, I know I have a grunt tube somewhere, finally finding it in the last pocket I check I stop him with a quick grunt. He glances back my way for an instant and continues walking north. So I give him another more urgent grunt, sounding as guttural as I can. That's it, he is interested now and turns back toward me. He's coming, Cool, my heart rate is definitely up now and I am getting into the kill mode! Now he is unfortunately walking directly at my tree and I am not sure which side he will pass on, my bow still hanging on the east side of the north tree trunk. As he stops facing me at 10 yards looking for the buck who has gotten his attention. Now I am wondering how I will get to my bow with him this close. Finally he makes his move, and decides to pass around the tree on the west side, as he goes directly below me I slowly grab my bow and tilt it back to me and up to get by the tree trunk I am facing. All the while this voice in my head says Gary, if you pull this off it will be a miracle. As I ease my bow into position my thought is to let him walk out away from the tree and mouth grunt him to a stop possibly quartering away. Well as I position my bow I catch the string on the plastic buckle of my safety vest and as it pulls free it makes a very faint twang sound. HA, that's right it doesn't go unnoticed and now he is looking directly up into my eyes at 5 yards. It doesn't take him long to express his disgust and snorting, he turns, and with three jumps he is now 30 yards to the north of my tree and standing slightly quartering away. His attention is now directed for the time being on the sisters who have been watching this story unfold from it's beginning. At the time I wasn't sure of the actual yardage only that it looked way farther than I like to shoot. But I had been practicing with the tip at 30 and 40 yds before the hunt and had been shooting lights out at 20yds and in. It felt really good as I brought the string to full draw and concentrating on the last rib of his right side I relaxed my fingers.
As I watched the ball of feathers rip through the cold December evening air, I couldn't help but think I can't believe I am pulling this off! The Abowyer Wapiti broadhead took the buck exactly where I had been concentrating, breaking the back rib on entry, continuing up through the goody box splitting the far two ribs on his left side and coming to rest stopping short of puncturing the hide. The buck spun and ran 30 yds before jumping a barbed wire fence which bordered the forest to the north. Jumping the fence he slowed to a stop and while looking back his hips began to take on that familiar side to side sway and down he went. His final attempt to regain his feet only resulted in a feeble head nod and then all was silent again. Wow, I sat down to steady my legs and to try and take in what all had transpired, I thanked our blessed Savior for his mighty creation and for creating me a man of the forest who never tires of enjoying his creation and of worshipping him. To God be the Glory! Well I guess that is about all, sorry it is so long but then it usually is with me,lol. He is a 6+5 or would be if the dummy hadn't of busted off his right g-1 in a fight over a southern big eyed doe. Won't make the book but he is a booker in my eyes and I am very pleased with him. When we pulled the stand we shot the yardage. Thirty yards was the distance, not a shot I usually take but that night it just felt right. And besides this bow pretty much shoots itself, Paul Schafer was so ahead of his time. I would like to think that I did him proud! Thanks to all for the interest in my deer and my story hope some enjoyed it! Have a merry Christmas and good hunting,Gary.
Topic: Late season Shawnee Forest Buck [Story on pg 3] (Read 1107 times)
