Because life is what it is for all of us from time to time, I haven't had much of a season this year, with only 3 sits thus far, with the last one on November 5th!
Regardless, I finally made it out again this past Sunday morning, skipping church, and promising God I'd worship & fellowship with Him from the side of a red elm tree instead. I had no doubt He'd understand...
While having my coffee out on the front porch at 4:30am I couldn't help notice the bright full moon, clear skies, and the softest breeze out of the northeast. The weather radio confirmed my guess that it was close to 50* ~ a cool and comfortable morning to sit out at Fire Creek, a stand site one of my friends call the petting zoo, given the numbers of deer there. Determined to give myself the best chance at seeing the most deer, I dressed and headed out earlier than normal, giving myself an hour and a half on stand before first light cracked, just to let things really settle down in the woods after my arrival.
Surprisingly, it was 45 minutes into shooting light before a yearling spike strolled in. I wondered if his mother had orphaned him for a date night with one of the mature bucks I'd hoped to be seeing this morning. As he wondered about my site and nibbled along he eventually half-circled around to the downwind side behind my right shoulder, stopped at the base of another large red elm tree just 20 feet away, and plopped down to bed ~ ha! How long before he winds me I wondered, but within a few minutes he was sawing logs. I guess my scent either stayed above him, or, because of how the trees and brush grow in groups, and the near empty channels that separate the groups, my scent must be wafting along with the current around his group of brush... interesting.
Forty five minutes later, I had to either stand up or shift around to get the blood flowing again in my now dead butt and legs, so I figured why not play with him a bit and let him know what a big, bad, angry buck sounds like coming in. Hopefully, he'll just get up, look around, and move out and away from me without spooking. So, I get the grunt call out, point the end towards the ground, and let out a hearty, deep, long grunt. Boom! His head is up and he looks under and beyond my stand! I do it again, but this time louder, and with more intensity, and he stands up and looks even harder beyond my tree to find the buck. I back off a moment, and what does he do? He starts scratching his ear with his hind foot and begins grooming himself! OK, I think to myself, I'm going to get him moving now, so I give him my loudest, most aggressive long grunt followed by an equally loud and long tending grunt... 7 burps in row! Finally, he decides he can't take it any more and walks out and around in another half circle and back directly in front of me, and looks around for the big old buck he's hearing. As he walks out, that gives me the time and the distraction to stand up, and get the blood flowing again into my legs and bottom ~ aaah... relief at last!
After standing there for a minute or so, he gets bored with the situation and begins grooming himself again, and then all of a sudden, he head bolts up, his ears cock forward, and he begins to stare off into the dark oak covered thicket down towards the bottom below my draw. OK, he sees something coming. And for a long minute I pick the woods apart and finally get the glimpse of a deer moving through the brush and angling out around us. But because it's so thick out there, I simply can't see what's coming. So, I turn my attention to the spike...and like the second hand on a clock moving around the dial his head points towards and follows the deer as it slowly sweeps around towards us. Thus, I can tell exactly where the critter is that he's looking at the whole time!
When the spike quit rotating his head and then laid back his ears, and began to back step, that told me a buck is coming in on the trail out of the dense thicket to my right, so I shift into position to take a shot if warranted. And then out steps "Mouse", with his coat all puffed up, head down & cocked, ears laid back, and side-stepping towards the little spike! Well, that was all it took for the spike, so he pounces away wondering why Mouse was so mad at him! Silly kids. And I'm sure old Mouse had to wonder as well, "how in the world did that little spike of a buck make such a ruckus and sound like he was a big shot tending one of his does"!
When Mouse finally stepped clear and into a shooting hole, he just happened to stop, and slightly quartering away broadside to boot! Within a second or two, I decided to take the shot, for he was a great deer with lots of character and certainly of age ~ for I've been admiring him for three seasons now. And at 13 yds, it was now if it was going to be. The only thing "in my way" was the top of a persimmon tree between us and 5 yds out, which covered his legs below the knees. I figured I had at least a couple of inches of clearance, and had to force myself into ignoring the distraction and just focus on the sweet spot in the crease above his elbow. On my second attempt, I came to full draw, anchored purposely, imagined the spot catching my arrow, and by golly it did!
He bolted and made a mad dash out on the trail leading towards and across a shallow ravine in front of us ~ the arrow cork-screwing around and backing out as he fled. I was able to watch him much of the way as he crossed the ravine and then out and across a grassy meadow on the other side before he cut hard to the right and disappeared from view. Wow, after six seasons of watching and waiting, I can't believe I just did this!
After ten minutes, I couldn't take it any more, so I climbed down and began creeping along his escape patch looking for sign. 50 yards into it, no blood, just splayed hoof prints in the soft earth and leaves. At the edge of the draw on my side, I come upon the arrow, which told its own story. 1/2 penetration by the blood and hair... that's about 14 inches. Hmmm... that should do it, I hope to myself. I continue along and through the tall grass meadow, searching intently for sign, yet seeing nothing, and have a hard time now following along. But when I get to the tree line on the other side of the meadow I remember seeing him cut hard to the right before disappearing from view, so I cast my eyes in that direction... and there he is, just 20yds away... sprawled out on his belly, back legs sticking straight back, and with his nose buried in the earth ~ DEAD AS A DOORNAIL!
As you can imagine, I was elated! After a quick phone call to ask my son for a little help for his old man, I settled down and just bathed myself in the moment....
Friends, meet Mouse, a steed of a buck in all regards!
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Postscript: Mouse is the biggest bodied whitetail I've killvested to date ~ he weighed at least #200 - which in these parts is big. He's also a mature 6.5 year old (I've been "watching" him mature for 3 seasons now) and sports a REALLY wide rack ~ which taped 21.5" inside spread. His face & SUPER SWOLLEN neck were poked full of holes from fighting, and he stunk to hi-heaven from breeding. All in all one of my most surprising hunts because of his response to my calling at the spike, and it acting like a live decoy in the "set up". I look forward to doing it again!
Killvest date: 12/07/2014
Gear: Bear Kodiak ~ 60#, Black Hawk carbons tipped with Phantom 125gr broadheads + 100gr brass inserts.
Topic: Hello Mouse! (Read 996 times)
