Shot a little buck yesterday.
10-21-2007, 03:03 PM
#1
Dominant Buck
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: land of the Lilliputians, In the state of insanity
Posts: 26,274
Shot a little buck yesterday.
Yesterday, Sat. 10-20-07, I headed to one of my favorite stands in hopes of finding a good fat doe to put an arrow in. I get in my stand at about 6:10am and wait for first light. While waiting, I hear bucks under me scraping and rubbing. I strain my eyes to see what quality they are, but cannot see anything. This goes on for the next hour and a half. I never once see the deer, but can hear them all around me. In my mind I was thinking, "great, all the deer will be headed to their beds just before first light. This is what they do here in Texassince it gets hot early. I stay in my stand and sure enough, at first light, there is not a single deer around. I stayput for another hour, when in the distance I see a nice 8 pointer. He is about 200 yards away and headed towards the river. I get down from my stand and go and set up on the river. I set up behind a bush that is on a ledge over looking the river, as well as over looking some heavily used trails. The 8 pointer I saw was headed to a funnel that leads to the edge of the trails i was set up on. There was no vantage point along the funnel, so I was hoping the deer would turn towards me, once he cleared the funnel and follow the trail. Most of the time, they do just that, so I set up behind a cedar tree and wait. At the end of the funnel, I notice the deer come out. He is headed right towards my ambush. I set and wait. He follows the trail I'm set up over and everything is looking good. Just as he gets within 60 yards, he decides to take a more scenic route. I watch as he walks by. He keeps cover between him and I. I never get a clear shot. Just as I am getting ready to leave, I catch the flicker of an ear in the opposite direction, coming down the trail I was set up over. I get ready, thinking a nice fat doe is about to walk out. The deer is behind a thick cedar tree, so I can not see what it is. I strain my eyes but just cant make out what it is. The deer moves a little and I can see through the cedar and notice a rack on it and it was a better buck than the one I had originally set up on. This deer starts to moves around off the trail, putting more trees between him and I. He moves further and further away, with trees and bushes between him and I.He finally starts to move in front of me. He is what I estimate to be 40 yards away. He is now to where I've got only one chance to shoot. He is behind two Chinaberry trees that are growing in a V from one another. I'm waiting for him to step forward presenting me with his shoulder. As his head moves behind the first tree, i pull up my bow and start to draw. Just as I start my draw, his head clears the tree and looks up at me. I've got my bow out in front of me, about halfway through my draw and have to freeze. He stares up at me and I set as motionless as possible. He stares at me for what seems a life time. I watch his eyes hoping for either an opportunity to finish my draw, or to let off. We set at a stand off for ever, whenout of the blue,a bird flies down and lands on a branch not three inches from the buck. He turns to look at this bird, giving me the opportunity to let off my draw. I still have my arm out in front of me, which is wearing me out. Finally the deer takes another step, putting his head behind the next tree, giving me the opportunity to draw. He takes one more step, putting his shoulder in the opening between the two trees. I put my 40 yard pin a little high on his shoulder and let it fly. The arrow hits perfect, he jumps, trots for about 20 yards and falls down. I climb down from the ledge, gut him, and begin the nice long drag back up from the river.[/align][/align]
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