Tonight I try to get out one last time before slug fest tomorrow. The stand sits on the edge of a litte timber where deer are always bedding, the wind is right to get in and up in my stand nearly undetected and it is quick to get to as I was heading out late after work. I get out there and as I am getting my gear on I see a small buck across the road heading the opposite direction. I make my way across this little chunk of cut corn field and get to my stand. Quietly place a scent bomb 15 yards each side of my stand and return to my tree. Make the climb as quiet as possible, pull my bow up, hang it on it hook. At this point I am still on my knees as I was going to put a strap on my seat as the old cloth seat had ripped out. I hear something and look up and here comes a massive buck, 20 yards and closing. I had no time to count points, but he has good mass, long tines and some stickers. I would rough gross him around 160ish. I pick my moment when his head is down, stand up, grab my bow, knock an arrow (I know I know...why didn't I knock one earlier) by now he is 10 yards from my tree and he is heading away. I had to swing my bow over a limb in my tree as he is behind me and yanked her back, put my pin on him and grunted. He stoped and only turned about 10 degrees from straight away. Quartering hard away and standing now at 15 yards he is looking for the other deer. He stands there motionless for about 3 minutes, while I am at full draw. He turns back and starts walking the way he was heading...5 more yards he hits the next hole and I grunt again. And yet again he does not turn more than 10 degrees and offers me no good angle for a shot. In my opinion that is quartering way too hard to risk a shot. It was hard not pulling the trigger, but I kept my composure. He stands there for about a half minute then moves out of any shooting lane I have in that direction, so I let her down cussing and counting my blessings all at once. He disappears back into the timber. I was now getting pretty disappointed and my nerves let loose. I am usually pretty good about keeping my cool while the deer are there, but once they are gone I kind of loose it for a minute. He never spooked so I remain optimistic. About 5 minutes later I see him back in the field behind me and to the east heading in just the right direction for him to check the wind. I grunt at him a few times to try to get him heading for the timber. He comes in on a string right to 23 yards behind a tree...and of course straight down wind. He stays there for about 4 minutes and decides he doesn't like what he can't see. 5 more steps and he would have been down wind of my scent bomb...I don't know if it would have madea difference, but at that point he would have been in an opening. He then heads back to the north and into the timber...and then like so many big bucks do...just seems to melt into the dirt and disappear.
The attached picture gives you a quick idea of my setup...keep in mind that the little timber that I am sitting in is no longer than 120 yards north and south and maybe 60 ish east and south. The dark line south of my stand is a creek. Bye bye buck, I sure hope that he makes it through slug fest this weekend.
5 years ago, in this stand, the day before slug season I put a wounding shot on an 8 pointer that was found later in the year dead that went 150.
I hate deer!!!
