This is a story early in my trophy hunting career about one that got away. [
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Back in the early nineties I had found sign of a good buck. I found tracks leading to and from a fence row that contained a small cattail swamp and an old overgrown apple orchard. On the edge of the cattails there were a lot of good sized rubs. I figured that the buck was making a circular route to and from his bed. I wasn't sure exactly where his bed was but I knew that it was either in the old orchard or the cattails.
I started hunting on opening day (3rd week of Sept), mornings and evenings, usually on weekends and occasionally some evenings during the week. I hunted out of stand 2because I felt it was the safest choice. By the time Oct 20th had arrived, I had still not spotted the buck. I knew he was still there because of his tracks and an increasing number of fresh rubs. Well, on the evening of Oct 20th, I took my son and went to an observation point directly across from the fence row where I knew the buck was bedded. I knew that it was about that time of year that the bucks start becoming restless and start leaving their beds earlier to check on the does. About 5 minutes before dark, the got up and popped out of the cattails! Ah Ha! Now I knew exactly where he was bedding! He headed west about 15 yards out from the east/west fence row, toward the main woods.
The next day I got there early (evening)and set up stand 1. I hunted until dark and the buck never showed. I waited a couple of days and when the wind was right I hunted stand 2 on Sun. morning. About 30 minutes after light, I went to stand up in my stand and somehow stumbled. I had to reach out and grab onto the tree next to me to stabilize myself, when out of the corner of my eye, I caught sight of the buck running east into the cattails! Crap! Had he seen me? I hoped that he was just in a hurry because he was late going back to bed.
Well, that evening the wind was not the best. It was switching between WSW and WNW, but for the most part it was mostly WSW. I decided to chance it. I got there a full 2 hours before I expected the buck to show himself. What happened next was truly amazing. The buck popped out of the cattails about 30 minutes before dark and took about 5 steps out into the field and LOCKED EYES ON MY MORNING STAND!! [:-] He took another 3 or 4 steps and examined it again. That bugger had spotted me! Wow! But he didn't know where I was now!
Satisfied that the human in the tree wasn't around, the buck approached the fence row where I was waiting. Oh boy! This was going to be good! He was a big, stout 8 pointer that would gross mid to high 130s. He was surely going to look good on my wall. I was a bit concerned about his approach because he was hugging the fence row that I was in. This meant that I'd be right on top of him at less than 5 yards. This is one of the main problems with fence row hunting. It makes it hard to get the draw on deer without being detected. The buck had now come to within 12 yards of my stand. Incidentally, I was hiding on the backside of the tree, a huge oak. He was nibbling on the soybeans while I anxiously waited for him to move in for the shot. He only needed to take about 5 more steps and I'd have a shot. Suddenly, I felt the wind shift to the back of my neck!! Oh No!! As I watched, it was like the buck had touched his nose to an electric fence!! All of his hair stood on end and off like a shot he bolted! No questions asked. [:-][&o][
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As he bolted straight South into the middle of the beans, I hid behind the tree because I know that once they get a safe distance (in their minds) out, they usually stop and look back. This one went further than most and stopped at about 150 yards out, only for a second, then ran out of sight!
That was the last time I saw that buck. He certainly taught me a lesson.
Interestingly, I have noticed one big difference between mature bucks and does, fawns and younger bucks. The difference is that when detecting danger, the mature bucks only need a hint of one of their senses to go off before fleeing the scene, whereas the does, fawns and younger bucks usually like to verify danger with 2 senses. Like if they smell you, they immediately try to spot you before taking off. I guess that's why mature bucks get so big!
Here's the aerial of that hunt. Enjoy.
One that got away
