Here is the story. And some eye Candy for you.
I'm the one with the red hat.
Thursday morning we rolled up and got a campsite, we went got our liscense and by noon we were ready to roll, shot some at the campsite got the fire going ect. So around 345 we took to the woods to do a scouting/stand hanging excursion. So I went up into this hollow found a stellar trail going east to west and i stuck as stand there, first night, nothing, Diddnt even see a Tail. Noone saw anything.
So we headed back to camp and saw about 25 deer on the way back just crusing around the campsites, so that sorta got us ready for the next day. So I told my friend Colin, I wasnt going to hunt there in the morning (my first mistake) So I said I was going to head to the hollow that had the apple trees by the clearcut. I dont know why, but he instantly said I'll go get my stand... I diddnt want him to go with me I sorta just wanted to get away from everyone since we were hunting in a line of 4 guys ontop of 4 hollows stretched over about 350 yards. Anyhow, I wanted him to go back to where he hung his stand, but he came with me, so the second morning we got up way early to get into there before the sun rose. Sat till 1030 and called it a wrap, saw 25 turkeys.
We get back to camp and my friend Rod has one hit. 20 yards from where my friend would have been setup this morning if he diddnt come with me.... dissapointment comes to mind here. We decided to let the deer lay for a while since he wasnt 100% on the shot location. So, I said I was going to go spot and stock this old logging road.
I head out and walked maybe 30 minutes at the most and there she was, standing up on a bank at 20 yards. I draw back and let it fly, I hit her smack dead in the shoulder, and since she was above me the arrow then penetrated through her Vertabre and poked out the other side of the deer... want to talk about impressed. I was absolutley shocked, So anyhow, I finished the job on her and called for my ride.
Then 2 hours later we went and recovered Rod's doe. She went 65 yards and collapsed.
So now myself and Rod couldnt hunt anymore that day since we had both killed, its a one deer a day zone. So we sat and camp and had one heck of a time. Played cards sat around the campfire etc.
Next morning, (last day) we decide we were going to sleep in since all the deer movement was happening late, So I said to Rod, we never hunt together lets go out together and wack one, he said sounds like a plan and we decided to go to the edge of this feild and there was a creek bottom which then shot up onto an Oak flat. We setup about 80 yards apart and I saw 5 does, none which I could shoot, and no bucks, And on my way climbing down with my summit I forgot to lower my rope for my harness so i had to reach up and get it, well in doing so my legs hit my seat and dropped it down the tree and it hit my bottom platform and away I went, I had just loosened my harness too, I dropped about 3 feet before I was wrapped around that tree so tight and the stop burried my bottom platform about an inch into the oak tree i was in. I wasnt even sure if I would be able to break it loose, after a few moments of struggle I finally broke it loose. Talk about scared?? I was freaking out.
So we decided to go to that spot again since we had seen a buck when we were driving around the day before looking for spots. So I decided i want to use a lock on instead of my climber, I found a beautiful tree that has a perfect opening in the oak flat, I get all situated and setup at 5:00 and then 520 i look behind me and there he is a spike feeding at 15 yards behind me through some hemlock trees. I can hardly contain myself Im shaking so bad, I turned and took a deep breath and kept singing a song to myself, (George strait- troubadour) So after getting my composure, Im solid as a rock, Im staring at the pocket behind his front shoulder, So he starts to walk to the west, and its heading right out infront of my where i want to shoot, he steps behind some branches, and I draw. Get my anchor point close my eye, he steps out and i think to myself, Dont rush it, those twigs might screw you, dont rush it... he takes about 10 more steps, and he gets to my 20 yard opening, and he is quartering away perfect, and I mmp. nothing he keeps walking i MMP he stops and turns his head, I settle my pin and let it fly, I watch him jump the string and it smacks him (in the pocket i thought) But it turned out it hit him square in the shoulder, penetrated the shoulder and grazed his heart, I wait 30 minutes, and climb down and start to look everwhere, the blood it absolutley sprayed everwhere, the Strikers did their job, well I lost sight of him when he dropped over the hill and I walked over to my friend who watched it all through the bino's and he said he diddnt cross the creek I was so excited, he diddnt make it anywhere then, we team up and get on the blood trail, it leads into this high grass Im like he's in there laying dead, lets get him, Rod agree's soon as i make a noise i hear him jump up and run down the creek bed, my heart hit the ground, I hear him cross the creek, and then i hear the noise stop, I said to Rod we need to finsih this. He agrees and we sneak up on the creek bed, I found where he crossed the creek, blood everwhere Im like wow i cant believe this, So I stand up and look over the bank and he takes off AGAIN!!! Im real mad now, But this time he went and layed down, we stood watching him through the bino's and i told rod to circle him so he couldnt run again, I started to stalk him as he was laying down and when I got up to 20 yards he put his head up I was already at full draw, and I put a pocket rocket on him. He wasnt jumping my string this time. So the follow up shot did the trick.
Turned out Collin got his first shot at a deer with a bow, he missed, but he also diddnt believe me that he would get excited and prolly miss. He said man I dont know why I diddnt believe you, it was exactly like you said.
I do believe he is hooked now. I'm glad he diddnt wound her and loose her however, That would have been a lot worse. I told him how bad he would have felt if it did go down like that and he agreed.
So all in all my intentions were to go down and kill my 2 deer, and I did. Sorry guys about the contest, but It was a meat hunt 100%.
Sorry again.
Ryan.
(This is pasted from my Former team's Thread) Can you guess my Bucks' score?
Ryan.
Maryland success. (Now with Story and Clear Pics)
