So there I was with my best friend. In the tall grass, looking out to a small clearing 35yds wide. Apple tree to the right, but out of range. We are parked on the side of a highly trafficed trail leading to the apples. 6AM. No action at all for a few hours. I stand up slowly to stretch, and see a doe eating apples! How the hell did she get there?!?!
(Extreme stupidity is about to happen).So of course she sees me, and perks right up. I stand still for a minute, and then duck back down. My buddy stands up. I yank him down. So now we are wondering what she is doing, so I stand up. She is walking toward us on the trail and will soon be 20 yds away. I duck back down, my buddy stands up and she perks up again. He panicks and ducks back down. Wondering why he ducked back down, I stand up. She is staring at us. So I duck back down. All of a sudden she comes trotting through in front of us and before I can stand up she goes behind some bushes. So we are both standing there again like a couple of fools, when she comes out from behind the bushes. I draw my bow and she looks straight at me. lol. there I am, waiting for her to turn, completely panicked and shaking like a leaf. She turns, I pull the release, and the arrow sticks into a tree 5 yds in front of her. She is gone.
Well, we went out to breakfast, had one beer, shot the **** for a while, and then came back. We discussed our stupidity and were ready to try again.
Sitting in the field again, at about 12pm. There is an old broken down barn with the walls leaning in and the far end toward the woods the end gable wall is still standing alone. I send Ryan up there with binos to look into the woods and at the apple tree to make sure we know when one is coming. Very slowly he makes his way up to the peak of the roof (which is only about 10 feet off the ground). He spots for a while and we sit. 1:25PM- he makes his way over to the end of the barn, thinking he will look through the window (remember the end wall is standing alone). When he makes it there, he starts signaling like crazy. There is the same doe standing on the other side of the wall!
I make my way to about 5 yds from the side of the barn and slowly creep to the end. When I get there, I poke my head around the corner and she perks right up. There is plenty of 5 foot grass in between us, so I know she only saw the tip of my hat move. So, I stand still until she goes back to browsing. I duck down and take two steps forward. If I stand up now, she will notice me. Well, she turns around and stands there facing away from me at a 45 degree angle. Perfect. Draw, aim, passthrough! 10 yards! She kicks the back legs, jumps over a burm, and crashes not 20 yards away. TOTALY REDEEMED OURSELVES!
Time of death was 1:30, taken back to the workshop and skinned by 2:15, in the cooler on ice at 3:30.
SWEET!!
I am aware of the manlaw, and pics are coming as soon as they get from my phone to my email.
First BOWKILL!!!
Its bear hunting time folks and I am getting ready again.
