It was November 29th, and with Ohio's shotgun season two days away the pressure was building to get it done with my bow before all heak breaks loose. Hunting a new, butgreat piece of land this year the rut was very exciting! But, as with any new property it takes a season or two, to really figure things out. I had a number of close encounters during the rut with some "book bucks", but just couldn't get a clear shot or within bow range.
The extended forcast for theweekend of Nov. 29th was shaping up to be a good one for dear movement, and it proved to be just that. The winds were consistant all day, and allowed me to hunt my favorite stand "the double set" both in the morning and evening. About a 100 yards away from the main bedding area, the double set is situated 20 yards off of what I call "the finger". The finger is a thick strip of brush that jets out of the bedding area and into the hardwoods.This"finger" has alloweddeer tofeel safe walking through the timberwithout leaving what feels and looks like security cover all season. I also filmed myself shoot a doe out of this stand in October.
After a quick lunch at home, I got settled for the afternoon's hunt around 1:30, andabout 30 minutes later the action started. Unfortunately, it was shaping up for what I have come to call "another nightyoga hunting". This is when all you see is young bucks, does, and fawns, but you're still required to freeze and hold a yoga like position to the point where it's painful, and you find yourselfpraying that the deer would justleave! Well, now it's about 4:40 p.m. and I'mjust about to get to that point,when I noticed all the deer turned their heads and looked in the same direction.To a hunter this is good news, as you know a more dominant deer is on it's way. I look up andabout 75 yardsout, Isee a nice 8 pointworking rightinto me on a string. He came in and nudged does andyounger bucks for about 10 minutes before I was able to get a shot off. After a minute or two I realized I had several cuddeback pictures of this deer and wanted to harvest him even more at this point. Had there not been about 10 sets of eyesall aroundme this entire time, it would had been over a lot sooner. Finally giving me agood quartering away shot, I pulled backon him, and immediately 8 out of the 10 deer scattered instantly. The only two that stayed frozen was a1.5 year oldbuck and the one I wasdrawn on. After calming down afterthe noise of allthe deer scattering, I found my pin perfectly settled on him and released, sendingmy2.5 inch rage broadhead on it's way.
I gave him about an hour and 15 min. before my buddy and I pursued him. Being color blind, I let my buddy do his thing and find the blood trail. Interstingly enough, as my buddy was following the blood, i found myself not only following blood, but alsoindividual pieces of corn.After about 150 yards, we recovered him and the celebration began! Upon further inspection, it appeared thatthe arrowhadentered the stomach and exited the off lung, this explained all thecorn we were finding on the ground. By the time we got him back to the truck we were too tired for pics and video so we took some the nextmorning in daylight conditions.
Not only was the pressure buildingdue to the upcoming gun season, but also the fact that my wife is due with our first childon December 22nd. Needless to say she is thirlled! Not that I arrowed a beautiful buck, but rather thatI can now give her myundevided attention. Well......we'll see,I still have one more doe tag in my pocket. Hahaha ;-)
Good luck and be safeto all of you out there still filling those tags!
My first doe shot on video!
This never gets old!....Pics!
