I took my PA buck this evening. The story,
The day started with high hopes, a nice cool morning, crunching leaves as I made my way to one of my stands. It didn't take long after first light to see my first of 5 bucks for the day. At 7:00 am I thought I heard a grunt from inside the woods so I contact called. I looked behind me in the field and a 7pt was making his way straight to me. I realized it was the 7 pt I passed two other times so this was going to be no exception. At 22 yards I let him walk by. It wasn't 15 minutes when I heard a deer walking next to the corn field so I called again, a big spike I had seen 1 other time came straight in, passed under my stand so close I had to peer through the grates of the stand to watch him. It wasn't long when I saw 3 doe at the other end of the field then several minutes a buck, small between his ears, wonders from the corn into the woods.....I thought of getting down for the morning and started when I saw 3 doe again. I climbed back in the stand and waited them out. They came the length of the field and passed at 25 yards when the big matriarch doe stopped dead...I thought about her but decided against it..The bucks were on the move. They wondered off and I got down.
Took a short intermition and I was found once again back in the stand at 3:30. I wasn't finished unpacking my pack when I turned and saw a deer down the field...I thought, good start, and I glassed it and it turned out to be a fawn so I finished unpacking and settled in. I did forget to mention that I was using scent on the bottom of my boots when I crossed the field to the stand.....Minutes passed when I thought I heard a deer walking in the woods. I looked and sure enough a deer, a quick look with the binos showed antlers and good ones at that....so I grabbed my bow and waited. It appeared as if he was going to skirt me at 50 yards and the direction of travel he would be out of sight shortly so I grabbed the River Valley Deer Flute and gave him a grunt, paused and a second grunt...nothing, he kept walking...so I grunted louder, aw yes that got his attention and he turned towards the field. Before he entered the field he paused for quite a spell so I followed up with a couple contact calls, imitating the "Can" with my River Valley call. That worked, he was coming in along the edge of the field but out of sight....he paused for prabably 5 minutes facing me at about 40 yards but not offering any real visuals of himself or his head gear. I turned away from him and contact called out into the field trying to imitate a doe walking away......ah yes, he trotted out in the field and I immediately said..."shooter"....but wait, what's going on with his antlers....I glassed him and he appeared to be flawed, his left side was high, wide and long times especially his G1...is he split on his G1 and missing his right side all together....NO, he's perfect on his left but his right? It appears as if his right is a 12-13 inch spike.....well, I decided I was taking him, call it culling or just a lot of early mornings but I said I'm taggin this buck......now comes the interesting part.
He starts up the field and appears as if he's going to offer me a 30 yard broadside shot...I'll take it but when he hit the trail I walked in on he turns and comes right in.....now mind you at 16 yards,...... I missed. That's right folks, this veteran of 20 years bowhunting, 10 years of competition shooting with many top placings...., missed. I couldn't figure it out but I didn't have time either cause he only turned and stopped at 25 yards....so I nocked another arrow and he started moving off....at 33 yards I stopped him with a bleat and at 33 yards.....I missed. Did you read that right....yup, Rob/PA Bowyer, missed a buck not once, but twice...Oh my G...I said what the (insert explicitive) is going on....I right away started looking the bow over...has to be the bow, has to be....everything seemed fine. I nocked an arrow, looked at my center shot, checked the sights, the nock point, peep, it all looks perfect....has to be the shooter. I was still shaking, I always shake afterward then I started second guessing the second shot.....did I miss or didn't I. I started glassing for the arrow then realized the damn buck was only standing 40 yards or so away behind some brush along the edge of the field....Could he offer me a third shot, could he? I grabbed the call, a few grunts and some contact calls later I had his attention. He started towards me and stopped at 25 yards but his vitals were obstructed...a few more steps, a few more steps but man was he nervous, checking the wind, ears straining to hear the slightest noise....then he tucks tail and leaves. I call, nothing, I call again, nothing. OH BY THE WAY, this whole time there was a bobcat in the field and only the second I've ever seen in my 20 years of bowhunting. Oh, the buck, well he walks into the woods and starts away from me so I contact called and followed with a grunt. He starts towards me but this time he's staying in the woods...then "what's that white thing?, Oh thats that house cat I saw this morning." The buck must have stood motionless while watching the cat cause I lost him so I hung the bow up. Next thing I know he's coming again, I had to grab my bow, turn to shoot into the woods if he offered it to me...then I lost him again. I hung my bow up and hear this ruckus...here he comes in the field again, I ranged him at 35 yards, get the bow ready, he travels forward and at 40 yards I sent a Rocky Mountain Snyper tipped Easton ACC right smack throught the ten ring....I grabbed the bino's as he takes off across the field with blood pouring out the huge entrance hole....I glassed him as he crashes into the hedge row, then silence, then crash....he's down. I pack up, get down, found my second arrow but not the first and the third, I walk over to the hedge row, find the blood trail, start in and hear a deer go...did I not see what I thought I saw...by the way after I shot this buck and spike comes crashing out of the corn and followed him into the hedge row...I said that deer had to be the spike, the blood trail was unbelievable....10 more yards and there he was piled up in the stinkyest muck you ever saw....I celebrated inside myself, thank my creator for the animal and sludged in to place my human hand on this animal. Great left side but what's up with the right.
Turns out his right side was broken. His main beam was broken right behind his brow point which is about 12 inches long. He'd probably go 120-130 if he hadn't been broken so as the contest goes all I'll have is the left side to score except for his left G1 and H1 and H2 on his right side. Won't score much but was a great hunt, a great day and respectable animal. I field judged him at 3.5 so still, a just reward. The rest of my week will be for turkeys and being a cameraman for a buddy that's coming in to hunt with me on Wed...
I'm leaving now to recover him, I'll have pictures and a score tomorrow. Sorry so long, I love to relive it.
PA Buck down for Team 18.
