hillbillyhunter1

Haven't got to hunt much until last Thursday night. Luckily my hunting buddy is a total fanatic and has been keeping me informed on what's going on, on the property we have access to. He has already killed one nice one. Lots of deer activity. hunted thursday evening (came to full draw on a good buck (not this good) but couldn't get a shot), friday morning, friday evening, sat morning, sunday eve (legal in Jefferson county), monday morning,..... and shot him on Monday evening. The place we have access to is pretty good. cut crop fields, big brushy woodlots. deer are in the fields early and late and I've really gotten to see a few nice bucks both through the binocs and to a lesser extent, through the naked eye. I'd seen this guy (through the binos) twice before...i'm pretty sure anyway. Monday morning I see about 20 or so deer in the field but only had a 2 does come by my stand. Trails are all over the place going from the woods to the field. just gotta pick the right one. We hung another stand right after we hunted that morning. That evening I sat in it. It was a deer parade. Wind was really gusty/swirly but was generally blowing from my left to right as I sat back in the woods about 30 yds, facing the field. The deer were approaching from behind, but i was really concealed and comfortable and could hear them coming. i had great cover in the stand and could even move around enough while they were sometimes only within a few yards. Downwind though (and even close by all-around when the wind would swirl) my stink would put them on high alert. Nothing I could do as I've hunted hard, washed only occasionally, put up this stand this morning (in the same clothes) and kept dousing myself in scent eliminator spray...the life of a baby-daddy deer hunter. Lucky enough as it is. It was still a damn deer parade. 3 spikes/scrubs by the stand early, followed by a group of 7 or 8 does and young ones, then a couple more.....

I could see another trail parallel to the one I was on about 80 yards downwind in the woods. Deer there were "blowing out" regularly because of me. I could just get glimpses of them, but could sure hear them snort and watch a flash as they bolted for the field or, more often, back in the woods. Deer were also moving along a trail about 20 yds upwind of me and they were grunting and bleating at each other without a care in the world.

Then I saw a small 8-point on the downwind trail. I watched him and a couple of does get nervous and turn around. I then had about 7 or 8 more does come about 5 yds downwind. They got extremely agitated, stomping, walking all stiffed legged, bobbing their heads...occasionally looking at me but never recognizing me. They finally scared each other enough that they bolted back in the woods, back directly behind me, snorting as they went. Great. I figured that messed me up for a while. I sprayed down again with scent killer and re-adjusted myself in the stand.

A couple minutes later here come another bunch of does and young ones. As vocal as any bunch of deer I've ever heard in the woods. All bleating back and forth. fawns chasing each other. They are about 60 or 70 yds behind me and are coming up the good (upwind) trail. Then I turn to my right and I look behind me and see this guy on the bad trail. the one parallelling about 80 yds down wind. I watch him through the binos occasionally but lose sight of him in the thicker brush. I figure he's a lost cause this night, but still have hopes that there may be something else following the group of does on the good trail. I've had my bow in hand most of the night and still do. The group is about even with me now and still bleating all over the place (as content as can be). Just then I hear what I think are two bucks sparring (not too hard) behind the does. I turn my head and see HIM now on the good trail and coming up slow. I already know where the best hole to shoot is as I've watched several deer pass through it already. sure enough, he's headin that way. I come to full draw easily because the tree stand is so camoflaged. He walks through the opening and I put the pin on him and pull the release. I see the arrow hit perfect right behind the should. Looks like it sticks in him. He runs like he's been shot out of a cannon. turns hard and heads back into the woods. I watch him as he flashes through the woods for about 50 yds then lose sight. I know it was a good shot. I don't know how to explain but for some reason I was not afflicted with buck fever at all with this deer. That has RARELY EVER been the case with me while bow-hunting....usually I'm shakin so bad (before and after the shot) I feel like I'm going to fall out of the tree. I don't know if it was because I'd already seen him a couple times or the fact that this encounter was so short (only about 20-30 seconds from when I saw him on the good trail to letting the arrow fly)..of because the stand was so concealed and comfortable. ??????

It was 5pm. I got my stuff together and climbed down. I know the I made a good shot and that he's dead (or will be soon), but I'm to cautious to approach even the sight where he was hit. Instead I go out to the field edge, put a chew in, and watch a few other deer through the binos. I hung out there for about forty minutes until it got dark, then called my buddy and tell him what happened (he's over in another stand) and to come up here. He gets there and we look for blood just a little near where he was hit. I have the only working flashlight. i decided then to just stop and come back in the morning. Biggest deer (BY FAR...lol) of my bowhunting career and he'll be even deader in the morning...lol.

We headed back in there at daybreak this morning and found him about 80 yds from where he was hit. Some varmints had gotten into him (his butt area) some but he was awesome and his cape was not scathed. Never found the arrow or any blood...but found him about 10 minutes after we started looking. we just headed in the general direction he went without worrying to much about blood right off the bat. He's only got 7 points but man, he's got great mass, height and width (18'') for what he had. His bases are really big and rubbed completely flat (about the size of a post-it note on both horns) from all the trees he's torn up. His left ear has a large old wound presumably from fighting. Old deer. It couldn't be better.