Dancing with deer. One of the best bow hunting stories ever.
12-05-2008, 02:16 PM
#1
Thread Starter
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location:
Posts: 19
Dancing with deer. One of the best bow hunting stories ever.
It's pretty long so I didn't post it here, but if you want to you can read it by clicking the link in my signature.
This story gives me buck fever every time. Happy hunting.
This story gives me buck fever every time. Happy hunting.
12-05-2008, 02:17 PM
#2
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Jefferson County, Missouri
Posts: 7,684
RE: Dancing with deer. One of the best bow hunting stories ever.
Great story, I'll post it here.
It was another cold November morning, the last one I would spend this year bow hunting, waiting for that elusive “No-neck” buck my buddy J.D. and I had seen the year before. J.D. gave the massive whitetail the name “No-neck”, because he was so huge and swollen it appeared to both of us that his head simply attached to his body.
I had sat in my stand long enough, my feet were frozen and I hadn’t spotted so much as a small doe, so I decided to get down and try my hand at a little still hunting, at least I would get a little circulation back in my appendages.
The wind was perfect (if you like a frozen face.) It was blasting out of the south, the direction most deer would come from. There was a north-south fence line that often served as a deer highway when they decided to cross from the government land onto the land where we hunted. I decided to take my time and head south down the fence line, stopping frequently to watch for any movement (this is what I always read you were supposed to do).
Immediately in front of me was a fairly steep hill just on the other side of the pond I had been overlooking from my tree stand. Just past the hill was an open field. My plan was to stay on the east side of the fence line since it was easier walking, knowing that I could crawl under the fence into thicker cover should the need arise.
The Need Arose immediately…I no more than peeked over the hill when I saw antlers!
My heart was pounding as I dropped to the ground and with bow in hand crawled under the fence into the tall grass. For the next few seconds I tried to get a glimpse of whatever beast I was stalking, but I was too far away lying in the tall grass. I decided to get on my knees and see if I could see the deer knowing that I might run it out of the country. After I crawled about 40 yards I could see multiple deer in the open field on the other side of the fence, one appeared to be a nice six-pointer. I was pumped…..could I get close enough for a shot?
The deer were enjoying the cold air, running and jumping, oblivious to my presence. I decided to push my luck rather than wait back and hope they came to me. There were two small does, a small buck and the six-pointer (my target). I began to crawl on my belly (not easy with an arrow knocked and the bow spread flat in front of you) until I reached the fence at a place I could easily crawl under it. Just as I got my head under the fence, I heard footsteps. From my low position I could only see hooves. One of the young does had run to the fence and was literally standing over me. I could feel the heat from her breath on the back of my neck. Then she bolted. She didn’t leave the country, she evidently just went back to play with the others who were now just about fifty yards away.
I decided to be aggressive and I finished crawling under the fence out into the open field and then I got on all fours (again the wind was in my face so they couldn’t smell me). I got within 40 yards, then 30. About that time the does and small buck moved east out of sight and it was just me and the six-pointer. Behind the six-pointer was a brushy thicket out in the middle of the field we were in….and then it happened, he spotted me.
He didn’t run! He was intrigued by this beast on all fours. He came closer and closer stopping at about 20 yards. He began to paw the ground to try to get me to run or react. He then started to move to the side to try to get down wind of me but I was having none of that so I literally danced (or hopped on all four to my left and then to my right to stay in front of him). He was clueless as to what to do, (evidently he had never danced with a hunter in full camo, on his hands and knees out in the middle of a big field), so he raised up on his hind legs and proceeded to try to scare me away at one point losing his balance and having to regroup.
Almost as quickly as he approached me in the beginning he now retreated close to the thicket behind him, I thought if I could possibly get the thicket between the two of us, then I would jump to my feet and make a run for it hoping to get to the thicket and get drawn before he reappeared. He moved behind the thicket and I was off. I made it. I stood there totally out of breath behind the thicket trying to spot him again and there he was just browsing on some brush five yards in front of me on the other side. Now if I could slowly walk around the thicket (with bow drawn) while his back was turned to me, I would have completed the greatest hunt in my life.
He turned his back and I took my first step around the south side of the thicket and all heck broke loose. I nearly stepped on a huge doe. She busted out from beside me and my six-pointer followed his girlfriend out of sight….I wasn’t mad or even disappointed, I had just experienced the best hunt of my life, I collapsed to the ground, exhausted and soaked with perspiration, all I could do was laugh and thank the good Lord for the blessing of experiencing His great outdoors!
It was another cold November morning, the last one I would spend this year bow hunting, waiting for that elusive “No-neck” buck my buddy J.D. and I had seen the year before. J.D. gave the massive whitetail the name “No-neck”, because he was so huge and swollen it appeared to both of us that his head simply attached to his body.
I had sat in my stand long enough, my feet were frozen and I hadn’t spotted so much as a small doe, so I decided to get down and try my hand at a little still hunting, at least I would get a little circulation back in my appendages.
The wind was perfect (if you like a frozen face.) It was blasting out of the south, the direction most deer would come from. There was a north-south fence line that often served as a deer highway when they decided to cross from the government land onto the land where we hunted. I decided to take my time and head south down the fence line, stopping frequently to watch for any movement (this is what I always read you were supposed to do).
Immediately in front of me was a fairly steep hill just on the other side of the pond I had been overlooking from my tree stand. Just past the hill was an open field. My plan was to stay on the east side of the fence line since it was easier walking, knowing that I could crawl under the fence into thicker cover should the need arise.
The Need Arose immediately…I no more than peeked over the hill when I saw antlers!
My heart was pounding as I dropped to the ground and with bow in hand crawled under the fence into the tall grass. For the next few seconds I tried to get a glimpse of whatever beast I was stalking, but I was too far away lying in the tall grass. I decided to get on my knees and see if I could see the deer knowing that I might run it out of the country. After I crawled about 40 yards I could see multiple deer in the open field on the other side of the fence, one appeared to be a nice six-pointer. I was pumped…..could I get close enough for a shot?
The deer were enjoying the cold air, running and jumping, oblivious to my presence. I decided to push my luck rather than wait back and hope they came to me. There were two small does, a small buck and the six-pointer (my target). I began to crawl on my belly (not easy with an arrow knocked and the bow spread flat in front of you) until I reached the fence at a place I could easily crawl under it. Just as I got my head under the fence, I heard footsteps. From my low position I could only see hooves. One of the young does had run to the fence and was literally standing over me. I could feel the heat from her breath on the back of my neck. Then she bolted. She didn’t leave the country, she evidently just went back to play with the others who were now just about fifty yards away.
I decided to be aggressive and I finished crawling under the fence out into the open field and then I got on all fours (again the wind was in my face so they couldn’t smell me). I got within 40 yards, then 30. About that time the does and small buck moved east out of sight and it was just me and the six-pointer. Behind the six-pointer was a brushy thicket out in the middle of the field we were in….and then it happened, he spotted me.
He didn’t run! He was intrigued by this beast on all fours. He came closer and closer stopping at about 20 yards. He began to paw the ground to try to get me to run or react. He then started to move to the side to try to get down wind of me but I was having none of that so I literally danced (or hopped on all four to my left and then to my right to stay in front of him). He was clueless as to what to do, (evidently he had never danced with a hunter in full camo, on his hands and knees out in the middle of a big field), so he raised up on his hind legs and proceeded to try to scare me away at one point losing his balance and having to regroup.
Almost as quickly as he approached me in the beginning he now retreated close to the thicket behind him, I thought if I could possibly get the thicket between the two of us, then I would jump to my feet and make a run for it hoping to get to the thicket and get drawn before he reappeared. He moved behind the thicket and I was off. I made it. I stood there totally out of breath behind the thicket trying to spot him again and there he was just browsing on some brush five yards in front of me on the other side. Now if I could slowly walk around the thicket (with bow drawn) while his back was turned to me, I would have completed the greatest hunt in my life.
He turned his back and I took my first step around the south side of the thicket and all heck broke loose. I nearly stepped on a huge doe. She busted out from beside me and my six-pointer followed his girlfriend out of sight….I wasn’t mad or even disappointed, I had just experienced the best hunt of my life, I collapsed to the ground, exhausted and soaked with perspiration, all I could do was laugh and thank the good Lord for the blessing of experiencing His great outdoors!
12-05-2008, 04:57 PM
#8
Fork Horn
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Liberty Center, OH
Posts: 369
RE: Dancing with deer. One of the best bow hunting stories ever.
Haha...the only time I was that close was when I was still hunting and had a 6 pointer walk right up at me..ended up missing the shot...hit a branch and it deflected...oh well very exciting hunt.
12-05-2008, 09:40 PM
#9
Thread Starter
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location:
Posts: 19
RE: Dancing with deer. One of the best bow hunting stories ever.
I was sitting under a tree this year and had a doe walk up to me, she stopped about 4 yards away and never caught my scent. That made me feel pretty safe for the rest of the weekend.
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
lightfoot52
Whitetail Deer Hunting
12
06-23-2009 04:36 AM
monsterbuckland
Bowhunting
8
10-29-2003 09:13 AM
