Nov 12 - SUCCESS! W/ Pics and Story
11-14-2004, 09:16 PM
#1
Nontypical Buck
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
Posts: 4,276
Nov 12 - SUCCESS! W/ Pics and Story
Friday, November 12, 2004
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It's one day before the last day of the Pennsylvania bow season, but it will be my last day in the woods. Previous plans for a going away party (For my best buddy who is shipping off to IRAQ) was preventing me from hunting on Saturday. This means it was the last day of the season for me, and it was now or never!
The alarm rings at 4:30AM, and I throw off the covers excited for the days hunt. The weatherman has been calling for cold temps and rain for the morning, so I open the window and turn on the outside light. Sure enough it's pouring and was super cold. After Watching the weather and finding out that the temps were supposed to fall below freezing after the rain lets up, I decided to crawl back under the warm inviting covers.
The alarm rings again at 8:00AM, and I throw off the covers once again and scurry to the window hoping that the rain had let up. Unfortunately it looked like it was raining harder than earlier.
It's now light outside, so I pull up a chair beside the window and grab the binoculars so that I can watch the woods behind my house. If the deer were moving yet, I would be able to see.
An hour and a half passed by and the woods were still, and the rain hadn't let up. Finally the rain starts to slow down to a slight drizzle. As soon as this happens, 3 doe walk into my back yard. That was all it took.
I ran down the stairs grabbed my towel and started my scent free ritual.
At 9:45 I'm showered, dressed, and out the door. I grab my stand and my bow and waddle my way down my back yard and into the woods. I have seen some awesome buck in these woods, and missed a decent 8pt a couple days before. I have yet to get busted and have continually seen many buck day after day.
I am set up in my climber overlooking a tractor path by 10:15. The rain has stopped and the woods are silent. The leaves are wet, the squirrels are holed up, and the wind was still.
At 10:30 I catch movement coming down the trail. A small 4pt makes his way 20 yards from my stand works a near-by scrape. After he finishes he slowly walks out of sight and the woods become calm again.
About an hour later, a stick breaks right beside me. As I look down I see 2 red fox on the prowl. As quick as they appeared, they were gone. Not more then 10 minutes after I lost sight of them, another stick breaks in the same general area. A lone doe had just snuck right up on top of me! 10yds away, and I had no clue she was there! Again, as quick as she appeared, she was gone. The woods became calm again.
Now that I'm fully aware that I was snuck up on, I am scanning the woods hard. It's 2:30PM now an I hear another stick break about 50 yards away. I spy a buck cutting the corner between two trails, and he was heading toward my 20yd lane very quickly. This guy was on a mission. He was coming quick so I grabbed my bow and stood up in one motion. He didn't spy me. I saw that he was a shooter right away, so when he hit the trail at 20 yards and I drew and made a doe bleat at the same time. I settled my 20yd pin right in behind his front shoulder and squeezed the trigger. The arrow flew true and plowed right into the boiler room. He turned bout face and tore off straight away from me back down the path he came from. I quickly grabbed my grunt call and gave him a couple grunts. He stopped and looked back in my direction and slowly walked away. He entered a small crab-apple thicket about 60 yds from my stand. At this point his back legs are getting wobbly and he is sidestepping a bit. He walks out of sight. I sit down and recall the scenario. I replay the shot, how he acted after he was hit, and where I last saw him.
I decided to let him lay for an hour, so I climbed down, packed up my stand and went back to the house. I called my father-in-law to come and help me get him up out of the woods. He got there and we waited for about 45 minutes and made our way to the scene of the crime where we found a pile of hair but no blood. We worked our way to where I had last saw him and still found no blood. My father-in-law grabbed me by the shoulder and pointed up the hill about 10yds away. There was my trophy! He fell right out of my sight! I run up the hill and hold my buck, and thank the lord, and celebrate the joy of my harvest with my father-in-law.
Sorry for the extra long story, but I hope you enjoyed it! Now enjoy the pictures.
Note: As I am not in the contest, I have not measured him but he is a 9pt with about 16in spread.
-------------------------
-------------------------
It's one day before the last day of the Pennsylvania bow season, but it will be my last day in the woods. Previous plans for a going away party (For my best buddy who is shipping off to IRAQ) was preventing me from hunting on Saturday. This means it was the last day of the season for me, and it was now or never!
The alarm rings at 4:30AM, and I throw off the covers excited for the days hunt. The weatherman has been calling for cold temps and rain for the morning, so I open the window and turn on the outside light. Sure enough it's pouring and was super cold. After Watching the weather and finding out that the temps were supposed to fall below freezing after the rain lets up, I decided to crawl back under the warm inviting covers.
The alarm rings again at 8:00AM, and I throw off the covers once again and scurry to the window hoping that the rain had let up. Unfortunately it looked like it was raining harder than earlier.
It's now light outside, so I pull up a chair beside the window and grab the binoculars so that I can watch the woods behind my house. If the deer were moving yet, I would be able to see.
An hour and a half passed by and the woods were still, and the rain hadn't let up. Finally the rain starts to slow down to a slight drizzle. As soon as this happens, 3 doe walk into my back yard. That was all it took.
I ran down the stairs grabbed my towel and started my scent free ritual.
At 9:45 I'm showered, dressed, and out the door. I grab my stand and my bow and waddle my way down my back yard and into the woods. I have seen some awesome buck in these woods, and missed a decent 8pt a couple days before. I have yet to get busted and have continually seen many buck day after day.
I am set up in my climber overlooking a tractor path by 10:15. The rain has stopped and the woods are silent. The leaves are wet, the squirrels are holed up, and the wind was still.
At 10:30 I catch movement coming down the trail. A small 4pt makes his way 20 yards from my stand works a near-by scrape. After he finishes he slowly walks out of sight and the woods become calm again.
About an hour later, a stick breaks right beside me. As I look down I see 2 red fox on the prowl. As quick as they appeared, they were gone. Not more then 10 minutes after I lost sight of them, another stick breaks in the same general area. A lone doe had just snuck right up on top of me! 10yds away, and I had no clue she was there! Again, as quick as she appeared, she was gone. The woods became calm again.
Now that I'm fully aware that I was snuck up on, I am scanning the woods hard. It's 2:30PM now an I hear another stick break about 50 yards away. I spy a buck cutting the corner between two trails, and he was heading toward my 20yd lane very quickly. This guy was on a mission. He was coming quick so I grabbed my bow and stood up in one motion. He didn't spy me. I saw that he was a shooter right away, so when he hit the trail at 20 yards and I drew and made a doe bleat at the same time. I settled my 20yd pin right in behind his front shoulder and squeezed the trigger. The arrow flew true and plowed right into the boiler room. He turned bout face and tore off straight away from me back down the path he came from. I quickly grabbed my grunt call and gave him a couple grunts. He stopped and looked back in my direction and slowly walked away. He entered a small crab-apple thicket about 60 yds from my stand. At this point his back legs are getting wobbly and he is sidestepping a bit. He walks out of sight. I sit down and recall the scenario. I replay the shot, how he acted after he was hit, and where I last saw him.
I decided to let him lay for an hour, so I climbed down, packed up my stand and went back to the house. I called my father-in-law to come and help me get him up out of the woods. He got there and we waited for about 45 minutes and made our way to the scene of the crime where we found a pile of hair but no blood. We worked our way to where I had last saw him and still found no blood. My father-in-law grabbed me by the shoulder and pointed up the hill about 10yds away. There was my trophy! He fell right out of my sight! I run up the hill and hold my buck, and thank the lord, and celebrate the joy of my harvest with my father-in-law.
Sorry for the extra long story, but I hope you enjoyed it! Now enjoy the pictures.
Note: As I am not in the contest, I have not measured him but he is a 9pt with about 16in spread.
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11-14-2004, 09:36 PM
#2
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Jackson, Missouri
Posts: 7,051
RE: Nov 12 - SUCCESS! W/ Pics and Story
Congratulations, Pahunter!!!
Great story, and wonderful pics!!!
You did something I always try to do as well, and it's really paid off for me big-time, I think... and that's grunting at them as they leave. I'm convinced I've shortened my trailing job on a few of them by doing that.
Great story, and wonderful pics!!!
You did something I always try to do as well, and it's really paid off for me big-time, I think... and that's grunting at them as they leave. I'm convinced I've shortened my trailing job on a few of them by doing that.
i love walking out of the house and hunting...there is nothing like it
11-15-2004, 08:36 AM
#9
Boone & Crockett
Join Date: Oct 1998
Location: Hughesville, PA USA
Posts: 18,322
RE: Nov 12 - SUCCESS! W/ Pics and Story
Great story, great buck and great photos...congratulations on a fine PA buck....way to go. Be sure to sign up early next year for the contest...you would have greatly helped out a team.
