Pat myself on the back

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12-20-2003, 08:15 PM

ramdino

Spike

Thread Starter

Join Date: Sep 2003

Location: Shelby NC

Posts: 29

Pat myself on the back

I finally found time to share this with everyone. Opening day of gun season I took my first antlered deer, an 8 pointer. I consider my self a rookie hunter. Last year was the first time I ever seriuosly hunted. Oh sure I had gotten up at 8 and sat by a tree until 10 and said I hunted, but last year I got up at 5 and was in my stand by 6. I was so green I didn't know where to shoot the deer. I got on the internet the night before to find out. I even had a borrowed gun. So last year opening day,I shot a button buck that I thought was a doe.My buddy's ten year old helped me retreive the deer and had to tell me that my "doe" had a pair when we rolled him over. Anyway I researched, scouted and obsessed all year in aniticpation of hunt season again. I even got in the woods ASAP with a bow. Did not kill anything until opening gun season. Here is where the pat on the back comes in. I heard a ruckus in the woods. I knew that the rut was probably on. I saw a doe walk out. Now alot of people around here will shoot anything walking. I held off anticipating something else. I had heard a tending click. Out walks a spike.I had him in my sites but I held. I watched him follow step for step where the doe went, nose to the ground. where she had paused, he paused. Then he follows her into the woods at the exact spot.I knew that she was hot and the rut was on and that if he could smell her,so could somthing else. Again, most around here will take a spike in a heart beat. After 15 minutes I was kicking my self thinking that the spike was all I ws going to see all day. It was getting light and I could hear gun fire all around me in the distance. All of a sudden the 8 walks out, nose to the ground right along the does path. I was not waiting any more. I waited until it was clear, BAM, got him. I remember thinking, ok he is quartering to me so I will probably gut him, but I want that head and I can salvage most of the meat. As soon as I shot I got right back on him. He jumped, ran about 20 yds and then started to walk. I thought, surely I did not miss him. His tail was goping 90=MPH and I knew that was not right. I still stayed on him thinking, don't shoot. It's a rear shot and you'll ruin what meat you haven't already ruined. He went into the woods a few steps and went into the death roll. Anyway I was proud of myself for what I had learned over the year and for holding for the first two, reading the signs and knowing what was going on. I am enclosing a pic. BTW the family was excited too. My wife even helped tote him out of the woods.