This year's Buck

[bowfisher]

Hunted hard this year, put a lot of time in on the off season too, hinge-cutting, brush-cutting trails, mineral licks, small food plots etc. This particular morning I hunted a timber harvested plot, only about 6 acres, but the brush has grown up considerably since they took some old growth trees out last summer, does love to bed in the thorns and the bucks come to check them out.

Foggy morning, November 15th was, wet and drippy, couldn't hear a thing, he came quickly but quietly on the wet leaves. First light, everything still gray, vis was 1/4 SM at best,sometimes down to 60 yards... SW wind, I got into the tree in the dark and was ready.

Saw movement and had to grab my bow off the hanger, he was moving fast, like big bucks do when they have somewhere to go, I didn't have time to bino him for details, but I could see in the early morning light that he was a big bodied mature buck, they have a different gait to them, deep chest and wide spread was all I had to go on, he took a trail that was leading him farther away from me, of course he couldn't come my way, that would be too easy..

Probably had 5 seconds from when I first noticed the movement to pulling back the bow, stopped him as he was quartering away, turning on the trail fork. Mouth grunted as I was at full draw, he stopped and I held over on my single pin, I knew he was farther than 35 yards, but closer than 45, I had ranged a dead tree not 4 minutes prior..don't remember squeezing the release, couldn't see the arrow flight, but then again I train myself not to look and concentrate on follow-through, otherwise one tends to drop the bow arm and mess up the shot.

Heard a good sounding " PLUNK", but couldn't see the impact, buck ran HARD, which isn't usually a good sign, spirits sank as I thought maybe I hit him too low in the shoulder/leg area. Deer shot through the ribs don't react all that much, some more than others...I've had some just look around and fall over, but not this guy..

Made myself sit for two more hours until the days wind was up and consistent, then got down and went to the impact spot, this is wear all truth and reality lay. The arrow doesn't lie, hope and despair are not foreign emotions to a bowhunter, finding the arrow and the initial spoor, tells the true tale. Sometimes we see things inaccurately in the compressed memory
banks of time...( did I hear what I thought I heard, did he jump? Why did he run so hard??) Scores of scenarios flood the mind.

Found my broken VAP right away, actually a doe pin pointed it for me an hour earlier, she came up the trail the opposite direction that he ran and stopped and smelled a specific spot for at least 5 minutes, so I knew it was there...good blood, but not great, that's OK, he ran hard, can't expect a lot, he was covering ground at a tremendous pace...time to take up the trail.

After 80 yds of multi-floral rose and brush, I thought I could see a tine sticking up with the sun shining on it. Confirmed with a different angle through the trusty Leica's . Then more of the picture materialized through the brush, once I saw more of his rack, I could tell it wasn't a natural pose, he didn't have his head up, he had to be on his side, due to the angle of the tines. Good news, watched for 10 more minutes, I had the wind on him, no hurry, nothing moved so I got 96 thorns and 3 yards closer...still looks good , looks better in fact, a little more maneuvering and I could see his days were done. Made my way to him, savoring every step, bow in hand, how I love to do battle with the beast!

No shrinkage, more appreciation for his size as I tried to move him, he was dead 20 seconds after I released the arrow, but better safe than sorry. He is how he laid.

Well Photobucket isn't responding, standby for pics.