Along came a monster

Deep in WMA, further than I think any other hunter would go, I find myself on top of a large hill, with a clearing made from all the toppled trees. I can't really see too far, maybe 30 yards in all directions, but this spot feels right. Also, I'm not sure how much further I want to go...(I've got a wife and kid that probably want me to come home safely). So, I post up between two trees. Again, I spray some estrus urine, and toss out a couple of bleats. My position between the two trees gives me a little cover, as well as a place to rest my rifle. From time to time, I hear something moving in the woods, and set up to intercept whatever might be coming from whatever direction.

Then it happens...some saplings rustle...a couple of low grunts sound out, and a freakin bruiser comes trotting towards me out of the bush. Now, it should be noted that : A. I'm pretty inexperienced. I bagged a halfway descent buck last year, but I can't help but feel like I got lucky. B. I'm not in a stand...I'm on the ground, and there is really no way a mature buck ever gets this close to a hunter on the ground. C. My scope is off...so I have to use what is left of my iron-sights after they were wrapped in soft camo tape.

So there I was...with a monster buck twenty yards and closing (never counted the points, but I'd say at least 10), about to prove that last year wasn't a fluke, about to put 200lbs of delicious venison on the table, and about to justify all the money I've been pouring into this new passion of mine. As I clicked off the safety and raised up, with this majestic beast a mere 20 yards away, I couldn't help but think about dragging him back to the truck...so satisfied. I took a deep breath, exhaled, and woke the forest up with a shot from my 30-06.

I clicked my safety back on...so satisfied with myself as I watched him bound off into the wilderness. I just knew he was gonna crash 50, maybe 100 yards away. After a few minutes, I decided to start tracking him.

Finding where he was when I pulled the trigger was easy, there was some kicked up earth, and a trail of the same leading down the hill. Here and there, over the next couple of hours, I would find more signs here and there...but I never once saw any blood.

All I can say is...I hope I missed. I must have missed. As a side note, never, ever trust the cheap bore laser sights you can get from a retailer or online. I adjusted my scope to match what my laser read, which only messed me up in the long run. My brother put my bore sight into his rifle (which he can draw smiley faces at 100yds with), and it told him he needed lots of adjustment. I'll be taking mine back for a refund...I like to say that a good craftsman never blames his tools, but I'm pointing the finger at the laser bore sighter on this one.

I just pray that I get another shot at that bruiser...

Go deep or go home

Saturday morning...got up at 6, out the door by 7, and at my spot at 7:38, exactly when the sun rose. It's October 22nd, and according to Field and Stream's Rut Intensity Map, the rut is just getting started.

At first, I set up camp about 100 yards from the truck. I was hunting alone on public land, and wanted to get my feet wet before I dove in. I sprayed a little doe in estrus, and put out some estrus bleats now and then. No action though...The more I sat there, the more I thought about that 200lb bruiser I had seen the last time I was in the area. I decided to go all in, and stalk my way deep into this WMA land.

As I made my way down the main path, I occasionally sprayed doe urine on trees along the path. Again, I do this to mask my own scent, as well as to hopefully attract any bucks that are trying to get lucky.

So Close...

The last day of deer season last year, I decided to follow some advice I had read online. I went out to some public land, but took the time to go deeper in than I thought any other hunter would ever go. I looked for woods that seemed impenetrable, and went through the trouble to get through them. What I found on the other side was well worth the effort, sure signs of a monster buck. I didn't see him that day, but I figured I'd come back next year...
Well, my buddy John and I have been hitting that same public land for the last couple of weeks...and I think I saw the buck that made those signs. We had a fruitless morning in the blind, and decided to do some stalking. He went one way, and I went another. I checked out a place where the main path intersected some smaller deer paths, and went a little deeper...
All of a sudden, a HUGE whitetail jumped up, maybe twenty yards ahead of me, and started bouncing to the closest cover. I raised up, clicked the safety off...and watched him or her bounce off into the distance. I never had a clean shot, so I never took one. (Which I was left wondering about the rest of the day...Should I have taken the shot?) I'm pretty sure that it was my buck, but if it wasn't, it was a 200lb doe...anything is possible.
So close...I guess I'll just have to get him Saturday.

They call it hunting, not killing

Halfway through October, and still no luck. I've done everything I can think of...my scent is controlled, and I'm staying downwind. I used dominant buck urine during the open of archery season, hoping to get the bucks in the area wondering who the new guy was... I'm rattling and calling...I've had "conversations" with does, but couldn't get them close enough. I had a group of four hunting dogs roll up on me, never saw me, never smelled me, and made me feel real good about my "ninja", but still no luck.

Hunting is anything but easy. Whitetail have no desire to be shot, and use every tool at their disposal to stay alive. On TV, some on air personality whispers a little back story to his camera man, picks out the buck of the group with the biggest rack...said buck calmly walks within range, turns broadside...

In any case, the rut is coming. Maybe tomorrow will be my lucky day...

Looking Back

Looking back, there were several things that led to my hunt being a success.(Other than putting in some time at the range) First, my buddy John had access to some great private land. Not fenced in, but not open to the public either. It was just a little beyond the edge of town, but had some great natural features. There was a creek that ran through the property, which gave the deer some cover to travel, and a place to quench their thirst. Second, the log I was laying behind had a view of a clearing just beyond the creek. I thought this clearing looked promising, so I put some "Buck Jam" on a stump in the middle of it. To this day, I couldn't tell you if the jam actually did anything, but I was on stakeout over it when my buck came around. Last, but definitely not least, on the way to my spot I sprayed several trees with a hot doe scent. Truthfully, I was only trying to cover up my scent. Looking back, that buck thought he was going to get lucky...as he was sniffing the trail of what he thought was the first hot doe of the rut. Lucky me.

Lucky Shot

My shot hit the mark. He was moving when I hit him, and he didn't stop in his tracks. Doing me one last favor, he ran about fifty yards up the hill towards the truck. Some say wait a half an hour before you go after him, some say wait till next morning. I think I waited about ten seconds...It was my first kill. I yelled for my buddy "JOHN, I GOT ONE"! Immediately I started looking for a blood trail, but it wasn't really necessary. There was a trail of freshly exposed earth through running through an otherwise leaf covered ground. And at the end of the trail...a monster of a buck (at least to me). He was massive a fairly mature 8 pointer, probably 3 years old ...later he would weigh in at 185lbs. After taking a couple of pictures and a couple of phone calls, I pulled a rope out of my back pack and John and I got to work hauling him the rest of the way to the truck.

Ghost in the Woods

Fifty yards ahead of me, moving in and out of cover, was some kind of large ...something. It was moving pretty fast, and quiet...man it was quiet. It moved like a phantom...at first I thought it was a big cat. (Honestly, from where I was all I could tell was something huge and graceful was in front of me, and a big cat was the first thing that came to mind). There were two more breaks in the cover it was moving through. Asking myself  "What IS that"?, I scoped in on the next break in cover. That's when I saw the antlers. It was moving fast, snout to the ground, looking for a hot doe.With my heart beating so loud I was sure it would hear me , I took a deep breath and scoped in on the last break. My prayers were answered when he passed through my scope one last time, I exhaled, and let my shot fly. A moment I had been waiting for all season passed in less than thirty seconds.