Over the last 10 years, I’ve spent numerous days in the deer stand. I’ve walked hundreds of miles, climbed countless trees, and spent a whole bunch of money chasing the elusive whitetail buck. I’ve never fancied myself a “trophy hunter.” I’ve always been happy to harvest a doe for the freezer, but that doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy finding a nice buck. There is something majestic about the harvest of a buck. From the first moment you see him walking in on you, to walking up on him expired, to driving him around to show your friends, to the check station guys telling you good job, and most of all, to the table. It has been rough the past few seasons, but the 2011 deer season changed the game for me.
 |
| My First Buck - 2004 |
I started deer hunting when I was 16 in 2002. Before then, I had only hunted a few times, but I never really got hard into it until 2002. Since 2002, I had harvested only a handful of bucks. My first buck was a 5 point half rack. He was a great first buck, and I love the memory every time I see him hanging on my living room wall. It seemed like it took forever to harvest the first one, but it seemed even longer to top that one. For many years everyone around me was harvesting nice deer. I wasn’t sure if it was my shooting, my spots, my equipment, or my plain and simple bad luck. I began to think about these reasons, and through the process of elimination I learned it was my shooting mixed with a little bad luck. I knew that I had a good knowledge of the animal I was chasing, and that I knew how to hunt that animal. I’ve always had pretty nice equipment, and I almost always harvest a doe each year. I’ve had MANY big bucks under my stand, and have either not got the shot or missed. It seems I’m a prime example of someone with major buck fever. I’ve missed a lot of 120-130 class deer. I even had a typical 170+ Illinois buck that was seconds away from getting shot but had been run out of the woods by a tractor. During the 2008 deer season alone I missed seven 120+ class bucks. That was when I decided I needed to take a break from deer hunting, and focus on the ducks and geese.
In 2009, I only hunted gun season, and never got a shot. In 2010, I didn’t hunt at all for deer. In the summer of 2011, I realized I had some unfinished business in the deer woods. Even though I know my problem was my shooting, I still decided to start fresh. I headed to the Matthews bow store and traded in my 2002 PSE Carrera for a 2011 Mission Endeavor. After a lot of shooting I was right on, and ready for bow season. I had never felt more confident in my shooting. I even went and bought a Hunters Safety System vest. I equate some of my bad shooting to my slight fear of heights. I’ve never felt comfortable 20’ in a tree, and I can’t make a good shot when I’m nervous of being up high. I thought a vest would help end that fear, and it did. I wanted to eliminate anything that might cause me to miss. With new equipment, a new spot, and a new attitude I was headed to the field in October.
 |
| Early Bow - 2011 |
The season started very slow. Between October 1st and October 30th I only saw 6 deer, and only 2 shooter bucks, none of which I got shots on. The first weekend of November, I decided to hunt Friday night after work. The pre-rut was in full swing, and I knew that I should see some deer. The trail I was on had scrapes and rubs lining its edge, and it is a deer highway come rut. Throughout the year the deer seemed to be coming from in front of me, and then cut up a trail on a hill before my shooting hole. When I heard a crash to my left I knew I was going to be letting an arrow fly. I looked left, and there was the best buck I’ve seen all year heading right for my shooting hole. I knew only had a few seconds to stand and shoot. He was moving quickly, and I pulled back. “MAAAH!” I said, stopping him in his tracks. The pin was right where it needed to be, SHUNK… THUD! He was off in a dead sprint. I nearly fell out of the stand I was shaking so badly. Running away all I could see was rack. He was headed right towards Wade (my closest
 |
| Wade New - 2011 Buck |
hunting buddy). Minutes, later Wade called and said he shot him, too. I walked up to Wade and we found blood. It wasn’t much, but it was enough to track. It was a little watery and it was definitely not what I would call “good blood”. At first we thought Wade was the only one to hit the deer because I hadn’t found blood at my stand. We backed out and went back to my stand. After searching we realized that I had definitely shot through weeds, throwing my arrow off. We found 2 fletches just laying in the tall weeds with no blood on them. The weeds didn’t seem nearly that tall from the stand. After searching we did find blood just a little bit up the trail. Therefore I hit this guy, but it still wasn’t a good shot. We tracked for over 2 hours. All the time I’m remembering 2008, and I just know we aren’t going to find him. I remember asking myself “why did I get back into this?” “I need to just focus on ducks, which I can hit.” We were up and down hills, hollers, and fields. We came to an open grass field, and we lost blood. We decided to back out for the night hoping he was lying in the grass field. The next morning we went back to the start where I shot, and started completely over. We found good blood, and went up next to Wade’s stand. We found his arrow in the standing corn with no blood. He missed, and our second (hopefully fatal) shot was nonexistent. We searched for half the day. Walked every row of corn, every inch of grass, every creek, every pool, every pond, and found nothing. This buck got away, and right then I asked Mother Nature to heal his wound hoping he’d make it the rest of the season. There is no worse feeling than only wounding a deer. I was so close, and history truly does repeat itself. I told myself 2011 was going to be a dud, and I was NEVER going to harvest a buck. I contemplated selling my equipment, and I just didn’t understand why this happens to me. After talking to my dad, my wife, and Wade I decided to stop feeling sorry for myself. I left my pity party, shot my bow, and was back in the stand the same night.
(End of Part 1. Look for Part 2 Coming Soon!)
No comments:
Post a Comment