Deer Season 1999: OCTOBER

Friday, Oct 1, the Day Before Bow Season '99:
(11:02pm Friday) Tonight we ate chicken fried bear steaks from the bear that the Duck got in Ontario 3 weeks ago. It was sure good. The Duck, his son R B and my bud Robbie are down to bowhunt deer. 
The night before opening day is the toughest night of the year to get a good nights rest. I toss and turn all night long. Oh well, it's the "toll over the bridge." I'm turning in.
Saturday, Oct 2, the 1st of Bow Season 1999: 
(4:00pm Saturday) At 7:15 this morning I saw a shape moving over by the rusty Roll of Wire that gave the rolled Wire stand it's name. It was a young buck and it was rubbing its face on the branches of a scrub live oak. He was in the area quite a while, face marking limbs. Later on I picked out a group of deer in the heavy cover moving towards the 3rd Wire crossing. 
Back at camp we recapped and the Duck saw several does and a sixer, Robbie saw 4 does, RB saw 3 does. We had a little work to do around camp so I couldn't get back here to post until now. We are getting ready for the afternoon hunt. I'll drop Robbie off at the Point and I'm hunting the Hammer Hole area, right where I got the Buckshot35 pics earlier in the year.
(6:00am Saturday) The adventure begins: oatmeal, a couple of pop tarts, half a cup of coffee and a shower. It's 58 degrees, a light wind, the sky is clear, there's a million stars and the moon is 1/2 size and almost overhead. The Duck is hunting the Dry Pond, RB is at Myron's Corner, Robbie is at the Rock Ledge, and I'm at the Roller Wire. Where ever you are headed to hunt this morning, good luck and shoot straight.
(8:00pm Saturday) Rick, I saw the big Deer City 8-point. He came out of the brush onto the Hammer Hole woods road and took a right, just too many trees & limbs between us for me to get a shot. Woooeee, he has big antlers. Later on I saw some does. One was walking down the Hammer Hill road woods road and stopped and smelled the ground where the buck had walked. She cut to the left into the woods.
Sunday, Oct 3, the 2nd day of Bow Season 1999: 
(3:00pm Sunday) Everybody saw deer this morning. They moved early. When you find a good buck and you're not quite in his game I think you have to move to him right away, set up fast and quiet, and to try not to leave any scent on the ground. That's what I did this afternoon. The trail the Deer City buck walked out of goes to our Back Fence so I hung a stand at the first major crossing on this trail. Next I moved my tripod 15 yards, which puts me at the corner of the Hammer Hole road and the Hammer Hole trail.
(4:15pm Sunday) The Duck and I are the only ones here this afternoon. I'm returning to the Hammer Hole and he is hunting the Dry Up Pond.
(9:01pm Sunday) I saw one lone doe during the afternoon hunt. The Duck saw 6 does.
Monday, Oct 4, the 3rd day of Bow Season 1999: 
(2:02am) Rick Philippi and his son Ricky came down to hunt. Rick is hunting in the Back 200, Ricky will be at the Point and the Duck will hunt the Canyon. It took me until now the get half my email read (for the last two days) and I'm too tired to wake up at 5:00 so I'll miss this mornings hunt.
(11:50am) As Rick got to his stand this morning he heard the wild hogs moving ahead of him in the brush. They moved on and as the morning passed he saw 6 does. Ricky had one doe come through at the Point. Don (the Duck) saw several deer and heard the wild turkeys at the entrance to the Canyon. 
(2:50am) For some odd reason everyone is hunting in the Back 200 this afternoon. If you read my 8:00pm Saturday post you know why.
(9:30pm) On the way out I saw several does near Chrissy's stand. Don was visited by 2 young bucks and several does. Rick saw a spike and 3 does. Ricky saw the same spike and 6 does. I saw no deer.
Tuesday, Oct 5, the 4rd day of Bow Season 1999: 
(11:00pm) Rick and Ricky saw no deer this morning at Rick's Hot Stand. Don saw 3 does at Myron's Corner. Doug ran several out in t the dark as he went in to his stand in the Horse Pasture.
(12:00am) Doug Whiteberry joined our group Monday night. Rick and Ricky are hunting the area we call Rick's Hot Stand. It's back in the woods behind my Alex's Road stands. Don will be at Myron's Corner. Doug is hunting the Horse Pasture. I have an 9:00 appointment at the Ford dealer to get my pickup's transmission fixed so I can't hunt. 
(4:00pm) Don is hunting the "L" in the Back 200. I'm hunting the Hammer Hole and Rick is 150 yards away in the woods. Ricky returned to Rick's Hot Stand. Doug is hunting the Strip.
(9:00pm) At the Hammer Hole -- if you read my 8:00pm Saturday post you know why -- behind me, a total of 6 unidentified deer picked their way through the dry leaves. They were 10-15 yards away but it's just too thick to get a good ID on them. A large fawn with spots still on it's rump walked by in front of me. The Deer City 8-point did not show. Driving back to camp a Rick and I saw a coyote. Don saw a spike and a doe. Rick zipped. Ricky had 2 come up but they suddenly ran off. Doug was visited by a 7-point and 2 does. He tried for a doe but she spooked when he drew.
Wednesday, Oct 6, the 5rd day of Bow Season 1999: 
(6:00am) This morning I'm headed to the Rolled Wire. Last night the Duck participated in a Texas Parks & Wildlife deer survey so he got in to late to hunt today. Rick, Ricky and Doug are hunting.
(9:00am) Wow, we be rockin' this year. If you were with me last year you may recall that I passed several nice bucks on my own place. Well, that is paying off. This morning I saw two 18-inchers, an 8 and 9 point, that were traveling together. The 9 marked several limbs as he went along. The closest they got was 35 yards, which is too far to shoot. A basket rack 8 also came by. Ricky saw 2 Bomber bucks at the End of the Road stand in the Back 200. Elk saw some does. 
Doug saw a few but got busted by the lead doe. 
(8:01pm) Rick, Ricky and Doug went home at noon. Don hunted the Pocket and didn't see anything. I saw 5 does at the Hammer Hole. This afternoon I set up a stand where I can intercept the 18-Inch Duo this morning.
Thursday, Oct 7, the 6th day of Bow Season 1999: 
(Morning hunt) This morning I am will hunting the Gate, which is where the 18-Inch Duo were yesterday. The Duck hunts Myron's Corner.
(After the morning hunt) The Duck saw 2 Sixers and three does. Some does walked through my area but the Duo didn't show.
(Afternoon hunt) I had just sat down in my tripod seat when the two does showed up. As the afternoon progressed I saw 10 deer, either behind me in the brush or as movement where they crossed the Hammer Hole woods road. There could have been bucks but the brush is too thick to get a positive ID on some of them. The Duck saw 4 does and a young buck.
Friday, Oct 8, the 7th day of Bow Season 1999:
NOTE: Today, Brian Pullam and Chrissy of the Young Bowhunters Club arrive for a week of bowhunting deer.
(5:45am) It sure is sleepy out! I went to bed too late to hunt this morning but I'm going anyway. The temp is 58 and it is double dark. You guessed it, I'm hunting the Gate and looking for the Duo to show. The Duck went on another Parks & Wildlife deer  survey with our County Wildlife Biologist last night and he got in too late to hunt.
(9:15am) No deer for me but I did have a lone cow come into my immediate vicinity. I don't have cows on my own place so I must have a gate open somewhere, I'll check later today. 
(10:15pm) The Duck and I went to meet Brian and Chrissy in Hamilton at the bus drop off point at 4:20. Two years ago when Brian came the crack professionals in charge of the bus luggage routing didn't get his luggage on his bus. Guess what, a repeat performance, plus the bus was almost 2 hours late. So none of us got to hunt tonight. We did walk around a little and saw 26 deer.
Saturday, Oct 9, the 8th day of Bow Season 1999: 
(11:45am) The Duck was the only one who hunted this morning and he saw 8 does and 2 bucks at Myron's Corner. At present, we are waiting to hear if the bus brought the luggage for Brian and Chrissy. Turtle and Kathy came down and we all ate breakfast at the Red Barn.
(6:05pm) Rats! Greyhound Bus lines still haven't found Brian & Chrissy's bows and hunting clothes. We were waiting at the terminal when when the Bus arrived sans the hunting stuff. Now we are back at my place but it is too late to enter the hunting areas.
Sunday, Oct 10, the 9th day of Bow Season 1999: 
(3:15pm) Brian & Chrissy's bows and hunting clothes finally arrived and we picked them up and are not getting ready to deerhunt. I'm putting Chrissy at the Point and Brian at the Pocket. Turtle is hunting in a stand we put up for him that is down from the 3rd Wire area behind my house.
(8:07pm) Brian saw 1 deer. Chrissy didn't see any deer at the Point but she got introduced to Texas fire ants. Turtle saw several deer passing through the brush but none where he could get a shot. I saw two bucks, a spike and a sixer and 3 separate groups of does.
Monday, Oct 11, the 10th day of Bow Season 1999: 
(5:01am) We're all up and getting ready. This morning everyone is hunting the same stands they did yesterday afternoon.
(10:31am) Brian had a 6-point right in front of him but our game management plan dosen't allow them to be harvested. Turtle had a shot opportuity when 2 does came within 7 yards of him, but his arrowrest made a noise and they heard it and left. When he came in from hunting he saw an 8-point and a doe near my house. Both Chrissy & I zipped.
(Afternoon hunt) Rick, Check This Out: Brian was watching a 6-point at the Pocket when 7 deer fiiled by 50 yards in front of him -- one was the bomber white horned buck. That sounds like the Deer City huge 10 point (he had white antlers) that has been  traveling with a group of deer. Chrissy saw a doe in the  thick brush. An unidentified deer came by behind me.
Tuesday, Oct 12, the 11th day of Bow Season 1999: 
(5:45am) A couple of pop tarts, some baked apple oatmeal, a little java and some V8. A great deerhunting breakfast. Today we hunt my place, Chrissy hunts the Mound, I am going to the Gate and Brian will be in Alex's Road.
(9:05am) One word sums up this mornings hunt. Cows! They are part of the toll over the hunting bridge when you hunt in cattle country, but they can sure run the deer out of your hunting area. 
(4:02pm) The afternoon lineup is: Brian @ the Pocket, Chrissy @ the Gate, me @ the Hammer Hole.
(7:52pm) A big bodied 8-point basket rack walked the edge of the small clearing I can see at the Hammer Hole tripod stand. I also saw 1 doe and a doe family of 3. Brian was watching the 6-point at the Pocket when he heard deer coming. It was the 7 deer he saw yesterday, to his surprise the entire group was bucks -- and in the lead was the white horned buck, Brian counted 9 points, they were easy to count because the buck was only 10 yards away. And ... well, let Brian tell you in his own words.
Wednesday, Oct 13, the 12th day of Bow Season 1999: 
(9:45am) Chrissy (at the Point) saw her first deer up close, 5 does and 3 bucks. Here's what happened. Brian saw 4 unidentified deer in the Pocket. When I lowered my bow to get down a big doe walked right out of the brush to see what the disturbance was (15 yards in from of me). That's the first deer that knows where I am in the Hammer Hole. Deer are regularly walking behind me so I moved one of my tripods there so I can get in that game.
(9:45am) Chrissy (back at the Point) watched a forky and a sixer approach, circle her area, and then walk in front of her from the right. Surprise! Two does already there! She waited for a shot opportunity. It came and she slowly drew her bow without alarming the deer below her. Then something unexpected happened and hunting ethics came into play. A choice! Yes or no! And what Chrissy did makes me proud to know a bowhunter of her caliber.
By the way neither Brian or I saw any deer. Before I hunted I put a ladder stand in a cedar strip in the pocket. That gives me 3 stands in that area.)
Thursday, Oct 14, the 13th day of Bow Season 1999:
(11:16am) At 8:05 (at the Pocket -- in the cedar strip stand) a 5-point slipped through the fence and into the area. A forky was next. Then a young doe with a large bus doe. While they were still in the area I heard loud talking and horns honking, modern cowboys working cattle on the adjacent property. The deer listened and the bus doe moved off into the brush. The others followed. In minutes a mature doe waled right into my shooting window and stopped quartering away broadside, looking into the more open area ahead. I drew, aimed carefully and released. As the arrow popped through its vitals the does head turned and looked at me. She stood still an instant before running. In 60 yards she stopped. I grabbed my binoculars and focused on her. She dropped. I got right down to recover the doe. Brian hunted Myson's corner. Ten deer came through and he got a shot at a doe, but missed. 
(Afternoon Hunt) Every time the action is real good, like this morning, you always think, "The next time out will be even better." Sometimes it is and sometimes it isn't. This afternoon it wasn't. Chrissy and I didn't see anything and they got to Brian too late for shooting light. The Duck came down this afternoon and he saw a young buck and two does.
We took pictures of us with my Doe. Here are Brian, me, and Chrissy.