Day 12
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October 21 - 23: Bowhunting - "A Proper Adventure"

Norfolk Boy Tells All...

In Billy Don's deer woods an English archer became a bowhunter on Monday, October 22. Here's how it all came down, in Adam's own words, on Video.

7:30am - Steven Houser, Adam and Zan Christensen are out hunting this morning. The others have loaded up and are enroute to their homes. We are waiting for our hunters to return, it will be a couple of hours.

12:28 - After Lunch

Below, Both Zan and Adam wrap up  the last of Adam's  first bowhunt -- in their own words.

Adam Durrant (Norfolk Boy) -- (In His Own Words)

This morning was my last hunt at Billy Dons, but it felt good. We got out to our stand and took our seats.

It was cold (or so Zan says), I loved it, but it was so still. I heard hogs away east, but saw nothing.

Then, as dawn was breaking, some does came down a trail towards us. But it was so still and calm, everytime I tried to stand, they knew somthing was up, and they skidaddled. 

Then the big buck we saw the first day (the 8 point) he shows up, I thought he was gonna come down, but he turned off and followed after the does. We could see them in the distance, and another buck showed. I heard them sparing, but they didn't come close.

As the morning wore on, the wind picked up a little, and a second buck showed up, and we counted his tines, a 3 by 4, but with no browtines. Zan said we'd just sit and watch him. He milled around, and hoverd up the corn the feeder had scatterd.

But he raised his head, and stared off to the distance. I followed his line, and saw a Doe aproaching (actually a spike, but I didn't know that at the time). I waited till the bucks head was down, and stood up as quiet and stealthy like as I could, luckily he didn't notice me. When the spike aproached I could see he was a spike, and so for another hour or so, I was stood, stock still, while they danced about.

Finally a doe her fawn showed up. But she was skittish, not of us, but of the buck. Everytime the buck moved, or raised his head, he spooked the doe. and she wouldnt come in range.

Both the Big buck and the spike gave me chances for shots, till finally the doe worked her way around. Evrytime I've sat that stand, a Buck has come in, and tawnted me, laughing all the way. The Buck was the biggest by far of those, butI wasn't half as excited by the buck as I was by that doe.

I drew, my eyes focused on the perfct spot, she was broadside and well within range. Everything was right, no mistakes like last time. Half way through my draw, the buck decided he'd chase her, off they went into the distance...

So I've not taken anything here at Billy Dons. But that's not important, being out and about, with a bow in hand and an arrow on the string, that was important. I'm deeply moved by the folks at Bowhunting Talk's generosity in sending me on this trip, and I'm even more pumped for the next stage, at Rancho Zano.

Zan Christensen (Zano) -- (In His Own Words)

For us Texans, there's no better time to be in the woods than after our first good cold front.  That happened yesterday afternoon, with the arrival of a "Blue Norther", ushered in with high winds gusting over 50 mph, bands of rain, and cooling temperatures over night.

This morning broke clear, crisp, and calm, with the Milky Way blazing across the sky.  It was the perfect setting for Adam's last hunt on the Wildhorse Prairie Ranch.  As we traversed the ranch to our stand, given the new and bowhunting friendly conditions, we just knew it was going to be an exciting morning.  And, it was.  

For four hours, we were privy to multiple bucks harassing does throughout the area, bucks sparring, and the heart stopping rush of Adam drawing down on a big fat doe when she stopped to figure out how to avoid a mature 3x4 buck just feet from the base of our tree. Unfortunately, the love sick buck put an end to that plan as it rushed the doe and drove her and her clan out of our morning.  Had Adam had just more 2 seconds, he would have been able to complete the draw and release his second arrow winthin only twelve hours. 

After the ordeal, Adam made an interesting comment when he said it felt strange he didn't get the shakes while observing those bucks so close, but could barely keep his heart in his chest when he knew he was about to draw down on a doe.  He agreed with me when I told him that our being is wired to jump into overdrive when we are about to exercise our hunter instinct to killvest.  

Although Adam didn't get to loose an arrow this morning on either a doe or wild hog, he would tell you this mornings hunt filled a chapter in his lifes dream.  Not only did he get to enjoy watching whitetailed deer in all their modes of social and individual behaviors, he was hunting, and living a dream.

After saying our goodbyes to Billiy Don, Russell, Rhonda, and the staff, Adam and I are heading south to my home in San Antonio where we will finish out the week chasing both bucks and does on my lease.  So stay tuned, I"m sure there's more to follow.  -Zano

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