2003 Deer Hunt - A Bowhunt In Progress

Deerhunt With Keith Warren 2003
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Day 2 - Morning

Driving to the stand Mark and I saw a bomber buck walking with a doe cross the road in our headlights. Always a good sign. Mark pointed out the travel corridor that the stand was near. I paced off the distance to a tree in the in the corridor, 18 yards. That turned out to be information I would need this morning.

Shooting light came and deer started showing up. Two sixers were first. Then a spike, a young 8. a 4-pt, and three year and a half bucks. Then I saw an eye pooping long tined, wide rack in the woods. The buck walked up on our left side. A genetic home run buck for sure -- with 9 impressive points. But a 2 1/2 year old and not in our mix for this hunt for a mature buck. Pic of the 9-pt. As you can see in the picture this buck is something special and will be a bomber for sure. Five year and a half bucks in in a group came down the trail. A long tined, high racked 8-pt came up and the younger bucks eased out of the area. When they were gone a doe walked through and a wide, very fine 9-pt came out of nowhere and got in her face.

The doe walked away and the buck followed. Next in was a buck with an unusual rack, 5 points on the right side and a double brow tine on the left -- Pic of this buck. 

A Bomber
Ninety yards away, on a trail perpendicular to the trail we were getting the action on, I saw a big bodied deer and pointed at so Mark would know. We could not make out the rack but from the deer's stiff legged wall and size I knew it was a mature buck, exactly what we were looking for. I glassed him and counted 9 heavy points. "That buck weighs at least 200 pounds," whispered Mark.

But he turned right on our trail, and started walking in the opposite direction. I pointed my grunt tube at the ground behind us and to our left and grunted softly, twice. The buck stopped and looked our way. One more soft grunt got him moving in our direction. 35 yards away and behind some trees he stopped. I waited. He looked the area over and waited. One more soft grunt and he came on down. Mark's pic of the buck. Twenty yards further he cleared the trees and I drew as he walked by the tree that was my 18 yard marker. He stopped. 

I shot.

My arrow went over him.

Yikes.

He looked at the arrow behind him and quickly stepped ahead under the trees and stopped. He didn't know what had happened. I waited. He waited. I grunted . He circled us on our right side. Just out of range. 

Eventually he left. Then several different bucks came through the area. A 10 point, a 5 1/2 year old 11-pt, a button, a crab claw 9-pt, and another heavy 8-pt. But no shots came down.

Afterward Mark and I drove into town and ate BBQ. Then I consoled myself with a chocolate dipped cone and a hot fudge sunday. 

And practiced for the afternoon hunt.