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Wade Nolan's Writers Camp And Whitetail Bowhunt!

Robert Hoague - A Big Day In The Deer Woods!

At daybreak Mark Collins drove Chip and I to an area near a small lake. I had met Chip the night before but didn't know what a terrific guy he is, yet. Mark had queued Chip in on two bucks that hang out in this particular area; a very high and heavy beamed buck that wasn't very wide and a 6 1/2 year old 8-point. 

I spotted a place to put up my Double Bull Matrix and sat my bow and gear there and popped up my blind. Chip whispered, "Here come some deer already."

They were across the little lake and looked to be coming in our direction. Chip and I hurriedly slipped under the side of the blind and opened our chairs up, and got positioned so we didn't interfere with one another. By this time the deer were almost "amongst us".

I got my camera going and took pictures while we waited for the management bucks to show up. Before long I saw a buck (below on the left) that I thought was the high rack buck. Chip told me it was not the buck and he said I would know it the instant I saw it. Meanwhile a double bomber walked through (below right). I whispered to Chip that I thought this buck should be a management buck. Chip grinned.

This immediate area around the Double Bull blind had a lot of brush ad twigs, which were now leafless due to the time of year. So a maze of branches and twigs surrounded us. I had a limb lopper with me but we didn't have time to use because the deer came around us so quickly. It didn't take long to realize that there were too many obstructions around the blind to get a clear shot.

Heck, I told Chip, I'll just take pictures.

Bucks of all ages and sizes came and left. And Chip was right, I knew him the instant I saw him. The high racked buck hung back in the brush for a long time and finally cruised the does in the area and got close enough for a picture.

We were on a cross trail that deer used to go to the nearby pond and we got a lot of deer traffic. An hour after daylight Chip pointed toward the woods and said softly, "That's the 8-point" He was an older buck and was not as cavalier about coming near the blind as many of the other deer. He stayed in the trees and approached the does and postured for the other bucks. Finally, he let me have a picture.

I have to tell you that I love seeing deer, big ones, small ones, bucks or does. Taking pictures of them is a big thrill for me any day. And to be able to take pictures of bucks the caliber of what we were seeing on Bar None Ranch made the morning hunt a total success.

Here is a photo gallery of the highlights of this mornings pictures. You'll see a variety of bucks, some are just walking through, one is rubbing limbs, and a few are posturing aggressively. Enjoy...