Bowhunting
With Zano - in the Suburbs of San Antonio
Digital
Logs Of a Bowhunt With Zan Christensen - by Robert Hoague
2002
Hunt:
Day
1 | Day 2 | Day 3 Morning | Day
3 Afternoon | The End |
BOWHUNTING WITH
ZANO - An Online Bowhunt
Zan
Christensen and I are bowhunting deer at Rancho Zano on the outskirts of
the suburbs of San Antonio.
 Day
#2: Morning Hunt - First light turned into shooting light. A doe comes
out of nowhere and stops 10 yards to my right in a small opening. Another
doe walks up behind it. Then a 3rd, this one is this years fawn. I see
a 4th doe off from the group and it turns toward them and disappears behind
some trees between us. It comes into view on the opposite side. Wait! It's
not the same deer, I'm looking through limbs and see antlers on this deer.
It steps into the clear with the does. An 8-pointer with long tines!
Hmmm.
Five Deer within 15 yards, 10 eyes and ears and 5 noses.
Perfect
...
My
bow is between my legs and I slowly move it over my left leg. The buck
looks at me. Then he looks away, I realize two things: he saw the movement
but didn't see me ... and it is outside it's ears. A nice buck.
My
release was already on the bowstring and I slowly extend my arm and move
the top sight pin to the buck. He is quartering away. Now's the tricky
part, I very slowly draw the bow. And make it.
The
8-point is now facing straight away only 12 yards out. Two of the does
walk into the brush, one at 9:00 and the other at 12:00 (as in directions).
The buck goes after the 12. It's just not a good shot angle and they walk
right out of my morning hunt. I hold for a good while, just in case they
return.
Zan
saw "a handsome young 1 1/2 year old 8-point that will be a big one in
3 years".
 Afternoon
Hunt - Zan hunted the Little Creek and I went to Meadowgrove. The deer
moved late in his area. Zan saw a good 8-pt and s 3 1/2 year old 16-incher
walked by at 30 yards. Zan wanted to shoot but it was too far.
The
first deer I saw was at 4:50, a mature 8-pt. It walked around the area
and chased after every doe that came up, and there were several. They weren't
interested. Somehow he managed to stay out of bow range. A little after
5:30 he walked into the thick woods and disappeared. Soon another 8-pt
came. It had a thinner rack, a good looking young buck. I hung up my bow
and took a picture of the buck checking out
the area.
As
daylight faded a large deer made it's way toward me on a trail. He had
wide, wide antlers. He stopped 9 yards away. It was hard to see his rack
under the canopy of oaks I was sitting in. My binoculars are good in low
light so I focused on the buck. The left main beam went out wide and made
a slow curve. I intended to count the points but he moved his head
and something unexpected happened.
The
right main beam had some sort of heavy "stob" sticking out to the side,
kind of like a drop tine gone wrong. I focused my binoculars to try to
see this stob better but he kept moving his head. Then he gave a quiet
snort and retreated into his backtraol. In seconds I saw Zan's flashlight
in the trees 80 yards away.
About
Zan Christensen (Zano)
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