Bowhunting
With Zano - in the Suburbs of San Antonio
Digital
Logs Of a Bowhunt With Zan Christensen - by Robert Hoague
2003
Hunt:
Day
1 | Day 2 Morning | Day
2 Afternoon | Day 3 | Day
4
About
Zan Christensen (Zano)
BOWHUNTING
WITH ZANO 2003
An Online Bowhunt
Zan
Christensen and I are bowhunting deer at Rancho Zano on the outskirts of
the suburbs of San Antonio.
 Day
#1 - January 2
The "Warrior
Buck"
Morning - Light wind,
66 degrees and very muggy. After daybreak, at the "Finger lot" stand I
heard a deer and strained to see it in the dim light. It was too dark to
see if it had antlers. Minutes later another deer, with a much larger body,
approached. Seeing light was better now and when the deer moved it's
head I saw a wide main right beam -- several inches outside the ear. Another
deer walked up behind the buck. Then the 3 deer all looked to my right
and a large deer walked up and stopped behind some trees. I thought, "I
hope these deer stay a few minutes more so I can see them clearly."
They did.
The wide buck had a busted
right main beam and at least one tine was broken on the impressive right
beam. (Later, Zan told me that he knew about this buck and it was a
fighter so he called it a Warrior buck.)
The buck behind the trees
stepped toward the other deer. It was a mature buck, heavy in the front
with a very thick neck. The rack was just outside it's ears, not that wide
but very heavy. As he approached the other deer the warrior buck moved
several yards further away. I slowly inched my bow out to get in shooting
position. The warrior buck noticed the movement and looked up at me for
a few seconds and looked away. The mature buck stopped broadside at 15
yards and looking away from me. I drew very slowly.
The warrior buck picked
it up and ran to my left. The mature buck took two bounds and stopped,
looking in the direction the warrior buck had been. The only thing that
was in the clear was it's butt. I held, just in case. But the buck walked
casually away.
Meanwhile Zan hunted the
"Rut Ravine", in a stand he placed yesterday. At first light a young doe
filtered by. Fifteen minutes later a longhead doe came by. Ten minutes
later a buck Zan calls "Stubby" came down the trail. (This buck has a wide
right beam and the left antler is a 5-inch, thick spike. He is 4 1/2 years
old and had an old injury on his right side, thus the freak rack.) The
"Chocolate buck" and a 4-point appeared on the same trail the other deer
had used. He is a 3 x 3 because he has no brow tines. Zan moved to get
into position for a shot. The treestand squeaked, and the Chocolate buck
froze and watched Zan's area for 5 minutes. Then he turned into his back
trail and left.
Thirty minutes later another
doe walked through the draw Zano was hunting.
Afternoon: The
"Blurry Buck"
83 degrees, almost no wind.
Zan dropped me off at Cross Creek. It was very still. A few minutes after
5:00 a doe and button buck walked out of the brush. Suddenly the doe snorted,
not a "I got you" snort, but a quieter snort. For 15 minutes she walked
around, frequently snorting and stomping. (Here is the
doe.) Then she turned and ran. Seconds later a large buck blew by,
hot on her trail. The button buck had stayed in the area the whole time
and now followed their trail.
At 5:47 an almost white horned,
nicely outside it's ears, buck walked out of the brush in front of me.
I took the buck's picture.
(The pic came out blurry but youi can see the rack and how wide he is and
see the tines.) He made a loop toward me but some overhanging branchs prevented
me from getting a proper shot. He walked away.
At 6:10 I was figiting around
and a deer snorted me.
Here is Zano's afternoon
hunt:
 Zan:
Geeez, the heat. The first hour and a half was a sauna, but I stuck it
out knowing something good would happen as dusk approached. At 5:30, four
does made their way thru the brush, but 40 - 50 yards out is too far for
me to get too excited. It was about that time I noticed I wasnt' dripping
sweat, ahhhhh.
TO THE HUNT ON DAY
#2...
About
Zan Christensen (Zano)
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