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 #3 - January
4
Big Boy
Morning: At first
light the Warrior Buck began working through the area. Another deer came
from the opposite direction. A very nice 8-point. He walked right to my
shooting lane and stopped. He had a good rack but his body was a little
smaller than the Warrior buck. They passed through. Several deer went by
along the ridge 70 yards away. Soon a doe browsed into my area. I spotted
a large buck on the ridge and it was walking slowly toward my stand.
It had a very large body
and one look at this Big Boy's headgear was enough. I got ready.
The buck took it's time
and I grinned to my self when I realized my heart was beating fast. I made
sure I kept the 12 inch limb of live oak the tree I was in between us.
Finally he was 15 yards
away. He needed to clear some saplings before I had a shot. So he couldn't
see me I watched his back legs around the left side of the limb so I would
know when he was out of the saplings. He stopped moving. I peaked around
the right side of the limb. He turned away from me and acted fidgety. I
thought, "I can't believe he saw me!"
So I used the limb to block
my draw. I figured if he turned right or left I had him. He turned left,
still at 15 yards. I moved my sight to an opening in the tree limbs ahead
of him. He stepped into it.
There were some skinny branches
in the way I hadn't noticed. An arrow couldn't get through to him accurately.
And he walked away.
I saw a few more deer before
Zan came. I climbed down and told him what happened. "Robert, the buck
could not have seen you in this stand. There is too much back cover, I
have never been seen here," Zano said, and he added, "He heard you. Lift
your arms like you are drawing your bow."
I did. There was noise.
"It's your clothing," Zan said.
I had two things under my
camo jacket. A pair of camo suspenders I bought on the Missouri hunt and
a week old AdScent scent eliminating under shirt. Both had hard finishes
and made a scraping noise.
After changing clothes I
went to academy and bought a web belt and ditched the suspenders and bogus
AbScent shirt.
Zano: The "Chocolate Buck"
 67
degrees, another muggy, warm morning. But, given the circumstances
of our hunt so far, I am surprised at how well the deer are moving, both
mornings and afternoons. This morning was no different. 15
minutes after dawn cracked, a lone young doe walked thru my stand site.
30 minutes later I saw a long head doe walking up the center of the draw,
heading right for me. Behind her was the Chocolate buck, a most handsome
buck that I've passed on two of the three previous meetings, "saving" him
for Clint, my son. Now, for a 4th time, here he was, coming down
the trail just begging to get shot. But, as much as I wanted a buck
to close out the season, I wanted it on my terms. That would be the
Windy Meadow buck, or another buck that would rival him, head gear wise..
So, the Chocolate buck meandered thru the Rut Ravine and under my stand
unaware of the easy 14 yard broadside he offered me.
About an hour later, a wily
squirrel moved thru, exactly where the Chocolate buck had been. I
switched arrows (a Judo), and made my shot, imagining it was the buck I
passed. The shot was perfect, but the squirrel jumped up at the release
and narrowly escaped with his life, a few hairs missing.
AFTERNOON HUNT:
The regular deer season ends with this afternoon's hunt. I zipped.
 Zan:
I had to try for the Windy Meadow buck one more time. Since I had
an up close and personal experience with him last night, I decided to hunt
the
Cross Creek area again, but this time from a stand that would intersect
him 75 yds further up the trail. This is the same stand I got my
two largest bucks in two successive years, 2000 & 01. Plus, with
the arrival of a strong cold front this afternoon (finally, much needed
heat relief!) the brisk NW wind would be the perfect cover. At 5
PM, I stood up, hoping he would show on "schedule". Ten minutes later,
a deer come into view on the trail 20 yds out, but it was one of 6 in a
doe/fawn group. They paraded by only 8 yds out, in single file, looking
like a train of elephants. Another hour passed before some more doe/fawns
passed by. With only 15 minutes of legal buck light left, I clung
to the notion, "it ain't over till the fat lady sings". At dark:
01, she belted out the old tune, "See Ya Next Year!".
NOTE: We have one more
hunt, this area has a special doe and spike season beginning tomorrow morning.
We will hunt one more time. To The Last Hunt...
About
Zan Christensen (Zano)
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