It's Time - Triple Kicker By Robert Hoague
Dec 24, 2009 - 4:27:02 AM
First thing, when I woke up, I checked the BuckEye Cam wireless
pictures. There was nothing going on and hadn't been since midnight.
That was ok with me, I didn't want a repeat of yesterday.
Next up was coffee, a bowl of instant oatmeal and a cherry pop tart. I
enjoyed a hearty bowhunter's breakfast. After washing up I got dressed
right away, got my hunting stuff together, and checked the BuckEye for
pics.
Nothing. Good news.
I headed out to the food plot, sunrise was a good hour and 15 minutes away. The inside of the blind was even darker than the coal black area outside. It was cold, two degrees above freezing. I adjusted the Chill Killer around my neck so it covered my chin and was instantly warmer.
I waited.
My mouser cat Big-O appeared like magic and got up on the TV table I
use to put my laptop on. I scratched his head and he went to sleep.
When he woke up quickly and peered out of the blind's viewing window I
figured something was around. But it was still too dark for me to see
what Big-O was watching. A few minutes later he laid back down, I guess
whatever had been there was gone now.
The next time he looked out there was enough starter daylight to make
out a lone deer's figure walking by the blind about 20 years away. The
light got better and deer shadows came from all around, both bucks and
does chased each other around. Every second the light improved and
soon I could check out deer with my Nikon's and saw that Triple Kicker
was there.
All things considered, time had passed pretty quickly this morning, but now the minutes crawled by.
And crawled.
When there was finally enough light to see shadows on the far side of
the food plot Triple Kicker was 60 yards away making sure a younger buck
understood he had to keep his distance.
Minutes later 4 does ran from him and stoped directly in front of me.
The closest was 14.5 yards on the Nikon range finder. And he was
following them.
Triple Kicker stalked around the does.
At any second he might turn and be lone gone. The light was still
lacking a bit, the details of Triple Kicker's body were still not
definite.
I was not taking a risky shot. I waited. The light improved and I could
see the details of the deer near me. But Triple Kicker was out in the
food plot browsing.
The seconds struggled by.
When a 6-point got too close Triple Kicker set him back with an in your face look. I took a picture.
He wound up in the middle of a group of 8 deer that were in easy bow range.
I got my bow and twisted the rheostat on my sight and it lit the pins up. This was it, my time, his
time, I felt sure of it.
The deer group shuffled around. When Triple Kicker stopped. I checked
the yardage to be certain, he was 17 yards away. Deer were behind him
and passing in front of him. Suddenly the deer were around him but he
was in the clear. It was time.
I focused on where I wanted my arrow to go and when I felt connected to it I drew and moved my pin there.
And released.
He turned and stumbled to the ground. Rose and went 3 yards ... and went down.
It was over.
When I got to Triple Kicker I put my hand on him and said a prayer. I
sat by him for a while, a flood of emotions ran over me. Both joy and
sadness.
Then I walked over to my neighbor Perry Wicker's house and told him I
needed help tracking a buck. I painted a gloomy picture of our impending difficult
trail.
