I can’t think of any place I’d rather be, then sitting in a tree on
November 1st on a 20 degree morning in the Midwest. This year found me
in Macon, Missouri with IMB Outfitters. This was my fourth trip to the
Midwest. I am pretty well known in Darrin Bradley’s camps for the guy
who had shot all his arrows and had to call his guide for more! But,
that was another year!
This year I have put my time in at the range and
I’m confident. I had two hunts this year , Missouri then Pike County
Illinois. After a brisk ride across a large cut soybean field my guide
and new buddy, Houston led me thru a tangle of pickers and brush into a
creek bottom. After a hundred fifty yard walk in the dark Houston
showed me my days perch, bid me good luck and left into the dark. I
climbed into the stand and watched as his tail lights faded away.
As
day break came I tried to figure out the territory. After doing some
ranging I settled in, for the next four hours and fifteen minutes I sat
waiting without seeing even one deer! At ten fifteen a.m. an airplane
engine started a mear three hundred yards in front of me. Okay it was a
corn dryer but, this guy from the Adirondack mountains in New York
thought it was a jet engine.
I remember shaking my head and thinking my good luck is starting
all over again. As I shook my head to the right, standing at thirty–two yards, was the reason I traveled twelve hundred and sixty miles
from home! I stood and drew back my Mathews Q2 bow and let the Beeman
arrow fly.
The buck dropped in his tracks and I was going crazy. I
grabbed my cell phone and called my guide, Houston… I finally did it!
As I spoke to him I was suddenly interrupted by my buck starting to
stand up. I threw the phone down, nocked an arrow and let it fly once
more. It found its mark about two inches away from the first one. The
buck was down for good and I was shaking. I have to be honest my second
phone call was to my wife to tell her I finally got my Midwest
bruiser!
Houston arrived and took some photos for me, we got the deer
out and on the four wheeler loaded up to head back to camp. Darrin
measured the deer at 134 Pope and Young inches after hugs and
congratulations. The 9 pointer featured a split left brow tine and
matching 10 6/8 inch G-2s. I was one happy hunter, I finally broke my
sting of bad luck.
Thanks to Darrin Bradley and his excellent staff at
IMB Outfitters I have enjoyed seven hunts so far with two more planned
for year 2007. Special thanks to Darrin, who made me realize … it is
not all about the kill but, also the friendships and special bonds made
along the way.
