1hornwilly
08-23-2008, 12:29 PM
Alright, I haven't ever taken the time to write this story...so I figured since I can't do anything except shoot targets right now I would tell the story of this guy from 2005. This is from my uncle's farm in Huron County that my brothers and I hunt every year for a week solid in November. I live in Florida, but grew up in Indiana and Ohio and still spend as much time as I can in the northern woods...different hunting down here. Florida deer are super small. Anyhow...I had read that year on the plane ride to Ohio that November 8th was "the day" to be in the woods. Now, I know that it is ridiculous to get excited about what some magazine says is "the day", but I do anyway. I decided I was gonna hunt dark to dark and hopefully see a bruiser. I got to my stand around 5:30 am and waited for first light. This stand is in a travel corridor between a small switchgrass field and a man made road on the property. Across the field is a known bedding area to the south. My stand was facing that area. Day broke and I saw nothin...I mean nothing...not even a squirrel...until noon. Then I saw a squirrel. I was rather disappointed in the magazine punks that had sold me a bag of goods. However, I knew I had committed to being there all day, so I just kicked back and enjoyed the weather God had given me that day (about 40 degrees with a slight breeze). 3:00 pm rolls around and I decided to glass to see if I could see anything toward the bedding area. I actually was startled to see a patch of brown where one hadn't been 15 minutes earlier. It quickly became evident that it was a deer. He stepped out into the field under an oak with an overhung limb. I watched through the binocs for minutes as he did his dance...rub the tree limb, scrape the ground, lick the branches...it was all so cool...I had only seen this stuff on tv before. He was about 300 yards away and I remembered that I had my doe bleat can call, so I hit it as I watched him through the binocs. He looked my way! He heard it! Holy crap...my heart was beating through my chest as I had spent a few years killing nothing but does on the farm (not by choice...just all I had shots at). I hit the bleat again..he perked up even more. I hit it once more and he came haulin...right at me! I had my binocs out. My bow was by my side and I was trying to see him, put my specs down, and pick up my bow at the same time without getting busted. I nearly soiled myself. He stopped in the thicket right in front of me. I would only be able to see his white patch for the next 15 minutes. To get to my shooting lane he was going to have to go the other way...which he didn't! He walked to 30 yards broadside between 2 trees that are 24 inches apart. It was all I had to get a shot off. Everythign else around was too thick. I bleated with my mouth right as the vitals crossed that spot. He stopped just like I told him to...that broadhead went square through his heart...he ran right back on the path he came running to me and piled up on the edge of the field within view. I know he isn't huge, but he has character...kinda mangled right side. My first Ohio buck kept me in that tree for about 45 minutes after I shot him...I couldn't get it together to get down...I felt like Stan Potts:bouncy:
All in all it was a great hunt...that actually worked like I see on TV. Not too many of my hunts do! Alright, that's all I got. Here is the photo from the day after!
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d150/golfraboni/buck.jpg
All in all it was a great hunt...that actually worked like I see on TV. Not too many of my hunts do! Alright, that's all I got. Here is the photo from the day after!
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d150/golfraboni/buck.jpg