Read to the end for the side storyWell, it's not a "trophy" size deer, but it's a trophy to me. I don't hunt deer to harvest the deer of a life time. I hunt deer for the hunt of a life time.
I was settled into my stand at 6:15pm, this evening. A the thermocell turned on, fanny pack, quiver and water hanging within reach and a fresh dip in my cheeks. The light 3mph wind was in my face. Hopes were high and so were my senses.
Starlings started coming in to the sunflower. Some gnats were buzzing about, but I knew the thermocell would move them away in a few minutes. A squirrel jumps in a tree 20 yards in front of me. I watch him for a moment. The sun starting to setting at 4 o'clock just behind my right shoulder. Looking west I can see a flock of mosquitoes dancing in the evening light about 10 feet from me. The thermocell is doing it's job.
I feel/hear a squirrel jump into my tree about 6 feet above my head. I don't even look up. What's the worst that could happen, he jumps on my head? It's just a squirrel doing his squirrel business and it would make a good campfire story.
Two hundred starlings flush from the sunflowers to fly into the trees in front of me I hear a THUMP...THUMP like a deer hoof behind me--dead down wind. Slowly, I'm turning my head to look over my right should then my left shoulder, knowing all the while if that was a deer, I'm probably busted. The starlings flush again. This time moving down the fence line to my right. I think, the game is up. The deer moved away, flushing the birds. That's when I hear the buzzing under my butt.
There's a bee literally under my butt. I think he's in the tubing of my hanging stand or maybe the handing ladders. At any case, he was close enough that I could pet his furry little back. Ok, he's doing his bee business and I'm doing my hunting business, so we'll just coexist for a while. But, it was dis-concerning, none the less.
I see the starlings fly into my Quail Unlimited plot patch of sorghum and foxtail. A few minutes later, they flush. Hmm. I see a deer jump the fence from my neighbor's farm onto my place. Historically, deer cross the fence there. It' about 4 inches lower than the rest of the fence. I back my bush hog up to the fence at this crossing and keep limbs trimmed to facilitate their crossing onto my farm. I even hung a new ladder stand about 20 yards from this crossing this week. But, wind direction prevented me from hunting this evening
The bee is still buzzing up my butt.
Through a little patch of black locust I see the deer is a little suspect of the new bush hogging and the stand. He circles wide of the stand, tail twitching. Then he goes in for a sniff. All is good. He meanders toward me. At about 30 yards out, through the locust I see him quartering left of my corn feeder. He comes within 18 yards but is moving and there's a couple limbs to shoot through. "Be patient," I tell myself. He circles within spitting distance under my stand. I don't want to take the downward shot between his shoulders. BE PATIENT. He circles to the feeder. Now I have a 'going away" shot. BE PATIENT, wait for the broadside shot. He takes a couple more steps and is a 30 degree quartering away shot, but his head is toward me. Just then one of my dogs bark in the kennel (probably at a bunny) and takes a couple steps while looking in that direction. Now the angle is 15 degrees and 10 yard, maybe 12 away. I think to myself, "I'm going to harvest this deer." I pick a spot behind the shoulder. The deer is starting to shed it's summer coat so there's a great patch in the red hair. I begin my draw. My sting hand shakes a little. I shout, "NO," internally and put more pressure on the sting. I release. I did short draw about 1 1/2. I hit farther back and I wanted. I was sure I cut the liver and probably the opposite side lung. It was 7:05
I watched the deer run the 100 yards clearing at the end of my plot field. Just as he was going over the rise I thought I saw him stumble before he went into the cedar thicket. The arrow was stuck out of his side. What damage I didn't do with the shot would be amplified with the razor sharp broad head while he ran through the thicket.
The deer was over the hill at 100 plus yards. I gathered my gear and headed to the house. The deer needed to lay down and needed a beer.
I called my deer hunting buds Brian and Mike (H) to give them a report. Voice mail for both. I waited until 8:45, the sun was have on the horizon to look for my deer. H called back just as I was stepping into the cedar thicket. He wished best luck in finding my deer. We're talking as I walk. "H, I see white. what is that?" It was my deer. H can track a deer 200 miles away. Just as I had thought I cut the liver (it was mush) and nicked the far side lung.
It was a barely 6 pointer ( small brow tines) in partial velvet. I call that a trophy.
SIDE STORY: 3 or 4 years ago, at the Tennessee Classic I brought down a mostly rotted osage stave ( found this log on the farm, I had owned the farm for 10 years and I didn't cut it). I thought some crazy person might see a bow in it. The first crazy person I meet (he's making a "hole in the limb" bow" from some twisty piece osage, is Blackhawk. I asked him if he wants the stave. The next March, Blackhawk shows up at my Moon Tree Gathering. I asked him if he ever make a bow out of that rotten stave. He says, "Yes. I'm done with it you. It's yours," And what a beautiful bow it is. From that point on, my goal has been to take a deer on Moon Tree Farm with the Blackhawk bow, "Bluegrass Hole". Today, I did just that.
