Trad Gang
Main Boards => PowWow => Topic started by: Ric O'Shay on October 13, 2008, 09:38:00 AM
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The week had been unusually tedious. I had been looking forward to spending the 3 day weekend hunting in Oklahoma for several days. The Friday tedium was extended and multiplied as I fought the northbound traffic to Dallas. Seems it was also the weekend for the Red River Shootout. For those who are not familiar with that term, it is the annual Texas/OU football game at the Cotton Bowl and it is always held during the State Fair of Texas. Most every true Sooner heads south and all the Longhorns head north on Friday to converge on Dallas. This, multiplied with the everyday 5 o'clock traffic and an idiot that couldn't drive across a bridge without hitting the guard rail left me sitting dead stopped in a 6 mile parking lot named I-45. Four hours later I managed to pull into camp. My hunting buddy, Bill Turner had been there since early Thursday and was patiently waiting with a glowing campfire and a cold adult beverage.
The alarm clock sounded its Saturday morning wake up call at 5:15am. After several minutes of stretching muscles, listening to old cracking joints and rude bodily noises from Bill, we both were ready to head out to our respective stands for the morning hunt. Bill had put up a new stand in some bottom land near a creek and was anxious to hunt it. There were several rubs within 25 yards of the stand and he had seen a nice doe the morning before. My stand was about 400 yards to the east and near a ridge where there are several game trails. I had hunted this area the year before and saw many deer. I knew the area, but not the exact location of Bill's stand. We decided that about mid-morning I would ease over to his stand and meet him there. Bill gave me directions and we went our seperate ways in the early morning darkeness of Southeastern Oklahoma.
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Danny sounds good so far.Are you sure you didn't wake up in my camp sounds like some of my guest and maybe me sometimes.Carry on.Kip
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Can't wait for the rest of this one...
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I don't kow anything about rude bodily noises but Danny's bones and joints make more noise then the train roaring down the nearby track. He says he carries an oil can with him to quiet his stand, but I think its for his knees. :banghead:
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Let's go huntin'!
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The pathway to my tripod stand led me across a rocky creek bottom and then up a long since abandoned roadbed. Following a scant trail through sections of hardwoods spotted with open areas of grassy prairie lands led me to the top of the ridgeline where I turned and followed the fence line westward. Anyone familiar with the terrain of Southeastern Oklahoma, specifically the Ouichita and Kiamichi Mountains knows that a walk in the darkness can be treacherous to say the least. The rocky ridges and escarpments coupled with hidden rocks in the sometimes waist high prairie grass pose a stumbling and falling hazard in full sunlight let alone in the morning darkness. After 20 minutes of exacting steps, I reached the stand and settled to await first light.
The clear sky was decorated with a miriad of stars. As I gazed to the East, the slight glow of morning sun began to creap over the hilltop. A family of tree rodents (squirrels) began to stir from their nest above me and I became occupied with their antics. One came headfirst down the tree trunk and stopped less than 3 feet from the top of my head. The quizzical look on his face seeemed to say "Who or what are you and what are you doing in MY tree." I chuckled to myself for a moment. It was then the brief levity of my silence was broken by the unmistakable sound of a deer shuffling through the dried grass below and to my left. I watched as a nice doe meandered her way around trees and through waist high grass about 20 yards from me. All I could see was the top of her head as she casually strolled her way through the area. She stopped occasionally to bend down and extract a choice morsel from the ground and stand there chewing. I watched her for better than 15 minutes just wandering around staying in the trees and high grass and never offering a clear shot to the vitals. At 7:20am the floor show ended as a slight breeze swirled. She blew, stomped her foot, raised the white flag and fled to the West in the direction of Bill's stand.
After seeing nothing for the next hour and a half, I climbed from my stand and headed towards the area where I'd meet Bill and see where his new stand was located. I went back up to the ridgeline to the South and found the fence line then turned West once again. 300 yards later I came to the point where I once again would start back down towards Bill's stand. As I neared the creek a doe jumped from a bedding area in the tall grass. She acted strange as if she were hurt. I immediately thought that Bill had shot the doe and I had inadvertently forced her from her bedded area. Sick at heart and knowing for certain I had spoiled and extended a tracking job for my friend, I turned back to the West away from the doe. I would leave her alone and skirt the area and approach Bill's stand from the opposite direction. I felt truly disheartened at the reality of jumping a wounded doe and ruining things for my friend. I dreaded having to tell Bill what I'd done.
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I headed West for about a 100 yards then turned to the South towards the creek. I followed the creek back to the East and approached Bill's stand from the opposite direction than what he had expected.
(http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e285/bard9l/Billinstand.jpg)
I saw Bill and waved to him and then approached the stand. About 15 yards from the stand, Bill motioned to me and said to back up about two steps and check the area for his arrow. I knew then that he had shot the doe that I had spooked from the bed. Once again my heart sank.
Bill removed his head net and I could see he was excited. As he spoke I noted a tone of doubt in his voice. "Danny", he said, "I've been waiting in this stand since 7:05 this morning waiting for you. I didn't want to get down and start any tracking because I was afraid of the shot placement. I hope I didn't screw this up, I wanted to wait and make sure he had plenty of time to bed and bleed out before we started tracking. I didn't want to jump the gun and I know with both of us can track better than only one." I told Bill that I had messed things up for him in that I had jumped his doe from the bed and it would now be a difficult track. "Doe! I didn't shoot a doe. I shot a pretty good buck. He came from behind the cedar tree to my left. Stopped, scratched himself and started walking quartering away from me. It happened so fast that I never heard the bow or saw the arrow." Whew! was I ever relieved..... We began tracking and almost immediately found blood and the front half of the arrow. We found a doouble blood trail about 24" apart indicating his buck was bleeding from both sides. Every 20 steps or so I flagged the blood trail so we could see the backtrail. After 20 minutes of tracking and flagging I saw a small sapling with blood all over the side of it. I turned to Bill and said "He's weary and should be down soon." As I turned I looked ahead and saw horns. Bill's buck was down for the count. He had waited for two hours for me to show up so both of us could enjoy this moment together.
(http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e285/bard9l/Deer.jpg)
Bill and his Saturday morning Oklahoma buck.
(http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e285/bard9l/Billhisbuck.jpg)
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:thumbsup: :archer:
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Bill got him field dressed as I headed back to the truck. It was better than a half mile back to the truck over some pretty rugged terrain and I knew these two old codgers would need to have a cart to get this deer out. I arrived back with the cart and we got the deer loaded. This is what hunting buds are good for.
(http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e285/bard9l/Whatfriendsarefor.jpg)
Notice the entry and exit wounds in the two pics. Bill used an old green Bear Razor Head given to him by Fred Balmer from Virginia. Here is where Bill needs to step in and his side of the story. After two hours of pushing, pulling and sweating and multiple rest stops, we made it back to the truck. I needed a change of clothes a cold bottle of water and a rest.
(http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e285/bard9l/Tired.jpg)
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Nice deer congratulations.
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Way to go Bill nice buck :thumbsup: Ok Ric what about the doe?? Great story so far!
Brent
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Congrats, great story and hunt!
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Great story, great pics, great buck!!!
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Danny, aka Ric O'Shay on TradGang, is such a good story teller I thought I'd let him do the honors. As for the doe he saw, I never laid an eye on her. What Danny thought was a wounded deer was one waiting for us to return at a later date. Hopefully that will be next weekend, because the following two weekends the public land where we hunt will be closed for a youth draw hunt and a adult rifle draw hunt. There is no archery access at that time.
As Danny indicated, the deer was taken with a Howard Hill "Wild Boar" long bow and 625 grain cedar arrows tipped with a old, green Bear Razorhead, passed on to me by my bowhunting mentor, Fred Balmer of New Kent, VA. Fred is a died in the wool traditional bowhunter who can no longer pull traditional equipment because of a shoulder injury. He sent me his old, used razorheads and told me to kill one for him. I felt like Fred was sitting with me in the stand when I shot this buck. While sitting around the campfire Saturday night I called Fred to tell him the news. He was as excited as I was about my taking this deer with his long retired broadhead. Thanks Fred for introducing me to this great sport of traditional bowhunting some 38 years ago and thank you Ric O'Shay for always being there when I need you. :thumbsup:
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Good-going!
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Just like Bob Hope and Bing Crosby... :thumbsup:
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Nice job! Congrats.
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Great story, gave me the chills! Congratulations, I hope to be sharing a similar story very soon!
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Just a superb story and pics.. Thank you for sharing it with us..
John III
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Way to go guys!! Doc
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Thanks for sharing!
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Hey Bill,,
Congrats on the buck!! I've shot that Hill Wild Boar that you own,, awesome shooter,, I'm glad to see shes worked out for you,,Frank
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Wow. Very nice deer, good pictures and a great story to go with. Congratulations :clapper: :clapper: :clapper:
OK danny I guess you are up next so Bill can tell the story, Hey Bill at least you shake after the shot cause I always shake before I shoot
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Congrats :thumbsup:
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Nothing Better!! Shawn
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Congrats Bill. Good hunting story and nice buck.
Dennis
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Congratulations....great story and pics
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very nice , congrats
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Well done Gentlemen, well done.
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Could not have worked out any better !! way to go fellas.
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nice shot, Bill!
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Congrats Bill and thanx for the story guys...very cool!!
I had the pleasure of hunting with Bill last year in Tx....top notch fella for sure :notworthy:
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Nice story, and good memories to look back on....
congrats.
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Great story!!!
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Awesome! Great story, great buck, great shot.
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Great story! Thanks for sharing your wonderful hunt.
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Great job guys, that's a beautiful buck. Great story!
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A nice Okie buck! Congrats. Southeastern Oklahoma is a beautiful part of this state. Again, congrats! :clapper:
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Thanks for sharing,good story,good friends,good ending.
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2 pals can have a great hunt even if no deer are shot.
A guy could go on a hunt alone and take a nice buck and have a great time as well.
There is something special about 2 friends sharing that moment.
Way to go team Texas!
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Awesome guys !!!