Yeah, that thread by Guru a couple weeks ago when he hunted during gun season on his folks property kinda struck a cord with me. So, I decided to go back home myself this year on NJ's gun opener, back to where I grew up,back to where I built my first treestand at age 12, in 1968. Back to the place where I killed my first buck a year later. Back home.
Unlike Guru, I had to hunt solo, Dad's been gone for 4 years now, and my little guy is livin' large out in Wyoming. At least Mom is still there, living in her dream house they bought in 1950.
I had been scheduled to work today, but the boss told me to take the day off and that we'd start the new job Wed. Cool. I had been daydreaming about taking my recurve and hunting Turkey Hill on the 6-day firearm opener, and now I could.
It was forecasted to be in the 20's with a high of 34 today, not bad, except the wind. 20-30 mph with gusts to 40. Perfect. Mom's place sits in a little hole with a brook running through it.
I went there Sat. and checked it out.Not much sign anywhere. The spot up by the "holes" was where I was thinking I'd go. But. Man, down there on the "flat", close to where I had my original treestand, was talking to me. So I slept on it.We go over there every Sunday for dinner anyway, I'd set the stand up then.
The guy they bought the place from had planted a bunch of Norway spruce way back when. Perfect for a bowhunter to stand in in late fall. This is the one I picked out, it's about 50 yards from my first one.
(http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z304/Owlgrowler/DSCN0368_833.jpg)
See that opening to the right of the spruces closest to the road? Well, there used to be a maple tree there, that's were my old treestand used to be. My first buck came through the opening between the spruces,and dropped with a load of 00buck in the neck at ten yards.
(http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z304/Owlgrowler/DSCN0369_834.jpg)
Back to the present. I get in my stand well before daybreak, listen to the wind blowin' and reminice of opening days gone past. I think I finally figured out how to keep my feet warm. 2 pairs of wool socks, Schnee's warmest pacs, hand warmer packs on top of the boot toes which are now inside boot blankets. And I can still move around on the old Lone Wolf silently. I'm here for a day long sit.
It's just getting light enough to see and I decide to hang up the bow, move my pack down to one of the screw-in steps and take down my pull-up rope in case one comes in behind me. I sit back down- there's a deer out in front of me about 40 yards, ease up the binos, doe.
After a kind of disappointing fall bow season, I had decided that the first buck I get a chance at today is going down. Well, she's acting a bit jumpy, wind is swirling, I had just been making some movements/noise, who knows, maybe some other hunter bumped her out. She walks out of sight to my left.
A minute later, here comes 2 fawns. And a buck. Adreniline pours into my blood, I swear, as I get older, and that happens, my heart feels like it's going to blow!
So, they're all feeding, doing deer stuff, the buttonbuck is pretending to spar with the antlered buck, and they just keep heading my way.
They get to about 15 yards, the edge of the spruces to my left, no shot, and kind of hang up.Here comes the doe. Right in behind me. Hits my track and trails me right to my tree. But she keeps right on going. A couple minutes later the fawns leave the buck and join the doe. They all know something's up, but they aren't sure what it is.
He's still at 15 yards, blocked by branches, he takes a couple steps closer, stops. Then he jumps! runs a couple steps, stops at 10 yards. No shot. Here he comes, I start drawing back...
Your right... You did read Guru's thread... :biglaugh:
Well, lets hear the rest.
Tad:
Those were the days in Jersey.. OO Buck.. man you are dating yourself. What county is this in?
Great pic's by the way. Now I am waiting.....
Nice pictures..good story telling! :campfire:
:campfire:
Time flys by. The last time I stood on my parents place on opening day of shotgun was December 9, 1969. whew
Anyhow, he's on a steady walk now, and every step I'm pullin' the string a bit tighter. 9 yards,8,7,6. The string is on my face. He's got one more branch to walk out from under. I do a quick mental checklist, I'm anchored and everything looks good. It's close and the angle is a bit steep. And he's quartering to me slightly. But, it feels right and I know I can kill him.
He takes the step. The string slips off the glove. Remember, I'm shooting off the left side of the tree,(I'm right-handed),and kind of behind the tree, (good thing I moved my pull-up string). The last thing I can recall was feeling the bottom limb of my bow just "tick" my left knee. Damn
More to come
Hey Bruce, it's Hunterdon county, you a former Jersey boy?
Anyhow, back to the story. I hear the arrow hit him and he mule kicks and is gone. Behind me and out of sight in a split second. I send a little prayer after him, please don't die in the middle of the road, or go across the road and die in Ken's yard. Just stay away from the road!!
Well, so much for being in it for the long haul,the all day sit. Clock said 6:52.It was a dark morning, snow flurrying, even darker under those conifers. And my eyes aren't as sharp as they used to be. I couldn't be sure where I hit him. It didn't crack, so it wasn't a shouder blade. Looked like it was behind the shoulder, but my arrow wasn't sticking out of the ground. I don't know. But, I was thinking he was dead. Then the first shot of the day rang out, right where he was heading. damn
The doe and 2 fawns had jumped a bit, but they were still right out in front of me within 50 yards. The doe was intent on finding me, the buttonbuck could care less about anything except maybe finding acorns, and the doe fawn was totally captivated by something out in front of her that I couldn't see. Maybe another deer, maybe another buck, maybe another big buck,...hey, I have another buck tag (the blood lust was taking over), so I nocked another arrow.
But, nothing showed, the doe fawn relaxed and they all went up on Mom's lawn hoping her flowers would bloom again soon I guess.
At 8:00 I decided to get down and see what I could find.
First jump
(http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z304/Owlgrowler/DSCN0370_835.jpg)
He stopped at 30 yards, 2 holes in him anyhow, no arrow.
(http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z304/Owlgrowler/DSCN0371_836.jpg)
Right after that he turned away from the road,whew, but the blood flow was slowing down. Time for some breakfast with Mom. Do a couple chores. Kill some time.
Tad:
Bergen Co. Right up in the NE most corner. Moved away foe school and ended up here in Southern Illinois. Still got a bunch of buds back there.
Had family in Belvider in Warren Co, and of course hunted woodcock and grouse in Stokes and around the Flatbrook area and even out to the Water Gap.
Man I remember those buckshot days.....
Good read so far... keep it commin
He didn't want to go up hill and he was heading for the brook, good. Blood was sparse. But, now I knew what the doe fawn was looking at. He was out in front of me the whole time.
Looks like he went down, jambed the broadhead in the dirt and broke the arrow.
(http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z304/Owlgrowler/DSCN0372_837.jpg)
He was bedded here.
(http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z304/Owlgrowler/DSCN0374_839.jpg)
100 yards out in front of me.If I had glassed this area I would have seen him! :knothead: Propably got up when I walked out, my attention was due south, he went east.
And now he just went off the property. This could get ugly.
Ok im hooked.
All right, he's heading right for this house.
(http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z304/Owlgrowler/DSCN0349_815.jpg)
Hold on, do you see what I see?
How bout now?
(http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z304/Owlgrowler/DSCN0350_816.jpg)
Holy shhh shed.
He looks like a good one to me from here.
Oughta be able to drive close to haul him!! LOL :clapper:
:bigsmyl:
Zoomed in on him. He looks to be a dandy :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
So I just saundered on down there, grabbed an antler and got 'eem the heck outta there!
(http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z304/Owlgrowler/DSCN0353_819.jpg)
(http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z304/Owlgrowler/DSCN0356_822.jpg)
Great day. First one with a bow during gun season almost 41 years to the day of my first.
And the coolest thing of all, look how he resembles the first.
(http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z304/Owlgrowler/DSCN0387_852.jpg)
You big buck hunters will get a chuckle out of this next pic,shows what's on the back of the plaque, proves that I've always been into it, way before "horn porn". The mind of a 13 year old in 1969.
(http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z304/Owlgrowler/DSCN0388_853.jpg)
Then, just to keep the mojo going, I gutted him with a knife I made from my Grandfathers meat cleaver, going to be gift to my cousin Ben.
(http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z304/Owlgrowler/DSCN0385_850.jpg)
Hope you all enjoyed the story.
Bravo :clapper: :clapper:
Excellent story and pictures! Thanks for taking us along...
Most excellent! :notworthy:
Yup, enjoyed the story and the sentiment. Now the knife for your cuz has been christened so perhaps it will bring good things for him - good lookin' knife!
Way to go man...
But how quick was the drag????
Wow!!!
REALLY COOL STORY!!! Great pics too!
Thanks! :thumbsup:
Cool story and pix! Congrats!
:thumbsup: :thumbsup:
Congrats! Nice read :)
Thats a fun story. Nice job, beautiful buck, and great story telling!
Nice one Tad, congratulations !!
Great thread, nice deer. Congratulations.
congrats! Great deer and story/pics
Congratulations and thanks for sharing your story! That is too cool. :thumbsup: :clapper:
Congratulations! What a great story! There's no place like home...
Great story, boy i hate it when the deer fall in the yard of a possible PETA member :biglaugh:
Good job. :)
Reading that got me thinking, so I texted my mom to see if she's been seeing any deer at her house this fall. Killed a bunch there when I was younger.
Great story.
doug77
Great story and pics. I enjoyed it.
Congrats.
Huck
Loved the story, great job, and congrats!!!!
David
oh yeah! very good story and cool hunt.
Congrats! Great story and pics!
Pretty Cool. Didn't know NJ had trees :knothead:
Congratulations on a hunt and reliving your first buck :clapper:
Sweet looking Predator too!!! :thumbsup:
Very nicely done!! Thank you for sharing!
God bless,Mudd
awesome Thanks for sharing.
awsome story!! but i wonder why on earth did that buck head tward that home and shed? instead of cover or somehere else? odd...
Well told.
Red Shaft... That is cover in Jersey....
ha ha ha! thats funny.
Good story,congrats.
that was good. :thumbsup:
Great story and deer....Phil
Great picks and story Congrats!! :thumbsup:
Well done sir :notworthy:
Tracy
That's a great read. Thanks for sharing your memorable hunt. an congrats on your successful hunt. :clapper: :biglaugh:
Great story, great pics, great hunt. I have a family place like that that I havn't been to in years...I think you inspired me.
Eric.
p.s. Beautiful bow
Thanks for sharing a wonderful story!!
Congratulations
GLENN
Great story! Is that a Predator you are shooting?
That was great! Congrats on the deer and thanks for the story.
Congrats! Nice shooting, and thank you for taking us along! Enjoyed it a lot!
Very nice. Looks like the 1st buck's gene is still in the area. Wonderful nostalgia going on in this story. I'm from Jersey too until 11 years ago. I still hunt there all the time. Congrats!
:clapper: :clapper:
Congratulations,great story and old memories.
Cool Story, nuthin like goin home!
Wow, great adventure. Thanks for taking the time.
:clapper:
Great story! Thanks for sharing.
:clapper: :clapper:
:bigsmyl: :thumbsup:
Congrats,you reside in the best part of Jersey for sure.Add it to the Jersey deer thread for 2010.Great job :thumbsup:
http://tradgang.com/noncgi/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=094688#000000
That was great!! Thank you and congrats on your buck. :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
Great hunt, great buck, and a story well told! :clapper: :clapper:
That was an EXCELLENT read! But you gotta stop walking around with your old mount bro. That's gotta be tough in the tree stand.
:bigsmyl:
Very cool!
Congrats :thumbsup:
:thumbsup: :clapper:
Well Done! Nice story telling too. :thumbsup:
Hey Guys, thanks for all the kind responses, WOW, overwhelming really.Some funny stuff too. I want to give a shout out to my new friend, Thomas Burns, aka hogdancer, who also inspired me. You see, he selflessly gave me, a comlete stranger, a membership to the PBA last week. And by doing so, I've decided to leave the gun on the rack,(I've been a Life Member of the NRA since 1984), and hunt only with the bow from now on.
Anyhow, I didn't include a list of equiptment used. Pittsley Predator,(I wish he would become a sponser here, hint, hint), Surewood douglas fir shafts,tipped with a Tusker broadhead modified by yours truly to be single bevel left, purchased from Braveheart.
(http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z304/Owlgrowler/DSCN0375_840.jpg)
And a Kanati quiver
Not sure how I missed this one, but that was awesome!!!! Thanks very much for taking us along!
Now thats a story!!! Congrats Joe
I thought that looked like one of Ron's bows.
Did you mean PBS ?
PBS,PBS,PBS sorry Steve and Thomas, I am so tired... PBS
Thanks for sharing! :thumbsup:
Tad, I never tire of your pic's of that Predator. It has to be one of the best looking ones I've ever seen, and I've had a few. Super shooting bows. Congrats on a special harvest. Even though your two bucks are 41 years apart it's scary how close those racks look together.
Great story! Congrats...very cool. - Mark
That was a heart pumping storie all the way through..Very cool..I bet your Mom was proud..
Very good story. I enjoyed the read and pics. It would feel strange to me hunting around houses like you guys do in Rural areas.RC
Nice story. Congrats and thanks for sharing.
Very Nice Thanks
Great Story. Thanks for sharing.
chris <><
Now that is a nice story. Congrats and thanks for taking us along for the ride. :thumbsup:
Good Job. It was fun to follow along. There's some real story tellers here.
Better score on this buck. Maybe mid 40's and P&Y this time.
Great story and pics. Nice ending also, congrats.
Earl
Good story! Thanks and bravo to you! :clapper:
Great Job ! Thanks for sharing
I enjoyed the adventure