Trad Gang

I guess it's like a good book...we get a chapter a night.      :archer:

Ha.    :)

Very nice!!

I love this next 2011 hunting story! Yup, I'm starting it with that. It did have a huge effect on my 2012 season, you will understand why after. The evening I shot the spike on October 29 2011 I wanted to share my story  and started calling everyone that could care to share in my excitement. When you call a hunting buddy there is usually an exchange of the most recent information that goes along with any primary reason for dialing that number. I called some hunters and word was the bucks were on the move. Excited i called my brother Dan and told him to give the winter wood pile a break and get in the woods hunting. Dan heats with wood and he gets a great big pile of it under the roof before the snow sets in.

(http://i.imgur.com/NXfwPo0.jpg)

The next day Dan took an evening hunt and rather than sit in his ladder stand like normal he took his longbow to a new spot for a ground hunt. There is an enormous beautiful thicket that use to be a goldenrod field when Dan was 10yo. It's shaped by property lines and holds deer like we all understand. Almost yearly without fail it is surrounded by large rubs and scrapes, this year was no exception. Near his ladder stand this thicket comes to a corner, at this corner there happens to be a huge fallen tree. Dan settled in behind the fallen tree all in camo with a head/face net, facing the thicket for the evening hunt. He took the time to pull all the leaves away under and around him to keep his movements quiet.

 (http://i.imgur.com/bTJgbvK.jpg)

After some time passed he saw movement coming from the north along side the edge of the thicket. Time reviled it was a group of three does. As they came closer Dan prepared for a shot that was not to be. The does came into thirty yards or so but knew something wasn't right and picked a safer direction to wonder. With the does gone and the sun having set my brother decided to give rattling a try. He keeps a set of small 8 point antlers in his backpack most all the time. He took them out and did a short reasonable sequence with a few grunts. Immediately after he finished he could hear walking in the leaves from the direction of the thicket but couldn't see a deer so he turned and prepared for a possible shot. After a minute or so the walking became quiet and distant so after another five minuted had passed he tried the horns again thinking he had little to loose as the day light was fading quickly. Dan tickled and clanked the antlers together and added a few grunts and instantly again here came the walking, louder,louder, this was it! This time he was coming.

    As Dan turned on his knees to situate him self with the log he pushed the antlers clear and raised his bow arm slowly, checking he had room to draw. The walking was steady and growing louder still he couldn't see a deer. Hunkered down low behind the log, he reminded himself to not shoot the few small trees in front of him as the buck came into view from the thick cover on a steady walk, moving by the log Dan hid behind. It was not until Dan had to lift his whole body up to shoot that he realized how low he was hunkered down as the deer came in. As he raised his arm and put increasing pressure on the string, he focused on the bucks large chest moving between the 4" small trees and when the timing looked right he gave a soft mouth grunt. The buck stopped in his tracks a short ten paces away, clear of the trees and turned his head toward the large fallen log hiding a hunter at full draw. The arrow covered the short distance in a flash and with a loud WHAP! buried deep into the bucks right side, he turn and bound away crashing through the brush, making more noise at a distance as he traveled, then a large crash followed by a deep, long silence. Dan sat back on his heels quietly and drew a deep breath of cool evening air, silence and suspense filled the woods around him.

Fantastic Tale, very well told.
It's an impatient bunch here, but you're telling it like I hope to be able to do - dragging it out.
It's a while off to the Fall anyway, What's the rush?
You'll probably have this wrapped up by the end of the month...won't you?

Replaying things in his head Dan felt the shot was true and the noisy crash was the deers last movement but he tried to take some time putting his gear together before starting to look for sign. After a little time he went to where the buck stood at the shot. It was obvious in the leaves and dark dirt where the deer turned to run. In a few steps more good sign was in the leaves, there was an obvious blood trail to follow.

(http://i.imgur.com/Z9sMu3d.jpg)

Thanks a lot Tom. Yes,ha... all the tellin will be told by then. I was very eager to tell my first story here, I have enjoyed so many others. I waited till after hunting season to start so I had the time to do it the best I could. Before I started typing it I never really intended it to be this long or about 2011 at all but there were so many things that happened in my first year with a longbow that added to the story behind the story of the Hurricane Buck that I just wanted to tell it all. I guess this turned more into my traditional journey than one hunting story. Thanks for reading along with me...

In the back of his mind he still worried about jumping the deer out of a bed, not wanting to make any mistakes with his first traditional deer he really tried to go slow and easy. 20 yards from where he shot the buck he found his arrow in the leaves laying beside the blood trail. He picked it up and carefully held it, it was covered in blood end to end and fully intact. To that bow hunter, it was a sight of hard earned beauty, his first traditional arrow shot at any deer. Considering it retired all ready he put it carefully in his quiver and continued on the trail.

(http://i.imgur.com/hobwer0.jpg)

It was about this time I called my brother on his cell phone to see how his evening hunt went. He was on the blood trail and had not found the deer yet. lol I threw question after question at him and it sounded clear to me the deer had expired but there was no rushing Dans progress I think he was really enjoying the tracking, the woods, the night... simply the moment. Well, I said, how big is he ? What is he? I'm not sure, Dan said. I can still remember my brothers excited chuckle as easily as my impatiens to be there with him but I was at camp in Cuba, NY and he was two hours to the north in Barker, NY... so I left him to track. As much as I can be irritated by a cell phone at a dinner table or a campfire, sharing an otherwise missed moment like that seems priceless. Without physically being there with him I was there as things unfolded almost real time. The next text picture forced an audible gasp out of me and when Dan answered my phone call he was laughing. It was a laughter I couldn't hear enough of, one born of emotions... relief, joy, excitement, pride, and more.

 (http://i.imgur.com/XSpDblq.jpg)

We laughed and talked excitedly as he sat there in the dark woods with a head lamp on that big bucks antlers as he held them in his hands describing them best he could to me. This was Dan's biggest buck ever with any weapon, I was so proud of him! It had taken him thirty minutes form the first text photo to the last to recover the buck, it took me two beers under the cabin porch. He retold the story and I asked every question I could think of. 8 points, 18.5" wide. The Shot was perfectly tight to the shoulder as the buck crossed from left to right. The 150 grain Magnus Stinger serrated with bleeder blades on his arrow penetrated mid cavity through to the opposite side, not quite puncturing the hide on the opposite side. There was some rib bone damage I can't remember exactly but the pictures tell an impressive tale. Before we were off the phone I asked for more photos, he happily sent many, here are some more.

 (http://i.imgur.com/UMGBcYn.jpg)
deer as found.

(http://i.imgur.com/66gz4Sb.jpg)

Tell your brother congrats, that is one impressive deer takin by any weapon and on the ground to boot,

(http://i.imgur.com/na5jNG2.jpg)
9:21pm safe in the garage, look at that smile!

There were plenty of telephone calls and pictures sent back and forth but it wasn't until the 5th of November that I was able to get my hands on that rack. Dan and Jeremy loaded some hunting stuff in a truck and came to visit me at camp. I was eager for their company and we had a great visit over the weekend.

(http://i.imgur.com/i6u5SXl.jpg)
A campfire and a shared story, could it be better?

WOW! You both will never forget that night!

The archery season was still going and I was still hunting but I couldn't help but to become reflective about the change and growth we all experienced in 2011. I still couldn't get my head around Dan's courage of going totally traditional. To me, in my mind, he deserved that buck. He committed early, shot a lot and was rewarded for it. I was proud of my 5" spike but the difference in those two sets of antlers were vast and mirrored our commitment to traditional archery in my mind. Not always in life does the reward so blatantly match the commitment and effort, but to me, this was clear and simple. If I wanted more from the sport, I had to give it more heart and passion first.

:campfire:

Through the season of 2011 I was trying to hunt areas I thought some of the larger bucks I had captured on trail camera photos might be without much luck. I had seen a total of 4 different bucks from the cameras while bow hunting but none of the top 5. One afternoon I was a little frustrated and wanted to try something totally different, some place different, just mix it up and have fun. Through the season I kept seeing does exit from the same spot of this thick area that was logged some years ago. I decided to try and set up on the ground with the long bow getting the wind the best I could. I shot well at lunch with great concentration knowing that my next hunt was hours away, I was excited!

I gathered my gear and headed out into the woods. It was a nice evening with a typical southwest wind. As I moved into the area I scanned for usable cover. As luck would have it there was something left of a logged tree top not far from where I expected the deer to exit the cover and the wind should be ok. I set up, pushed leaves around, trimmed some small limbs, and settled in for the wait behind a good sized trunk suspended off the ground by its limbs. I didn't expect them to come till last light and that's when I saw the first movement. Slowly and cautiously they came from the cover feeding as they closed the distance between us. I had managed to trim two shooting lanes in the cover I was in. One was 20 yards in length the other was 10 yards.

As the two does came out of the side of the cover they kept their direction and headed the short distance to the end of my 20 yard lane. By the time they just started to enter into it I had long since been turned and ready to go, I only had to wait for a good shot angle. they turned and moved right on the edge on the lane but never really walked completely into good shooting position in the clear. It was exciting and tense as they turned back the way they came. Once back to the face of the thicket they started walking toward me and the 10 yard lane I trimmed. I slowly turned for the next shot as I felt I could and so far had managed to go undetected, the wind was even better for me when the deer changed direction. As I finished the rotation on my knees in the dirt to face the shooting lane the deer continued feeding on course and it appeared I would get my chance.

Closer, closer, bow up pressure on the string and the lead doe walked into the lane perfectly broadside and relaxed at 10 yards where I hoped she would if they took that deer trail. I knew what to do to stop her because I've done it twice before this year. As she walked into perfect position I simply started to draw slowly, she saw the movement and stopped perfectly still looking at me. That big plump, belly sagging doe never twitched, dropped or moved until the razor sharp two blade Magnus 150 grain broadhead fluttered through the millimeters of air over her back line! UGH!!! My Goodness!! The arrow slammed harmlessly into a rotten log so hard I actually had to cut the broadhead out with my small folding saw. It was an awesome exciting hunt and I loved it, I really did. I think if that deer was 15 -20 yards I would have killed her dead but she wasn't and so I missed again at ten yards, the second time that year. That was the third and last arrow of my 2011 archery season.

(http://i.imgur.com/4un2ANn.jpg)

:thumbsup:    :thumbsup:

:campfire:

:campfire:

What happened ?

:campfire:

I work long shifts and had to do a few. I'll be back :)

After completing my second Ironman Triathlon in Lake Placid NY on July 22, 2012 my attentions were turned to the timber and fields. Normally my father, brothers and I start growing our hunting beards the first Sept just for a fun tradition. I didn't shave after July 22, thinking my biggest hunting beard yet would bring me a little more mojo, Ha.

July 26 At Roy's advice I made my first trip to Denton Hill in Pa for the E.T.A.R. bow shoot. Awesome, I was blown away, can't wait for 2013!

Caught up and waiting for more!

Bisch

(http://i.imgur.com/uIdno0F.jpg)

August 17 I went to the Hawkeye traditional bow shoot shot all day then spent the night at camp and went to Denton Hill for the P.C.B.F bow shoot the next two days. Lots of wheel bows this time and my first shot at a target was 40 yards lol but a great time in the 3D woods. I bought Dans two boys and Jenna traditional bows at that shoot, new strings, wood arrows from 3 rivers, and back quivers.

(http://i.imgur.com/03UCErG.jpg)
Davids new Trad bow
 (http://i.imgur.com/uwLa2oR.jpg)
My father bought a locally made Osage long bow to shoot with us. We were talking about traditional everything so much that my best friend David, who always shoots the fastest compound made each year, bought a Hill style longbow from a guy that bought it at Roy's shop years ago. Jeremy bought a nice left handed longbow out of the shop and wow did he shoot better than with the right handed ones! I really smiled when I thought how longbows had penetrated our little circle in the past year.

(http://i.imgur.com/yscYRqc.jpg)
measuring Jenna's draw and setting her up to shoot

(http://i.imgur.com/7mGGRmc.jpg)

My shooting was improving a lot over last year. The more arrows I shot it seemed the more I realized about myself, my form. Still sometimes my concentration was better than others but overall shooting was improving, groups were smaller.

(http://i.imgur.com/y32btde.jpg)

September came to the woods and I called my brother Dan from camp with a nervous declaration. I told him this year I would hunt the entire archery season traditional with my Cascade longbow! He laughed a little and said he was waiting to hear that. Being the good brother he is he had been pestering me about it for some time.

(http://i.imgur.com/XUu2pl2.jpg)
this is me,brother kennys photos are easy to spot!

(http://i.imgur.com/fhksHn6.jpg)
Dan's son Steven shooting his new bow.

My single bag archery range at camp had evolved a bit. I now had three hanging bags, a small ladder stand to shoot from, a dirt hill with Styrofoam cooler top for out to 70 yds, and an intimate knowledge of more stumps than I thought there could be. Of course the native chipmunks are actually my favorite part of the archery range.
  (http://i.imgur.com/OXm0Jyy.jpg)


  (http://i.imgur.com/FE0eNNn.jpg)
stump known as "the weasel"

(http://i.imgur.com/enkyLD1.jpg)
the dirt mound with shots of 30,40,50,60,&60yds


  (http://i.imgur.com/XSedUrG.jpg)
Jeremy calling the next shot of 30 plus yards from the out house seat.

  (http://i.imgur.com/sZDai4k.jpg)
his view from inside...
The three of us shot for hours and hours more than one trip to camp. Taking turns calling 4-5 shots the rounds became more creative and difficult as we went. We laughed and cheered at arrows flying through the air until someone needed a rest.

(http://i.imgur.com/kjSnWz0.jpg)
Brother Dan

This is good stuff.

Trail cameras were out and I had a really frustrating time with some of them, lost weeks of potential pictures but the good news was Sly was still alive and I was getting more photos of him than last year. His rack changed some, no kicker/sticker points this year,just a heavy 10. I'm unsure how old he is though, I first saw him in 2010 and he was huge then. The 8 point he was hanging with really blew up with a year of growth!

(http://i.imgur.com/lAMZLXG.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/YGaJ4kV.jpg)
2012 8pt always with Sly, look at his brows?! look like same 8 as last year? did to me. Bases look way bigger this year. What do you think? Same 8pt?

  (http://i.imgur.com/z5pKY7T.jpg)
2011 8pt trail cam to compair

(http://i.imgur.com/zi0JSr2.jpg)
Sly 2012 zoomed in

(http://i.imgur.com/6pzMKmF.jpg)
the boys after dark. Grrr! lol

There were a lot of other good deer on trail cam that were 2.5 or older but I don't want to fill pages with photos these two were one and two that I knew of.

It's also notable that I missed Sly with a 30-06 rifle still hunting his bedding area in Nov 2011. All I heard was a small branch break and I turned to see him running in thick cover as he crested a small berm. It was a quick shot but I can still see the cross hares on him in my mind.

Entering the fall of 2012 I had seen that buck a number of times one way or another and I wanted him in the worse way. All the sightings were in a core area. I knew he was there but couldn't seem to be in the right place at the right time. Unfortunately I wasn't alone in my quest as is the case for most of us i'm sure. I have plenty of competition during bow season and cringe when ever I hear a gun hunter smacks a big buck. I don't know how they do it but some how he survived another year and I felt fortunate to have another year to go after him.

Keep it coming!

:thumbsup:

Really, REALLY, enjoying this!
 :clapper:

(http://i.imgur.com/lA7Y3wg.jpg)

Before the archery season opened I mailed Dan's boys and Jenna a few gifts. Partly because kids like gifts, like mail, and partly just to tease. On some of the gifts were specific messages... but the basic premise was that Jenna couldn't open hers until I scored somehow with my longbow.
(http://i.imgur.com/GCceqQL.jpg)

Back
(http://i.imgur.com/57cK7ib.jpg)

I remember her saying "Well what if it's a bad year like last year?" I said well uh, last year wasn't that bad but we can have a safety clause in there. Ok, if I don't kill anything with the long bow by the end of the extended bow season then you can open all the gifts. Well she felt satisfied with that.

(http://i.imgur.com/DiOpd9t.jpg)


(http://i.imgur.com/vJyDVC3.jpg)

Our 2012 Archery Season opened 1 October this year! I felt a little nervous but really excited. I had been there so much all ready camp looked perfect as you pulled in the long driveway, I love that! I was as prepared as I would be this year. It was time to move into the woods at camp and attempt to soak up enough fall moments the next three months to last a year.
It was time to be a hunter again...

(http://i.imgur.com/5bRcuO3.jpg)

:campfire:

:campfire:
what a great tale! Can not wait for the finale!

Enjoying the story!     :campfire:

:campfire:    :coffee:

:campfire:    :archer:

You're killing me here. Ok, bring it home! lol

Our 2012 season opened October first, two weeks earlier than ever in the past and that was not officially decided or released until rather late.
I'm not complaining but as far as seeing game those early weeks turned out to be tough going for me.

By the very end of October I would describe my 2012 season to this point as hard fought and sparse. I had seen some deer but had plenty of days that I went without seeing one. Most of my action was created while still hunting and/or stalking a spotted deer.

The number of deer I was seeing did seem to be down but I knew there were good bucks in the area from my trail cameras. This season I was hunting on the ground even more, it's reached a point where being on the ground is easily the majority of my time afield.

I like still hunting but honestly some days I don't seem to possess the patients to move that slow and deliberate but then there are the other days. I have killed a number of archery deer on the ground and last year shot my first traditional deer with my Cascade longbow from a ground set up using a portable, folding, 2'x3' flat blind.

This year I really wanted a still hunt harvest and seeing how my action was slow I tried often. There is a large golden rod field maybe 500 x 500 yards with lots of beds and sign throughout it. It has scattered patches of cover, a small cattail drainage pond, islands of small thick tree groups, pine patches, a small corn field partially harvested, and enough contour to help a good hunt.

When the conditions were right I had been through the field partially or thoroughly after morning hunts many, many times. Once putting up a pair of does with no shot and the same spike three times.

The spike was truly a gift for me. I saw him enough and spent just enough time crawling after him that I began to believed I could sneak a deer on the ground. That might sound silly but in my mind there was a large separation between all the articles I had read of great stalks and all the photos of unaware bedded bucks with hunters looming over them and the view over the longbow in my left hand.

I believed great stalks happened but despite trying I didn't really believe in my heart there was a deer waiting around the next blown down tree top for me... over time that little year and a half old spike changed that feeling and that simple feeling changed how I moved through cover.

The first time I saw him was October fourth, the first week of the season. I had gone through the goldenrod field without encountering a deer. Arriving at the small corn patch I elected to travel through the 8' deep drainage ditch to the left that paralleled the standing corn along its side.

I took my time and was quiet, checked up over the banks right and left when a vantage point  seemed to present itself. Reaching the end of the corn in a hundred yards or so I peaked over the bank with my hat and face net covered head. 250 yards away was a lone deer feeding along the face of the woods, just milling slowly around.

(http://i.imgur.com/51VIWeI.jpg)

It honestly pleased me to see a deer, the first one of the day and while stalking with the longbow! The wind was blowing from him to me but it was open cut hay field and going way around was really far so I watched for a bit. As he fed around the hay field he was slowly coming my way, I was pleasantly surprised. I was comfortable and waited.

As he was about 100 yards out and you could see his 10" curving spikes nicely. The thought occurred to me he might actually be feeding across that field to the corn and if he did that... well the far side of the corn was 30 yards from the ditch bank, all he had to do was enter the end of the corn and I would have my shot!

As he came closer, inside 80 yards I was ready for a shot. I had situated myself up on top of the ditch bank in a small patch of goldenrod left uncut from the hay field. I was on my knees sitting back on my boots, bow in my left hand resting on its end, arrow on the string, I watched him come closer.

He had come all the way across that field, 30 yards from the ditch walking broadside to it and headed directly toward the corn. I was on the ditch at the face of the corn waiting. When he was 30 or 40 yards from the face of the corn he looked up from feeding in the grass, he seemed to be looking into the corn.

He started walking faster then trotted and loped a little.My bow came up and I pulled the string a little as he crossed 30 yards in front of me trotting excitedly to the opposite side of the standing corn. UGH... Once he was out of sight I jumped out of my little weed patch and hurried to the opposite side of the corn. Peaking my head around the corner there he was walking slowly, directly away.

I slid around the corner, dropped to one knee and as I drew the bow I grunted a little to loud! I couldn't believe it... as I my finger was anchoring into the corner of my mouth at full draw that spike stopped and turned left to see what was behind him, as he came 80% broadside I stared behind his shoulder, elevated a little and the string slipped from my fingers.

As the glove rested on my cheek I watched in slow motion as the arrows fetching climbed in trajectory racing toward the motionless buck, slowly it started to descend in height closing the distance, dropping down on to his chest then below and still lower, striking the plowed, overturned dirt behind his front legs. A clean miss, to low.
He whirled and ran out into the field snorting and loping high as he went. I rested there on one knee watching him go out of sight.

As he left from sight the rest of my environment filtered back into my consciousness. I rested on one knee looking around at the beautiful sunny October day, the big green hay field, the dry corn stalks rubbing their long, brown, dried  leaves together in the breeze... no place I would rather be... not since I was 16 yo.

The shot was 40 paces and a little far but i wanted to shoot and so I did. The hunt was not really a true stalk to me but more a matter of being in the right place at the right time. However it was noon and last year I would have been back at camp with my boots off relaxing, I was proud of making a better effort this year, hunting harder. Like uncle Bud said "Can't kill your buck at camp!"

:thumbsup:

The second time I saw the spike I was almost looking for him! We all know deer like corn but I saw how excited that spike was when he looked up at it and started running. If that's not what he was thinking well he sure created that illusion in my mind and since perception is reality in the hunting woods or at least my next best guess I was standing at the middle end of that 30 yard wide standing corn patch, arrow nocked, head net on, with the next stiff wind we had in my face the following week at 1230 in the afternoon.

I stared into the noisy corn thinking I should pick a course but it's only 30 yards wide so the middle seemed best, in I went. I was surprised how easy it was to move quietly with a good wind in my face. To say this shale dirt, Amish made corn patch was weedy would be the under statement of this story. The grasses and cover growing between the crooked rows of corn came over my knees at times.

This was a small patch but thick and nice, I moved slowly forward, stopping frequently to look hard and long for a deer. It was fun and because it was so small It was relatively easy to go slow and make it last. Nearing the last 20 yards of the corns 100 yard length I had not seen a deer but lots and lots of sign.

As I scanned ahead I noticed an open little circle maybe fifteen feet in diameter, ten yards from the end of the corn. The opening was choked with tall, dark green grasses. As I stared in and around this little spot I thought well that's were I would be, so I looked longer and harder... nothing. I remember taking the time to look around the portions of the hay field I could now see as I neared the end of the corn... nothing in the field either.

I moved up toward the grass patch trying to look through the corn around it, it was difficult and thick, I saw nothing. I had just stepped into the  grassy area and thought I would look to see if there were in fact any beds here when there was an explosion of deer. The Spike was there, bedded in that nice little grassy area and I never saw him. He erupted up and out in a most shocking manner and so close it was amazing.

In a moment, 15 short yards, he crossed left out of the corn, toward and down into that 8' deep drainage ditch. I drew and wiggled around in between the moving corn stalks trying to anticipate him climbing out of the deep ditch for a beautiful shot that just never materialized.

He did climb out and not that fast but the corn was over my head, around my head, in my face, I could have loosed an arrow but not the shot I wanted as he crested the far ditch berm at 20 yards and walked into the field on the opposite side. Ha  I'm always impressed, a motionless deer can hide!

As I crossed the ditch in pursuit he stood in the face of the woods watching me safely from 50 yards, flickered his tail and walked off seemingly not impressed. Not knowing where all the other deer were I was really growing fond of this little buck!

The title of this thread made me think this was an older thread...foolish me.  I finally opened it today.

Great story.   Loving it like the rest...

:campfire:    :coffee:   Great story.

The next week about the 20th October I met the spike for our third hunt but not our last time together. I was on rout for an evening hunt and to get there I had to cross within 100 yards of the back of the hay field. On a whim I deviated from my course to peak out into the back of the field. Often I've seen deer in the back of the field eating, out of sight from any roads or trouble. As luck would have it tonight was no different.

As I stood in one back corner looking way over to the opposite back corner I could clearly see a deer feeding. Couldn't tell what it was but it looked like a fair bodied animal. The wind was so calm It hardly picked a direction as I blew the wind checker over and over at the field edge.  So I had a choice to make. Go set up and sit behind the blind in the spot I was headed for or stalk this deer... I picked the bird in the hand even though it seemed a low probability hunt, it was still action.

I left the corner of the field and quickly, quietly circled back 50 yards into the woods behind the field. Cutting the distance in half I poked my head net covered face and hat into the field, I couldn't see him. I waited... couldn't see. It took me a moment to realize that this portion of the field held just enough subtle contour to hide the deer from me, however it also was hiding me from him. I stripped off my backpack and extras just inside the woods.

Entering the field there was a faint wore down into the ground tractor path that was a small gift with it's hard pack, smooth ground and tall uncut goldenrod edging along the field side of it. I could move almost to fast and silent... In no time I was close to the corner but still no deer. Maybe he walked into the woods I thought? I really slowed and looked carefully as I moved closer crouched down as if I knew, or believed, or simply hoped he would be there.

Cover was getting thinner as I came closer to the other corner of the field and gained elevation, slower, closer, then a faint brown back line began to emerge, and a head lifting and looking to my left into the hay field. It was my spike! He lowered his head and I closed some more distance as he grew out of the grasses and weeds the closer I came to him. I love this deer, I thought, as I smiled and closed a little more.

He fed steadily and kept a regular look out into the field by lifting his head but as soon as he lowered I closed what I could. He wasn't moving much but I was going onto higher and higher ground as I progressed. My tractor path was no longer lower than the rest of the field. It came to 40 yards and it felt like it was decision time.

He was to far for a good shot to me and I was out of good cover as he fed facing directly away from me. I scanned between us for anything and saw a nice cluster of goldenrod and weeds half way between us. It could not truly provide hiding cover for me to get from here to there but I made the quick decision it was the red line. If I could get to there undetected I would be inside 20 yards away and from there I would find a way to kill him. There wasn't a doubt in my mind as I thought fast and acted on my thoughts.

I waited for him to raise his head and when he lowered it, without true cover, I moved silently part way to the clump and lowered down low as I could to a crawling position with my longbow in front of me. He looked up across the field, back down his head went, my feet moved. It took a third cycle to get to the clump of golden rod but I was there now as he faced directly away, feeding at less than 20 yards.

When he looked back across the field he turned enough to offer a quartering away shot but was looking for danger and I couldn't move safely. When he lowered his head for some reason he turned and faced directly away each time. I guess I was waiting for him to break his pattern or offer me an unaware shot into this chest but unknowingly he was waiting for that faint, fickle, swirling wind to give me away. His nose found me before his feet helped me.

He turned to face my direction, not positive where I was, jerking his head right and left, even walking closer to my position before jumping twice to my right and placing himself safely in the woods, he did then take the time to give me a final snort good bye. As I stood there in the back of that damp Hay field I thought... That was a stalk! I felt decisive, quick, carefully bold, hidden, everything I could think of... besides deadly. I was all smiles! This is what I wanted this year, I was on the ground and learning. I love that Deer!!!

I'm in no hurry for this to end. You're making my day up here in the cold and snow.
You're psyching me up for more on-the-ground hunting this coming season.
Sooo, what's next....?

Ha, Thanks guys! I'm enjoying the tellin! :)

Great story. You should do this for a living. Looking forward to more later.

It was a few days later until I saw the spike again. A hunter from a neighboring cabin told the story. From the story, he was hunting from a ladder stand 50 yards off the hay field with his compound and the spike came in before good light. He took a shot, hit him somewhere and the deer left into the darkness. Getting down immediately he found the buck with a flashlight bedded beside his 4 Wheeler 20 yards from the stand.

With blood every where the deer got up and ran off not to be seen again though several bloody beds were found later on the track before it too was lost. The story was two days old when I heard it but I took in as many details as I could and went looking. I found what was left 4-500 yards away from the stand, 2 legs, hair everywhere, some hide, couldn't find his head and antlers, I wanted to but couldn't.

I like those hunters plenty, that's not the point and there is a lot more I could say that would stray us thoughtfully farther from how I felt that day.

I considered leaving this part of the story out  but it made me very reflective of what we do and how we do it and what we get from it in the end. In time, It made me grateful!

It seems clear we are all coming from somewhere different, looking for something different while we are here, simply creating a different journey through the woods and life.

Lets travel onward :)

I'm out of stories, only one left to tell. The story of the Hurricane Sandy Buck!

You're a great story teller!  I almost felt that I was with you as you were approaching that spike!  Looking forward to the story of the Hurricane Sandy Buck!     :clapper:

Bernie Bjorklund

NC Iowa/SW Wisconsin

I just read it all today, forgot about the title!

Bring on the Hurricane!  Nice piece of writing bud.  Fair to say we have all enjoyed your tale.

  :jumper:   :jumper:

Looking forward to the sandy Buck.  I am feeling saddened by the loss of the spike. Thats a testament to your good story tellin.

I can't help but smile as I read.     :bigsmyl:

You definitely have a gift for telling a story James.  I'm looking forward to the final chapter.... but that will be a little sad cause the story will be over and I won't be scanning the powWow everyday looking to see if there is any updates to the Hurricane Sandy Buck thread... which has been by routine ever since you started telling your tale.     :)  

  :campfire:

great story telling.  I'm looking forward to the rest of the story.  :campfire:

You have condensed the trad spiirt for me into your two year journey.  Working to master the bow and learning that when afield with a trad bow you are hunting, and all the animals you pursue are trophies.

What Tsalt said!

I'm in for the duration!

Bisch

Thanks Guys! Really Appreciate the words! :)

Great story.   Can hardly wait.  :campfire:

:bigsmyl:  Ready for the final chapter. and then a new book.

One of the best stories I have heard. I can't wait to see how it ends, but at the same time I had to see it end.

If you remember the end of October was Hurricane Sandy's visit to New York. I woke early in the morning on October 29 and had coffee to a stiff north wind outside the cabin. With the prospects of rutting bucks in mind I was determined to hunt, so i looked over drawings of my spots and picked the most favorable for the wind, gathered my gear and set out.

 (http://i.imgur.com/WBpyNUA.jpg)
my set up (on a different day)


Dawn broke through the timber to find me set up on the ground in a natural depression, behind a large angled  tree base 100 yards off the golden rod field. It rained on and off but it was the persistently strong north wind that dominated the scene, growing in intensity as the morning passed it became impressive. At 9am I had not seen a deer, the rain turned from intermittent to steady and then from steady to heavy. I stood there looking up at the canopy of limbs crashing together with debris falling and trees creaking. It sounded terrible and I thought to myself... why the hell would a deer want to be in the woods like this, I sure don't.

It was becoming the kind of windy woods that just sounds dangerous like a big, heavy tree branch could come crashing down on you at any moment. The thought did occur to me since the woods was so noisy maybe the deer would bed in the goldenrod field?! At about 10 I gathered my things and loaded my backpack after exchanging a few pieces of gear like my hat for dry and warmer stuff.

I took my shooting glove off  since I would no longer be able to keep in dry in a pocket, exchanging it for the matching thin swade/leather glove on my left hand. It wasn't until then that I realized just how wet I was. You know the kind of soaked that everything just hangs off you with a weight and there are no more hidden dry patches in your gear? My gore-tex jacket, pants and boots simply didn't matter any longer. My wet base layers of good gear continued to provide enough warmth to be outside and hunt longer.

I thought of the wood stove at warm, dry camp and pictured my hanging gear dripping near the stove. I thought of how long it takes to properly hunt the whole field and all the cover structures within it. I thought of 12yo Jenna after listening to story after story of the Spike saying for weeks now that I was going to shoot my buck on 29th of  October/today because that was her birthday and then it would be both our best days! lol  I thought about Uncle Bud and hunting hard. I decided to hunt the field.

:campfire:  its getting warmer in here !

QuoteOriginally posted by Hopewell Tom:
I'm in no hurry for this to end. You're making my day up here in the cold and snow.
You're psyching me up for more on-the-ground hunting this coming season.
Sooo, what's next....?

YEP YEP  :thumbsup:

I am definitely with everyone else, this is a very impressive read along and I find myself checking it for updates daily.  Thanks for sharing it

Traveling toward the field it was clear making noise was not going to be an issue with the howling wind and steady, heavy rain. Considering the wind direction I mentally planned my rout through the field from one cover patch to the next, I had done this many times from different directions. There were literally puddles of water at every depression in the ground as i made my way to the field edge. I stood in a spot where I've hunted behind a ground blind just inside the pines on the edge of the field taking it all in.

(http://i.imgur.com/EhARp8X.jpg)
where I stood (different day photo)

The patterns of rippling, wave like wind through the vast expanse of goldenrod. The whitish haze in the distant parts of the field from sheets of rain falling from the clouds to the ground. All the many contrastingly different sounds of rain falling both slowly from my beard to my jacket verses splattering rain being driven into soft and hard objects, like a collage of wet sounds forming an almost unheard background of textured noise.

The almost angry and deliberate sounds created by the winds pushing and forcing itself  through the white pines and scattered red oaks around me. Although familiar to me this scenic view today was also very different and intriguing. Standing there I felt hardy and resilient, grateful to be able-bodied and doing what I loved.

I took my time looking around the portion of the field I could see and to remember where I've seen the deer beds in the past and consider how the wind might alter my rout. I had gone through this field so many times and not saw a deer I have to admit I really did not expect to see one today but I did like the feeling of trying under these conditions. I entered the field and kept right along the face of the pines moving slowly through the wet goldenrod toward the first patch of cover 80 yards away.

(http://i.imgur.com/vqzZOn8.jpg)

cover patch of small trees from middle to right of photo.
I entered into field from distant pines in middle of photo walking along pine face towards cover patch


 (http://i.imgur.com/yKZ3Gya.jpg)
field view 180 degrees from top photo

The majority of the cover consisted of various height saplings up to 10 feet, they were close enough together to make it difficult to maneuver through. It was maybe 20 yards out into the field  from the pines, hour glass shaped and filled with goldenrod and grasses between the trees, some bushes along the edges. As I approached from this direction I thought it best to cut through the center or narrow point of the hour glass leaving at most 30 yards of saplings to my right and 30 yards to my left, with approximately 15 yards of depth through the narrowing .

(http://i.imgur.com/Uwtjr38.jpg)

I slowly walked to the side of the cover and then continued toward the narrowing in the middle. As I entered into this narrowing it was like turning a corner because the saplings had blocked my view. Two steps into the cut and I saw light antlers clearly in the wet dark goldenrod, I saw a head and ears motionless facing away. In the fraction of a second it took my soggy mind to realize it was a live bedded buck i dropped into the goldenrod as low as I could.

He was no farther than ten paces and his antlers stood out clear as can be. He was bedded in the middle of that narrowing facing into the wind, only goldenrod between us. Through the golden rod I could see he had curved main beams and tines and that looked like a big upgrade from last years 5" spike.

:campfire:   I love it. Great story. Thanks for taking us with you.

I was shocked to be so close undetected, this was a first for me and my mind raced with thoughts. I felt like with every breath I drew that deer would surly discover me and bolt to safety. The thought that I was taking to much time came next and I decided all I had to do was draw my longbow as I stood and then shoot when I could see the bucks shoulder. After a quick look at my bow, arrow and broadhead to assure it was free of weeds, I put my feet at a better angle then some tension on the string and started to rise.

My heart raced and breathing was deep as I slowly elevated out of and finally above the weed cover with my eyes fixated on the deers head and ears. I fully expected him to snap his eyes around to meet mine and explode out of the cover but he remained absolutely motionless as I came all the way to my feet and an anchored full draw. I couldn't see!!!  His body, even at 10 yards was totally hidden from view. As I eased pressure off the string my stress level shot up instantly and I quickly lowered back into the weeds to hide.

How could this be?!?  Even now as I hid low in the weeds, looking through the goldenrod I could clearly see his motionless antlers and ears, the top of his neck. I decided to try again, to look harder or better. I slowly rose to my feet again as I drew my bow, searching for a body outline but there was none to see. Frustrated I sank back into the weeds to hide again. My mind raced through options. I could shoot blindly to the right or to the left of his head, 50/50 odds, ugh no! Bad!  I could shoot him in the head?! At ten paces I could hit that spot. I decided to do it!

I looked at the motionless rack, to their bases and then the ears, picked a little spot between them and started to rise out of the weeds for the third time drawing the string as I elevated, up higher I came,  pulling smoothly to anchor and full draw, staring hard at that little spot I picked.

I don't remember the release but in slow motion the arrow flashed through the spattering of dark weeds toward that little spot and there was an explosion of deer upward and out, my eyes widened and I dropped into the weeds looking ahead. The now standing buck bound away once, then turned and stood facing me. I thought fall down!!! Looking at his head I saw no blood, no arrow, no wound, he was still standing motionless looking to my right. Did I miss???  I didn't kill him?!?  

I reached for another arrow from my quiver staying low as I could, nocked it as best I could in the thick weeds. I looked back to the deer and he was still motionless, 15 yards away facing me head on and to the left side of the cut. He started swinging his head to the right and the left searching for something he couldn't find. I managed to get an arrow on the bow and position myself to rise and shoot when he turned. If he went to my right the cut would provide an opening for a shot, if he turned to my left he would instantly be behind the saplings and safe from any possible shot.

As I kept thinking right,right, the deer stood with a motionless body and continued erratically moved his head to the right and then to left in a jerky manner, trying to pick up anything abnormal.

I could see his antlers well now. He looked to be a 2.5 yo 14" 8pt, 4/5"tines, two tines broken off his right side. He stepped once, started turning to my right, then stopped, stepped twice the other way and turned left a little, stopped, turned back and angled to the right a little, stopped, head looked right and left, UGH!! Come on, I thought!! He snorted loud, stomped his foot, jumped to my left and started running, he was instantly hidden behind the saplings! UGH!

I jumped out of the weeds and ran back the way I entered the cut and around the cover patch only to watch him run and trot 150 yards across the field and into the woods I hunted this morning. Wow! I was shocked. I was excited and bummed. I really believed I could hit him, it was a small target, but I believed.

Oh this is to good!    :jumper:

As I walked back to where I took the shot everything on me started feeling wet and heavy again, my stocking cap, jacket, I could make a fist and squeeze water out of my gloves. It was easy to see the smashed weeds where I shot from and moved around in. I moved to the clear outline of the deer bed, it was less than ten yards from where I shot, wow.

Three feet away and centered in front of the deer bed was a thumb sized sapling freshly cut by my broadhead, I never saw it through the goldenrod. I knelt down and took off my backpack, that little tree was coming back to camp as a souvenir. I cut it with my folding saw and strapped it to the side of my backpack, shouldered it and started what turned out to be a long hunt for my arrow. It took forever but I found it a ways past the deer bed buried down  flat to the ground.  Walking back and forth from where I shot, the deer laid in his bed, the arrow stopped, I tried to put the pieces together.

This was the best hunt ever! I tried not to make excuses and be honest with myself as I held that broadhead cut sapling in my hands, coulda, woulda, shoulda! I didn't cut a hair on the deer, it was a clean miss. I pulled out my cell phone and took pictures as best I could in the rain. I spent a lot of time walking around that little area with the photos, cutting the little sapling, and looking for my hidden arrow. I was just more lingering now, part of me didn't want to move on, I was still taking in the moment, the hunt.

As I stood in the goldenrod, in the wind and rain of Hurricane Sandy, I admitted to my self In hind sight I was shooting at a very small target. The buck never so much as flinched, yawned, or moved until that arrow went by him. He had no clue I was there. I probably could have walked up closer, probably to 5 yards and put an arrow through his lungs. I remembered well that exciting but paralyzing feeling of being so close but that was all me, he was simply bedded in a field during a storm. Final answer... I thought to my self... I should have walked closer. I thought of Jenna and telling her the story, that made me wish I didn't miss more. I was fortunate and grateful for the opportunity, awesome. I gathered and organized my soaked gear spread around the trampled golden rod, strapped and readjusted my backpack. Standing there in the rain I munched on a Cliff bar looking around the field trying to let more than the rain soak in. It was after 11 am, I had spent over 30" matting down the weeds in that little patch of cover where I shot.

HOLY SMOKES! (mouth agape here...)

I decided to hunt the rest of the field.

I nocked an arrow standing at the cut in the middle of the cover patch. Rather than walk through the cut like I had originally I passed it and walked toward the other end of that same cover looking along the pines and into the field toward the next island of cover I would stalk to. I had walked no more than 25 or 30 yards from where I shot reaching the end of the saplings, when I looked left around them, I saw light colored antlers standing out against the wet dark goldenrod.

I dropped low into the weeds as quickly as I could, He was no farther than 10 yards again! As I stared through the weeds I was truly dumbfounded! He was noticeably larger than the first buck. I could definitely see there were more tines and a couple acorn like swells on some tine tips, I noticed a crocked tine not matching the others. His rack seemed opened angling toward me?! How could that be possible? He looked less hidden by the goldenrod and I thought... trees, look good for saplings! I did, there were none, it was clear to the deer this time, only a four foot bush to his right. I could not see his body again. So okay, just like last time I thought, draw as I rise and shoot his chest.

His antlers worried me, they were facing me 45 degrees to my left but rock solid still. If he would have seen me already at 10 yards he would be gone, right?! The wind, the rain, the hurricane, this was some kind of unrepeatable gift. Ok, I'm taking to long again, I thought! I slowly came out of the weeds drawing my bow as I elevated. All the way up and almost to anchor and I can't see the bucks body! I look and look, nothing. Back down into the weeds I go, how is this possible?! After standing I was sure now, he was definitely facing me at an angle and the feelings of getting busted any second swelled up in me like a rising flood.

I tried to think, walking closer FELT impossible so I came back to the idea of taking a head shot. I really felt like I could hit it. I decided to do it! I looked below the base of his left antler, behind where his eye should be, in front of his big ear, that perfect little spot...ok  

slowly I rose above the weeds drawing as I elevated, staring at that little motionless spot, higher and higher, I don't really remember the release, like slow motion the arrow fetching flashed through a spattering of wet swaying goldenrod and there was an explosion of deer up and out. I remember taking a step back as he elevated he was so close, so big, going so high, he went straight up into the air, higher than a standing deer, he went up on to his hind legs, rotating his back to me as he rose up and then started tipping toward me into that 4 foot high bush he was bedded beside. He landed in it thrashing back and forth water and blood flying every where until he fell completly back to the ground near motionless on his back with no arrow visible, blood turning the side of his wet head a deep crimson red, and his big white belly up to the sky.

That was a trigger! Having seen a big motionless white belly before with poor outcomes, It snapped me back into action. I quickly pulled another arrow from my quiver, nocked it, looked back up to see the deer laying on his right side moving to try and regain himself. At less than 10 yards I drew and put a second arrow into his left chest behind his shoulder. At the impact he pushed up again with his hind legs and jumped in the goldenrod but landed in a great big heap rolling and turning making a matted wet circle in the weeds.

As I hurried to nocked a third arrow he repeated this hop,crash, fall down, roll, a second, third, forth time till he was into the cover of the saplings thrashing around, snapping and cracking limbs as he faltered and moved around. I quickly circled around as he struggled with his antlers stuck in the saplings. I moved inside the patch of choaked little trees to 10 yards dropped down on one knee to shoot through a slot under some branches and shot a third arrow, striking him behind his right shoulder angling up crossing through his chest cavity the broadhead pierced through this hide on his left side.

:eek:    :eek:    :eek:  

More! More!

At the impact he reacted violently again breaking the 9' tree off cleanly that his antlers were stuck on. I remember clearly the top tipping and falling over into the cover slowly. He went back to the the hoping, falling, rolling two, three, four more times and came to rest beside two small pine trees. I nocked the forth and last arrow in my quiver, the one i shot and cleaned mud off of after missing the first buck. I walked over 10 yards away and lowered on one knee in case I needed to shoot again but he took his last breath and was still, rack sticking up out of the goldenrod.

I sat my bow down in the weeds and lowered to my butt sitting in a puddle of water in a steady, windy rain just looking at my best traditional buck killed still hunting in a goldenrod field at 10 yards on our worst day of weather Hurricane Sandy would bring. I was exhausted, emotionally drained and I just sat there for some time, not moving closer to the deer, I was feeling a lot of things and wanted to take it all in.

(http://i.imgur.com/1SvJQgt.jpg)

Moving closer the buck was a 15" ten point with 4-5" tines and some nice character. The arrow had hit his skull exactly where I was looking and broke off flush at the deers hide and at the start of the threading that goes into the arrow. There was a lot of blood soaked and running down the side of the his head, I tried to wipe it off with weeds for the photos. I couldn't help but wonder if  I could have walked closer waiting for a lung shot but at the time I did what felt best. It's certainly a learning experience being that close on the ground.

I've shot bigger deer but this was my greatest hunt by far. Looking over the area it's hard to acuratly describe the scene all the matted goldenrod, broken limbs, broken trees, smashed bushes, and arrow pieces to pick up. The deer was actually beded facing me on a old wood chip pile to stay out of all the water laying on the ground. All I can guess is that he was taking a nap with his eyes closed or he would have seen me walking up to him. He never moved a bit until the broadhead struck him. In the stress of an unuasual hunting situation and moving deer I hit him three times with three arrows at ten yards! lol that sounds like not a lot to be proud of but after my ten yard misses in 2011... I,m really happy with that!

(http://i.imgur.com/c2EM2g3.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/crJSolD.jpg)

Awesome story!

Congratulations.....I truly enjoyed your trad journey.

It was around noon when I managed to get the Buck back to camp and hung up, the rain let up some and I was able to get some photos with a better camera than my cell. I was happy to get inside the cabin and take off all my wet gear to hang around the wood stove. It was the first time I started to really feel cold that day. I opened up the wood stove and added some more wood, a couple seasoned pieces of hard wood never felt better.

(http://i.imgur.com/elFlZ76.jpg)


(http://i.imgur.com/qrJx16C.jpg)


(http://i.imgur.com/4bnTq4N.jpg)
2nd shoot

(http://i.imgur.com/tOFTX6S.jpg)
3rd shot

As I warmed up in the cabin with a cup of coco and reflected on my crazy day I kept looking out the window at my hanging buck. On the edge of the cabin clearing I caught movement, there was a deer standing, It was a buck. As he moved cautiously into the clearing he was going to cross 30 yards from my window, I know because he went past the tree I hang my practice bag. He was fixated in the direction of my hanging buck, but couldn't see him yet. I believe he smelled him as he came from directly down wind. I was really surprised, I also hadn't seen him before. I went for my camera as he continued slowly toward my buck. As I zoomed in on him he was a nice little 1.5 yo 8 pt, cool little deer!

(http://i.imgur.com/TVl2sbf.jpg)
I took pictures and video, and more pictures. He came 15 yards or so yards from my deer and just stood there staring at him. I wish I would have thought to bring my video camera when I decided to see how close I could sneak to him. I went out the front door and put a large white oak tree between us covering his head and stalked up 10 yards from him. I sat there crouched behind a stump looking at him, he had no clue I was there!

What a crazy day! Ten yards from three different bucks when I had such a hard time finding one previously in the season. I sat there crouched looking at the little bucks muscles and sleek coat and cool little rack. My legs were starting to fall asleep so I brought the little game to an end with some noise. Crazy day in the rain, I still shake my head thinking of it. I've often wondered how many deer were in that field that day? I'm unsure how long I'll have to wait till the next hurricane durring hunting season but I know how I'll be hunting and in what kind of general terain.

As I warmed up in the cabin again I had the fun time of sending emails, texts, and phone calls. I sent Jenna the first text from camp, she was so funny, " I told you... I told you! You shot my Birthday Buck!" she said. lol She was really happy, really cute. I made plans for lunch the next day at my mom and dads house with my two brothers Dan and Kenny. Dad loves fresh deer liver and well I love Dad enough to eat fresh liver with him once a year but the rest is all his.

I told Dad and Kenny they could split the deer if they helped me get it in the freezer bags, they quickly agreed to that since neither hunts much but still loves venison. I boned the meat out that afternoon and put it in a cooler. I spent five hours that evening drinking a few beers and cleaning the skull into a European type mount. It's a lot of work but for all the time I've spent with the rack in my hands since that day... well worth the time.

 (http://i.imgur.com/YafgGkm.jpg)

 (http://i.imgur.com/eINSJt0.jpg)

 (http://i.imgur.com/pIpdulS.jpg)

 (http://i.imgur.com/YkpSQ9R.jpg)
notice the missing bone piece at the tip of the broadhead. It looks like something to do with the inner ear maybe. The broadhead pushed it into the brain. the same piece on the right I couldn't begin to push in or move.

(http://i.imgur.com/xabdKs2.jpg)
dinner that night was fresh!  :)  

Lunch the next day was a blast. Mom, Dad, Dan, Kenny and his wife came, we ate liver, back straps, processed the deer into freezer bags and hung out together for the rest of the day.

             "THE END!"

Great story!

Congrats on a great deer too.

Bisch

Now that was a great story and what a character buck to boot. Congrats on your success on the trad journey.

Great Story, Thank You.

Congrats on an awesome journey and buck!

Jim, now that was a great story, the best one of the year.You told it so well and I felt like I was there with you. Looking forward to meeting you as well on Sat. for the hunt, again nice job.

:clapper:  congrats and great story very well told

Wow... that is a great story!   How cool to have that skull with your broad head imbedded in it!  A true trophy mount!    You will be re-telling that story for years to come.  
Thanks for taking sharing all the descriptive details and pictures... Really made for enjoyable reading.     :clapper:    :clapper:    :clapper:

That was the best damned hunting story I've read in a long time.  Really made me want to be hunting.  Every time you took a break from the story, I had to loose some arrows from my back deck! lol.  Thank you for telling it and congrats on a great buck.

:notworthy:    :notworthy:    :notworthy:    :clapper:    :clapper:    :clapper:  Great story, you sould be a writer.

That was fantastic!
Just what the Doctor ordered for a cold winters' two weeks! Felt great to be kept on full alert for those new pages added to the thread.
Thanks for making the time to "take us along".

:clapper:    :clapper:  Great story.

Wow!  Not a shot I would recommend but you pulled it off.  Way to stick with it (in many ways).

Great story!! Thanks for taking the time to write it. Congrats on a great buck  :thumbsup:

That is one of the best stories ever...wow.  Thank you.

I wanted to take the time and return a very heart felt Thank You! to everyone that followed and read, commented and encouraged me through out my story. I really appreciated your posts as this was my first Trad Gang story and most certainly the longest, in depth tale I've ever put to paper. I plan to use a link to the story as an invitation to my brother Dan and father to join the site and share the complete story as they have not yet seen it.

I loved adding the photos to the story, what a great site this is! Not owning a computer or being that savy on one I learned a lot along the way, thanks for your patients. lol It honestly took me the better part of a day to post my first photo and even then Terry had to fix one and Rob deleted another. Ha, I think I have it now! Greg thanks for telling me to use more paragraphs for ease of reading, I honestly didn't know what u were saying until I found myself using my finger on the screen.

I also wanted to clearly comment on an aspect of the story. Mark pointed out the white elephant in my story, and I agree, he posted "not a shot I would recommend but you pulled it off." A head shot is a low percentage shot and i'm relatively new to my longbow. It would have been easy to glance the broadhead off bone or some other way wound the buck. When I first sat to begin the story that was one of my first thoughts, the ethics of that shot.

I don't want to appear to defend or produce an excuse but rather say at the time it happened fast and a lot of emotions ran through me, I learned a lot last season. I anticipated and deserve that constructive criticism, I will leave that thought with a humble and honest... thanks for your honesty Mark.

This weekend I plan to have my first get together with Trad Gang members at Harwood Lake to bunny hunt. I'm really excited! I have looked at the hill hog hunt, the CA bear hunt and different gatherings so I see this as a cool first step in a long walk!

The site has stirred passions of making bows, arrows, stone points, so many things that otherwise would be so much farther out of reach than they feel now. For the generous sharing of knowledge and eagerness to post replies by those who know so much, thank you, very appreciated! Sorry this was a little long but I really wanted to say a few things. Best of wishes to you all,
Gratefully, Jim

(http://i.imgur.com/7iAjJUf.jpg)

Bravo!  I am sure there will be many more stories to come.

Jim,

That was AWESOME  :thumbsup:  
Everything from the first spark of the   :thumbsup:  

God Bless
Ben

Outstanding hunt.  I didn't come all this way to be critical of your shot.  Given your situation and the nature of whitetails you were denfinately in a conundrum.  You believed in the shot and executed.  Well done.  Personally, the thought of a nice buck spinning around with blood spewing from a head shot at 10 yards paints an amazing visual and shows courage, hunting from the ground.  Thanks for the story and welcome to TG.

~CB

:clapper:  Congrats, great story thanks for sharing.

Great job Jim. I cant believe this is your first try at writing. I enjoyed it very much. Congrats on a nice buck!

A well told story......but a head shot.....not trying to rain on your accomplishment, but you got LUCKY, 9 times out of 10 this story doesn't end well...it is probably the lowest percentage shot to be taken with a bow....maybe next time let em walk or wait em out.   Congrats on a beautiful deer especially for NY.  Looks like some beautiful property also.  Joe

That was a hell of a story!  Way to go!

Way to push the envelope!

QuoteOriginally posted by Chromebuck:
Outstanding hunt.  I didn't come all this way to be critical of your shot.  Given your situation and the nature of whitetails you were denfinately in a conundrum.  You believed in the shot and executed.  Well done.  Personally, the thought of a nice buck spinning around with blood spewing from a head shot at 10 yards paints an amazing visual and shows courage, hunting from the ground.  Thanks for the story and welcome to TG.

~CB

Hear, hear!!

QuoteOriginally posted by JoeM:
A well told story......but a head shot.....not trying to rain on your accomplishment, but you got LUCKY, 9 times out of 10 this story doesn't end well...it is probably the lowest percentage shot to be taken with a bow....maybe next time let em walk or wait em out.   Congrats on a beautiful deer especially for NY.  Looks like some beautiful property also.  Joe

Couldn't have said is any better...

Wow! I think you already understand just how badly that could have ended so I will say no more about the shot. But at the same time, that is the coolest story I think I have ever read on Trad Gang! Thanks so much for sharing it with us.

TTT

This one is worth bringing to the top!!!!

A great story!!!

Fantastic story! Congrats. I grew up hunting Western NY and those pics brought back a lot of great memories and lessons learned in the fall woods.

I was ice fishing at the time you put this story out, I don't come around often at that time of year. This is a amazing story. I'm so happy it was brought up and I came across and took the time to read through its entirety. Congratulations well put and thank you for taking us along on your journey.

Jim, I appreciate good writing like many here have stated and this is as good as it gets! You are obviously in touch with your environment when out hunting and to be able to communicate those deep, sometimes hard to explain feelings and realizations on the journey called hunting is- well special.
Concerning your hunts - not just the last one - congratulations!!! I love hunting from the ground and you guys did it up in spades!

Thanks for bring this story to us, and thanks for bringing it to the top!  What an amazing read. This was a story that had to be told, and you, sir, told it well.  As far as the first shot, it's hard for anyone to know what he/she would have actually done in that situation... easy to say what we would have done... hard to know.   Definitely a learning experience for you, I'm sure, and I'm certain it will be a learning experience for everyone who reads the story.  

Congratulations, and thanks again for sharing.

Thanks for the kind words guys. I loved sharing my story with everyone after spending so much enjoyable time reading here myself. Let's hope we can find our way into some more adventures this fall. Good luck everyone! !!

Great story and great read, hard to judge you on the shot. As has been said it is hard to say what a lot of us would do unless presented with the same situation. I myself was gonna take a head shot at a very nice 9pt. some years ago, as he was only 10 ft. and walking on a run right at me and I was in a top half of a ladder stand only 5 ft. off the ground. Luckily for both him and I he turned at the last second and I shot him broadside at 6ft. I make no judgement and congrats on a nice buck!! Shawn

THE GHILLIE BUCK 10/10/2013


   If the hunting season of 2013 was to have a theme for me it was the fall of the Ghille! The close encounters I experienced hunting on the ground in 2012 left me hungry for more of it in every way. To assist me in taking things a little farther this year I pulled out a woodland pattern, jute thread type ghillie suit I purchased the year before and had never used.

 (http://i.imgur.com/Jt5Ziyk.jpg)

It consisted of pants, a jacket and boonie hat with full face coverage. After some research I wanted to use the suit as a base or platform to add surrounding local vegetation to it, in a sense customizing it to that hunt, that hide specifically. In the six weeks and three days of the New York archery season I was off work and hiding every here I could think of.  Scent is still king but from my first encounters with game I was hooked on my newly broken outline the suit provided. Grab a coffee... make a coco... I would love to share some of my fall with you...

:coffee:

:campfire:    

I'm in no rush.  Your story telling is epic!  Interesting choice to append to the Hurricane Buck Story.

Bring it on...

~CB

I will be waiting patiently

Great story and great hunt! Congrats!

Great story ; thanks for sharing . Although I'd rather be caught hunting in my birthday suit than a ghillie I am looking forward to your tale with great anticipation !

Entering into last fall of 2013 the rhythm of all things traditional felt good to me. I started shooting a 60"  Zipper SXT longbow 51@28 that really agreed with me. I shot a long weekend at Denton Hill in July, camped with my dad for the weekend in Potters County at the Saw Mill shoot in Sept, really enjoyed making a dozen woodies for my Dad and brother Dan that they both hunted with all season, made myself a doz footed carbons from MFX blanks... nothing monumental but other than Denton all firsts for me. It simply felt like a little progress, like momentum...

  (http://i.imgur.com/Kk7rPsy.jpg)

Moving into Camp the begging of October is an annual ritual I look forward to more than  I need to say. Before the season opened the only real adjustment I made to my ghillie was the hat. I couldn't get use to shooting through the netting so I cut it out in front of my eyes and sewed it back some on the sides a little at a time until I liked the view. My plan was to wear various face masks to cover that portion of my face and that worked well for me through the different temperatures of the season.

  (http://i.imgur.com/lQY4yw0.jpg)

October first came and my season began.  Action was seemingly slow the first week but just being there and settling in was more than enough. My first close encounter with a buck came on the 10th. I was hunting in a woods 75 yards off the back side of a field. The woods had been logged years ago and two tree tops falling towards each other created a small constriction point that the deer like to move through. 100 yards away is an area that was clear cut about the same time. It's thick with blackberry bushes and brush to the point of being nearly impenetrable. That being said its a wonderful bedding ground that the deer do use.

If I stood in this spot with you and pointed out the field, the thicket, the trail with the nice scrape and perfectly broken branch over it, pulled the trail cam photos from this spot for the last three years for you to see, you would say O Ya!  but I have a history here. In three years of hunting it, only during the correct winds and even then not to often I have never had a deer come through within 100 yards of me. To make it more painful the compound hunters, with out permission, hunt this area relentlessly and regardless of wind direction, haphazardly entering their stands through the field scattering deer on their approach... and yet still kill bucks here every year.  I have hunted this area almost more out of stubbornness than deserved loyalty, yet still, some part of me loves this spot... at least until the first series of grunts from another hunters tree stand break my morning solitude. lol

Man your killin me. Diging out the snow today wishing I was in the deer woods  great story. And pics  . Can't wait for fall   Your story and pics made my cabin fever worst .lol

In for another round! Were you using those BH's you got from me this past season?

Bisch

Wow! What a story and hunt!!!! Congrats to ya!

The pre dawn morning of the tenth of October was 43 degrees, calm and clear. The stars were out for my morning cup of coffee, the wind was a minimal 4mph from the southwest. After gathering my gear for the morning hunt, I slipped on my backpack, grabbed my longbow and I was out the door, into the remaining night. Traveling through the darkness of an early fall woods without the aid of a light is a simple pleasure to me. It may sound counterintuitive but I feel as though I see more without the modern technology of a magic light on my boots. Lightless... the stars pop from the gaps between the overhead canopy of foliage, twinkling as I move forward.  The depth of darkness within the woods seems vast and great, cloaked by its embrace I feel connected, belonging, simply another predator.

This early in the season 43 degrees felt cool and refreshing as I traveled through a long valley then up a hill side. The last couple hundred yards are extra slow. Nearing the field on a quiet night I like to be as silent as I can. Reaching my ambush spot I stand beside the stump and group of downed logs taking note of the wind. Its light but steady from the direction of the field towards me, drifting back down the hill I have climbed. I begin to unload my pack and set up in my spot. With a deep echoing four hoot call a Great Horned Owl announces his presence in the woods.

view looking back to ambush from deer trail, my back was to the tree in the middle of the photo.
  (http://i.imgur.com/R3oxxOa.jpg)

  (http://i.imgur.com/wqSbI74.jpg)
For this spot I use a small tripod type canvas top seat, its legs straddle the roots and rocks below nicely. To my back is a stump and y-split tree that I added a couple logs and cover to over the summer. To the right is the log end of a large black cherry top laying past me. In front of me where I expected the deer to travel there is a lot of low foliage, blackberry bushes, small trees and scattered general light vegetation. On a prior hunt I trimmed some plant tops and added a few leafy beech branches in front of where my feet will rest. This set up has an open feel for the ten yards between me and the tree on the opposite side of the deer trail, beyond this is the heavy brush of logged tops to the field edge. Ghillie suit on, I settle into my seat, lean back against the tree and wait in the dark for the tell tale grayness to appear over the skyline... as night yields to day the forest reveals itself slowly one shadow at a time. I take an arrow from my quiver and push it gently onto the string. My hunt this day... has begun.

Hi Bisch, I have not hunted those silver flames yet. I'm still using the 150gr two blade Magnus Stingers.
Thanks for reading along guys!

I was hoping you would tell your story on here Jim, I know the outcome and it's a great tale. You are a excellent writer and story teller , and your photos just add to the whole thing .

:thumbsup:

For me there is hardly a bad time to be in the woods but there is something awesome about the transition of day light from darkness and vise versa. As more and more light filtered through the sky and into the woods around me all seemed to remain still and quiet. The birds, chipmunks and squirrels seemed absent or waiting. The quiet night gave way to an unusually quiet, still morning. I can still remember how it felt... I sat still, back to the tree, bow in my left hand resting on the ground between my legs with an arrow nocked.

forward left view
(http://i.imgur.com/6Lpf2WN.jpg)


forward right view
(http://i.imgur.com/cm14vcH.jpg)


It had been just enough time for the sun to begin cresting over the hills behind me. I had to turn for a moment and look at the sunrise as the tree tops on higher ground toward the field came to life with the mornings first rays of direct sunlight. As my gaze returned to the field I did what we all do a million times a season... I slowly turned my head and scanned right and  then slowly left... I drew a quick little gasping breath... Buck!!!   seventy five yards out at roughly a forty five degree angle to my front he stood on slightly higher ground than me foraging only taking an occasional step, by far most of his movements were from his head bobbing as he fed, pulling at leaves on a branch and vegetation from the ground. With all the movement of his head I had a decent look at his rack. He appeared to be inside his ears width wise and had some tines that were not that long, he looked like a two and a half year old. He was the first buck of the season I had in a real hunting situation. He was without question on a prominent trail leading straight to me and through the constriction caused by the tree tops. The trail is seven yards in front of me, ten yards in front is a larger tree with thick cover behind it, if he comes he will be inside ten yards.

At first sight of him I had a flutter of emotion through my chest, drew a quick breath, then in a moment or two with some slow deep breaths... I calmed.
It was like he was taking a slow stroll through the buffet this morning. I had an unusual amount of time.  Slowly I moved the bottom of my bow around my left leg, still resting it on the ground I extended it as far as it could with my fingers remaining on the string and turned my body more right preparing for where I hoped he would cross. He continued closer... fifth... thirty... I could see his rack better, he was an eight point. It was the beginning of the season and I would have passed a spike, probably a four, maybe a six but honestly more than a big rack I longed for a close clean kill. If this buck gave me the shot he appeared he would I decided to take him.

At twenty yards out I had been close enough for a shot for quite some time, he kept coming with what I could describe as an occasional step and stride. His angle is what most concerned me, he was walking right toward me, no shot if he even kept his eyes closed, let alone looking forward to me often as he fed my way. At fifteen yards I began to simply be amazed the detail I could see on this animal, he was as relaxed and carefree as I have ever seen a deer.

At about twelve yards he stopped, still facing me, tilted his head towards his right flank and lifted his right rear hoof up to rub his face, his rack moving all around as he rubbed back and forth. Being that close at eye level was amazing!

At ten yards his seeming direct line toward me began to break to his left and into a more broadside position to me. For some time now he had been well within range but it was the angle of his body as well as his vision that remained the issue. He continued to slowly walk and turn in front of me, until he was at seven yards and not fully but mostly broadside. In the past I have had, surprisingly to me, good luck drawing slowly and having that motion stop an animal to look at me and provide a shot opportunity. This seemed to close for that, I would have expected him to bolt and stop some where at a safer distance to look back. I continued to let him walk, with my bow extended toward him I stared at his eyes and head waiting for an opportunity to present itself.

As he continued to move toward and more in front of me I was wondering how far past me I would have to let him walk for the shot to get right in relationship to his field of vision. Then something drew his attention toward the field. He stopped walking and turned his head fully left, away from me almost looking a little back behind him. When I could no longer see his eyes I slowly lifted my bow off the ground and put increasing pressure on the string. Looking at his muscular shoulder, considering the deer was very slightly facing me, I picked a spot as far forward as seemed safe.

I slowly drew back toward my lips as I looked down the arrow at the two blade Magnus superimposed over that patch of brown deer hide. I felt my fingers brush against my lips, the broad head lowered down the deers cavity as I settled into my sight picture, stared...  the arrow fetching flashed for what seemed like a fragment of a second then was sticking out of the deers side just where I willed it to. At the impact his front dropped down low to the ground as he wheeled left and turned back crashing through a cluster of loud dry limbs as he retreated almost the same way he had come. A couple bounds later I saw the dark fetching end of the arrow shaft flip end over end high into the air and disappear into a patch of blackberry bushes. As he loped through the woods I stood to see him better... as he hit fifty yards I saw his stride falter, he slid and then tipped to his side, legs went up into the air and soon came to rest.

(http://i.imgur.com/vpeWxCA.jpg)

As I stood there long bow in my hand, staring at the brown patch of deer on the distant forest floor... the morning woods filtered back into my consciousness... I looked up to the trees and saw the morning sun just at the very tops. I looked over my left shoulder at the now blazing ball of orange and red that was becoming the sunrise. I removed my hat and face mask to breath in the cool morning air. Looking towards the field out through the woods I gave a silent thanks for being here in this moment, remembering my uncle Bud, brother David and best friend Russell who are no longer here but I secretly hope are maybe watching with me.      :)    

As a smile overcomes my face I catch movement to my left along the field edge. A second buck is making his way just inside the woods along the field. I slowly sit down and replace my hat and mask. He crosses out 65 yards or so. He appears to be another 2.5 year old with kind of a high looking rack. As he passes out and well by me I pulled out my grunt call and did a reasonable three grunt series of calls. He instantly stopped, turned around and returned the way he had come. Seemed strange but what he was doing was a big slow circle. He arced around to the trail the first buck came in on, took this trail all the way in to where the first buck was shot... seven yards almost broad side, stood there acting a little antsy.

His brow tines were curved a little different, he was missing points on his right side, looks like he could have been an eight but now it simple depended on who was counting, ha. Slick looking little buck. In a moment or two he got real sneaky and quietly moving through the under brush back toward the safety of the thick bedding area. Maybe the second buck is what the first buck was looking behind him for?! A review of trail camera photos from this spot show them together. Hat and mask back off I sat for a moment, what a morning.

first buck on left, second on right, tree 10yds from my ambush spot behind 2nd deer
     (http://i.imgur.com/bOm3FGi.jpg)

a little sparing
    (http://i.imgur.com/ZP41rKk.jpg)

 (http://i.imgur.com/Zz8jRyH.jpg)

  (http://i.imgur.com/1N5uaSJ.jpg)

In time I stood up and went over to the impact site, a little hair scuff marks in the dark soil, no blood. I saw the deer go down but took my time following his path through the woods. I found the fletching end of the arrow that had flipped up into the air as he bounded off.

(http://i.imgur.com/YlPUZb1.jpg)

Still no blood! I was a little surprised and was looking real close now, none. It was not till I was very close to the downed deer, maybe 15 yards, that there was an explosion of blood from what I would later see was his mouth not broad head wound. Later on field dressing I discovered what I believe to be the reason for this. Photos will show.

(http://i.imgur.com/u3cQ2O4.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/kOjNm5g.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/vpeWxCA.jpg)


(http://i.imgur.com/xmdiYf1.jpg)


(http://i.imgur.com/rduU3St.jpg)


This photo is specifically for Keith Zimmerman! Arrows down and pretty Zipper Bow up!
(http://i.imgur.com/wnHitdo.jpg)


(http://i.imgur.com/NB3eQeD.jpg)

Those crazy cell phones... I was able to call my brother Dan from the woods after he had only been at work a half hour. He answered "Oo Noo... lol" Not as good as sharing a tree but better than no Dan!
  (http://i.imgur.com/u4Wu33q.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/JNU8i7X.jpg)

back to camp I realized why he was an effort to get on the 4wheeler alone!
(http://i.imgur.com/0ST69r0.jpg)

the shot was an entrance from the bucks right, downhill, exit left, higher
(http://i.imgur.com/Ha5L44v.jpg)

exit wound
(http://i.imgur.com/wCQSzWr.jpg)

I had to go back and look for some time to find this... but I wanted it!

(http://i.imgur.com/ZVqCwBH.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/EBxfUqL.jpg)

The great thing about an early harvest is a great tenderloin lunch
 (http://i.imgur.com/t9yRthf.jpg)

 (http://i.imgur.com/n6YcEZy.jpg)

Thanks Gerald, I hope you enjoyed it!

:thumbsup:  Thanks for the story and great pics

Great story and pics THXS for sharing ...GREAT ENDING!

Congrats again, James!

You are a very, very good story teller!

Bisch

Nice work, well told story and great pics.

Thanks for sharing.

I LOVE the pic from inside the ribcage!!!! Great storytelling (both with words and pictures), thanks for that!

James, enjoyed your story and writing. I also learned more about ground and bad weather hunting. Your trad journey has been eventful and you learn fast.
I must comment on your shot selection in the first story, each situation is different and we learn by our choices and results. I have made some choices that I regret and beat myself up for quite some time,  I do try to learn by my mistakes, asking The Lord to help me do better in the future....
I love how you share and include your entire family in your journey.
Thanks for bringing us along

Thanks guys!
I agree Frank, well said, thank you sir!

James, I've been waiting for you to tell another good story.  I figured you had one and we're just making us all wait!  Really enjoyed it.  He's a big bodied buck with a cool rack. Great shot!!  Congrats!

great buck and great story telling   :thumbsup:

Ok, I kinda read this backwards reading the ghillie story first and just now finishing the hurricane/trad journey story. What an absolutely SENSATIONAL story!!!! I can't tell you how much I enjoyed the tale, from the introduction of the longbow into your life to blood flingin' end! I sincerely thank you for sharing such an intimate and moving insight into your life and inspiring journey.   :clapper:     :clapper:    :clapper:

Great story and thanks again for telling it. It was also good to hear from someone who appreciates Little Ridge and Roy. That is the one shop in our area that a traditional archer is not going to feel out of place. They're good people there for sure.

I just read all 19 pages of this post and wish that there was more!!!  Great story and VERY well written...  I wish that I could write as well as you do!

Thanks for sharing!

Rodd

:thumbsup:

Thanks so much guys, much appreciated! I love being part of the gang! Lots of good people here!

Before I bought my ghillie suit I searched the site for as much info as I could. In the spirit of contribution I'll add some more photos of setups from my season in the ghillie. I can also give my opinions of what was great and what was at times not so great. Ill add in photos of the 3 most utilized pieces of gear I found MOST useful with my suit. Realize we are all different, you have to find what works for you. For what it's worth this was my experience...

Before I bought my suit I saW all the threads about the pop-up style of blinds. So I tried one. I ordered a good sized promos blind. I thought it was well made and thoughtfully designed. I shot well out of it. Hunted one evening out of it and returned it the next day. I felt totally detached from the woods, couldn't feel the wind or rain. Couldn't see well around me. For me the ghillie suit bridged this gap. I was hidden better than before yet still felt part of my environment. Let's look at some sets and complimenting gear.

(http://i.imgur.com/aByLijp.jpg)

I love this blind. Folds in half and rolls up, weighs nothing. The slits in it help catch less wind and are great for adding vegitation. You may think why with a ghillie suit but I found it very helpful when trying to move at close range. This seat is one of two I used a lot, the 2nd is adjustable but basically higher. I found a very low, basically on the ground, seat helpful. As we all know the ground can be cold and wet. Seat cushions can fail in time.

(http://i.imgur.com/oKl9fHu.jpg)

At full draw
(http://i.imgur.com/Ir4LSP2.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/rCrN7kg.jpg)

Another great story from your 2013 buck this time!  You definitely have a way with words.  I felt as if I was sitting next to you throughout the hunt!  Your pictures tie in very nicely with the story line.  I especially liked the "ribcage' picture.  I'm looking forward to a follow-up story this fall with another buck!

Bernie Bjorklund

NC Iowa/SW Wisconsin

Curious on lookers... lol they know something is there.
 (http://i.imgur.com/6hOksNp.jpg)

Great story.  I shot one in a ghillie suit this past season as well.  What a rush.  One thing that I found works great is to buy a bunch of cheap Halloween paint.  I use it to completely cover my face and even my hands.  This has seemed to make a major difference, as I have zero skin exposed.  Works great.

Manitoba Stickflingers Black Bear 5 June 2017

http://www.tradgang.com/tgsmf/index.php?topic=106325.100

(https://i.imgur.com/sZUmvhS.png)

The Early Season Buck 19 October 2017


Everyone is different but for me in the past three years I have tried harder balancing the early season opening in NY,October 1st, to the wild abandon of the Halloween rut fest and its been a challenge. Part of me just wants to go into every great spot I think I have as soon as I can and hunt it but in the past that simply has not given me my best results. Now in early season I try to hunt spots with easy access that cause less disturbance until day time buck activity becomes more prevalent. I'm going to hunt the early season but I try to balance the risk of exposure in an area with the likeliness of the reward.

October 19th was a breezy warm afternoon. At the truck considering the south wind I stuffed my ghillie suit in the backpack and pulled out the Waldrop hunting seat. There was a good deer crossing between a thick bedding area and a scrubby woods that I had been wanting to try with this wind. I shouldered my gear, grabbed my longbow and headed through the woods. On the walk there I thought to check a trail camera that I had not looked at in a week. I didn't expect much but the wondering took me on a slight detour. I pulled the sd card and was pleasantly surprised to see a 2.5yo buck out an hour before dark. This was the best buck I've seen out in the daylight. In this area there were a couple trees dropping nuts that the does had really been hitting regularly. I considered changing plans and hunting here but it was really a spot more accommodating to a tree stand. I looked around for a spot to hunt in the ghillie suit from the ground and there was a spot but it just felt like it would go poorly more likely than not. I stood there at a mental fork in the road as I considered going back to the truck and getting a stand, steps and all the extras to hunt here or move on... After over thinking it for to long I had to laugh, how many times a season do we do this? All the way back to the truck I went for a stand on a warm day .... then back through the woods again returning to where I was. I set the stand up a short 12 feet and crawled in.

The afternoon was gusty to the point of almost to windy but only for brief periods then it would calm to something more reasonable. The extra noise let me set up closer to a bedding area and more than likely remain undetected I figured. There was a lovely well used trail under me at 10 yards coming from the thick thorn cover of the bedding area. The  stout wind was pushing right to me... now the wait. I passed the late afternoon with the squirrels busy all around me. As the wind settled and the woods calmed I sat there scanning the thick cover for that telltale movement we all know to well.

Jim,

Great stories and very well written. It was fun to read!Maybe you can become a writer when you retire!
I'm glad I got to meet you at Stickflinger's. That was a fun experience as well!  Your videos of you teasing the bear and it being chased up the tree with you and holding your bow to the tree was especially fun to see!
Have a great season!!
P.S.  I'm going up to see Ryan again This Spring!

Mike Tibbits

Thank you Mike! I grew up loving the hunting stories of my dad and guys at camp. This is a fun place to share them.
What dates are you going up to see Ryan this spring?

May 27 to June 1.
Not looking forward to the drive up and back, but it's such a great place for Trad hunters to gather and hunt  lots of bears!
I'll be hunting hard all of November for a nice buck and maybe a doe as well.

Shoot Straight!
Mike Tibbits

About 5:30 I heard a noise, there wasn't a doubt as I slowly stood and reached for my Zipper longbow. Standing, arrow nocked I stared and waited for what I expected were the does wondering out of their bedding area. I could see glimpses into about 50 yards or so but could see no movement... I looked down at the trail below me and with my eyes traced it back into the thicket as far as I could until it was lost in a brown blur of brush... then a lower foot swept forward through a little opening in a perfect silent forward motion, followed by another and then a pause, then a brown body in forward motion... then a few steady steps and a glint of antler. Then in dramatic fashion he rounded a tree and walked into view 45 yards out. With a large chest and antlers moving well above his head, there were simply a lot of tines and no time to stare at them...


I drew a deep breath and rotated my feet to address him as he walked silently and steadily to pass me. He was clearly not taking the 10 yard trail under my stand I had chosen for him but was going to pass out farther through the mixed woods. There was an opening ahead of him but he needed to come closer. Past a dead fall, then through light brush... As he closed the distance to the opening it was all happening fast. He would lower his head and smell toward the ground then lift a rack that was hard to ignore. His steps were quiet and deliberate as he moved into the opening at 25 yards, this was it I thought.

My bow arm had been up, I had been ready for a chance, as he crossed I slowly drew back to full draw, fingers pressed into my lips... he never paused and as his head just left my narrow opening into thicker brush a brief flutter of worry rose up into my chest... I grunted with my mouth, he shuttered and stopped swinging his head toward me. I stared into the crease behind  his shoulder as the string slipped from my fingers, the fletching spun through the air and in a the briefest of time crossed the 25 yards of woods. His big brown body never dropped or twitched until that broadhead cracked through the rib on his left side. Then the dramatic contortion twist and kicking explosion of deer that's hard to explain and we can all picture.


The arrow was low but buried deep to the cresting and it traveled with him as he lunged and pushed forward, running off through the woods... in 50 yards he was back out of sight, absorbed by the brown brush he had appeared from. I listened long and hard begging for a loud crash that was not to be heard. There was only a lingering silence and a cooling breeze filtering its way through the green leafy branches and fading colors of the woods.

I stood there and drew a deep calming breath, my thumb slowly rubbed the checkering on my grip as my mind raced, that was fast and unexpected. Maybe 5 minutes from the first noise I heard to my season being made. Without a doubt that was the best traditional buck I've shot at and I put an arrow through him. As he ran off he really didn't look well toward the end, the arrow stayed with him for 35 yards or so then flipped up and to the side. I figured I should wait a bit but not that long. I called my girlfriend Alice and told her the story. While talking to her in a shaky whisper I realized just how excited I was. After hanging up I tried to slowly pack my stuff up.

I shouldered a heavier pack than normal and headed to the impact site. There was blood, easy to spot, so I followed along... blood on trees, rocks, logs, sticks... this trail was not hard to follow but I tried to take my time. After 35 yards I found the broken fletching end first then 3 feet further the broken broadhead end of the arrow laid in the leaves.

  (https://i.imgur.com/K2ejkTl.jpg)

  (https://i.imgur.com/uWxR4p8.jpg)

Once the arrow was out of the way there was a substantial gush of  blood.
I kept peaking ahead then back to the trail until I saw a white belly. I walked ahead slowly as he was dead fallen into a bush with his head propped up a little.

  (https://i.imgur.com/7ppDWOz.jpg)

What a sight, maybe only something a hunter could appreciate. I moved in close and knelt beside him in the dry leaves, sitting back on my heels... the deep musty smell of a fall buck, the nicely placed red exit wound behind his right shoulder, his ears and legs had more white on them than normal, his beautiful light brown antlers... I just stayed there for a while with the cool evening breeze drifting past. This was it, this was the good stuff! Another precious moment in time I will burn into my memory and carry with me to my end.

(https://i.imgur.com/6caonQj.png)

(https://i.imgur.com/IjQC65h.jpg)

After some time the realization sinks in that its warm out and I had work to do. I gutted the buck and propped him open with a stick. Steam rolled out into the night air as I gathered my things and organized for the long drag out. Rope around the antlers and a chest harness under a backpack of gear.... the deep breathing and tight back, the leaning and grunting for 20 yards of gain then a break and thoughts of how nice a slick frost would be or smooth white snow. Looking up to the stars above the swaying leafy branches, a few more deep breaths then more pulling... again and again and again until I dripped sweat and progressed through the dark woods to my 12yo old pickup truck. Always nice to lower the tail gait for a buck! It always seems so high but over he comes... antlers, shoulders, chest and then in he slides with a rush of progress and more deep breaths... I love the effort it takes!
To warm to leave him in the garage over night I ate a cliff bar and started in on him. At 3:30 in the morning all the meat was covered and in the frig to cool nicely.

(https://i.imgur.com/lz44z1n.jpg)

The next day I spent 5 hours doing a European skull mount, boiled some leg bones, processed sinew, ate liver and tenderloin... I love deer  :)

(https://i.imgur.com/etpZqyc.jpg)

(https://i.imgur.com/KU1cr2A.jpg)

(https://i.imgur.com/cQaPyBG.jpg)

Congrats again Jim!

Wow!!!
What a great buck, great shot and great story.
Thanks for sharing your hunt with us.
Bravo!

Very nice sir!  Congrats!!

Nice buck Jim!

:thumbsup:    :notworthy:

Great story!!! Congratulations on a wonderful buck

Jim as always I enjoy reading your posts!

back up top  for those who haven't read this thread. IT'S REALLY A GOOD READ!

what BowMike said dang good stories can't believe they been here all this time and I just found em this nite!!!!   :clapper:    :clapper:   :clapper:glad it was a slow nite at work    :D