Gotta love those trees with cover!!      

Here are the pics of the 8 pointer as well as some other deer that I saw from that stand. Sorry the eight pointer pics are not as good as the others

Cool stuff.  

After I had seen all those deer Monday and Tuesday I was pretty excited to get to my stand on wed.  However the morning was kinda slow it was still rainy and windy and I had only seen one doe real early in the morn.
It was about 10:15am and I decided to get down.  As I was climbing down I got my foot hung on my ladder on the last few steps and kinda had to jump down.  I landed on the ground real noisy like but when I looked up and there was a doe just 20 yds out looking right at me.  I couldn't believe it "How long had she been there"? "How could I have not known she was there"? and more importantly "HOW COME SHE WAS STILL THERE"?
I was able to slowly move over and unhook my bow from my string, knock and arrow and take two steps back to my left and squat down.  She picked her head up looked right at me and started coming right toward me!!!!  I couldn't believe what I was seeing.  She kept getting closer and closer.  I really think she was just curious to see what I was.  
She got to within 5 steps of me but any time I would try to move my bow she would get nervous.
I was squatting on the balls of my feet and my legs were starting to kill me but I was afraid if I moved she would bolt.  After what seemed like ages, she finally turned broad side and started walking away.  I was able to get my bow up and as I pulled back thinking to myself how easy this was.  I let go grazing a limb right in front of me just enough to deflect my arrow up grazing across her back and coming to rest facing up jabbed in a tree.  All I had to show was a ball of freshly cut deer hair and complete disbelief in what just happened.  MISS #3    

Although I had missed 3 times know. I chalked it up to some rushed shots and a little bit of bad luck.  Wed afternoon as was ready to stick one.  
My chance came right before dark when a big doe stepped out at 17 steps. I confidently picked my spot and let the arrow go knowing I had just shot my first deer of the hunt.  Unfortunately my arrow wasn't as confident as I was as it flew right underneath her.  No excuses this time Kenny. I just flat missed!!!
MISS #4

Just so y'all know, I was ribbin Darrel about missin, told him about a 3-d shoot where a fellow was makin excuses for missin, sometimes 2 or 3 each shot.

I told him only 1 excuse per arrow!

Oh yeah, the last group before gun season arrived today, 2 of em at least. More Sat.

We saw 2 bucks from the road at noon  when I drove em around to show the property!!

I think the rut is about to be game on in the next few days!  

Well, on Monday my hunt really came to a big time slow down.  I knew Darrell should see lots of deer and hopefully get some shots and as you have read his post he did just that.  

I found a nice group of white oaks behind one of the ponds Kenny had showed us.  Darrell came to help me put my stand up and as we were looking for a tree he remembered Tracy posting about hunting behind a pond.  I looked to my right and there was one of the cedars that Tracy had hunted out of.  I'll have to give a big shout out to Tracy for trimming up some of the limbs.  A perfect tree.  Lots of sign.  I was for sure gonna see something here!

Monday afternoon around 6:00 I just knew I would get my chance.  I heard a deer coming from the pond.  Here it comes!  Staight to me!.  A perfect shot at 8 steps.  But wouldn't you know it, it was a 4 pointer.

From Monday afternoon until Thursday morning I did not see a deer.  Lots of time to watch nature, and imagine I was seeing deer that truned out to be leaves or tree limbs.  That kind of stuff.

We had a good visit with Kenny on Wednesday night.  I resharpened all of Darrells broadheads.    And told Darrell that I was going to kill something Thursday morning.

The weather changed for the better Wednesday afternoon.  A fron came through and a little rain.  Thursday moring was cool, clear, and very still.

At 7:30 two doe came through the draw at a fast trot.  I figured they were being chased and I was right.  About 50 yards behind them was a buck.  All three passed by me on the hillside facing me at about 30 yards.  They stopped about 60 yards away.  I couldn't tell if the buck was legal or not.  I pulled out the grunt call and gave him a try.  He came straight to me.  The doe followed him.

It was the 8 pointer Darrell had passed twice.  What a bummer!  Earlier in the week I had told Kenny I was not shooting a small buck.  :D  

I let him go.  I was hoping one of the doe would give me a shot.  They left too.  As I stood there not believing what just happened, I heard a deer coming from behind me.  I was hoping the doe were coming back.  It was the little buck.  I had a first.  I watched him make a rub 10 yards in front of me.  He pawed the tree with his leg and licked it.

He made a small circle around my tree.  Never had a clue I was there.  I was begging him to leave.  He didn't leave.  I just hoped Darrell would forgive me and Kenny would not remind me that I said I was not shooting a little buck.

The shot was broad side at 9 steps.  I came to full draw and let er fly.  The zwickey "no mercy" on the working end of my arrow was a complete pass through and bedded up in the ground after going through the buck.

He made two hopps and jumped a little drain.  Stood still turning his head side to side as if to look for whatever just hit him.  Started to walk and piled up 25 yards from my stand.

The two doe and the little buck had stayed with me 45 minutes.  It was 8:15 I sat there for the next hour laughing at myself and trying to reason things out.  Afer all, I told myself, I had not seen any deer for three days and I was going home tomorrow morning.  I had deer to eat!

I got down and went to see my deer.  He had a little surprise for me.  He had split brow tines.  One set was a little small but brow tines just the same.  

I walked a little and took some scenic pictures while waiting on Darrell.  I met him at the 4 wheeler at 10:30.  He told me I should probably go get back on my stand because there was a biiiggg buck in the woods.  (I'll let him explain how he knows this fact!)  I informed him it wouldn't do me any good anyways because I didn't have a buck tag left!  

Good job sir!      

Great pic David!!        

Can I swipe it for my site?

Ok I left off at Miss #4. So here is the rest of it.
Even though I had missed 4 times I was aggravated but still knew I could shoot that bow.
So I got to my stand ready to get some redemption on a doe.  I only had one day left so it was time to bring home a deer.  
It wasn't long after light when I heard what sounded like a buck making a rub far behind me.  I turned and looked and not long after I saw a real good buck coming up a the edge of the woods.  He stood behind a ceder tree for what felt like forever before he finally turned and started coming toward me.  He was a real nice 8 pointer.  He came in real careful and slow stopping to get an acorn every now and then. He was coming in perfect only a few more steps and I would have a perfect broadside shot.  I could here my heart thumping in my head.  
He never took the other steps.  Instead he turned back and gave me a quartering away shot.  I took that opportunity and let my arrow go.  RIGHT OVER HIS BACK.   :mad:   MISS #5          YEA 5

Well at this point I was mad, and frustrated and  I really didn't feel like I knew were my arrow was going once I released it.  So after a rest from dragging someone else deer out of the woods and a bite to eat. I gotta little form correction and pep talk form the "old man in-law"  and I was back to hitting my spots.  So I got "back on my horse" and tried it again that afternoon.  
About 4 o'clock I had a small doe come in.  She fed on past me as two other big mature doe came in behind her.  It wasn't long before one of them gave me a good shot. I think I was more nervous on her than the big buck. If I missed again David probably wouldn't give me a ride home.  This time I wouldn't come up empty.  I finally connected.  I lot higher of a shot than I wanted but it got the job done.



Thanks to Kenny for a great place to stay, great place to hunt and great hunting stories and conversations at night.  Can't remember when I've had more fun.

Nice story guys, have been lurking here for a while.  Sooner or later, someone is going to nail a bruiser there for sure.

Way to hang in there Darrel!!

 

Kenny use the pics any way you want on your site.  The deer looks good but I don't know about the fellar there with it.      Also I have one of Darrell where his eyes are not glowing if you want it.  Ha!Ha!

As Darrell said, we had a great time.  The week passed too quickly.  I hope we will be able to do it again.

For the records, I saw 17 deer from the stand.  I shot at 2 and killed one.  Darrell saw I think 30 deer (20 from the white oak in 4 days), shot at 5 and killed one.

COOL!!

The next round of hunters are here, last nite they saw 15 does (I think) and the droptine buck. This am more does and a decent 4x?

There were shot ops, but they will tell you later....

Dang...looks like somebody got a bruiser already....that is a HUGE Doe!!!

Gongrats on the freezer fix for the winter!!!    

Well we made it Thursday a.m. after driving thru the night with a lot wind and rain. After getting unpacked Kenny came by and gave us the nickel tour... only because since the rain came we were sliding all over the roads ...mn
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Well we made it Thursday a.m. after driving thru the night with a lot wind and rain. After getting unpacked Kenny came by and gave us the nickel tour... only because since the rain came we were sliding all over the roads ...