Posted: 11/5/2008 8:14:17 AM EDT
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Best friend and I took off work to hunt a parcel of land he has permission to hunt here in SE PA. A little back ground on the area. Its adjacent to several large farms that do not allow anyone to hunt and a couple housing developements. The bucks in the area are massive. Im sure there is a state record lurking in the area. We seen some very nice deer spotting.
We start the AM by pushing a couple small woodlots. I take a shot at a doe in some waist high bramble and briars but the arrow deflected by an unseen branch and she gets away and a clean miss. So we eat lunch and get in the stands at noon. Its warm here yesterday but by 2pm a drizzle cooled it off a few degrees, we both spotted a basket six walking a hedgerow in the field above us. My buddy rattles and grunts but this small guy wanted no parts of that and kept going. So after another 3 hours of squirrels and birds the drizzle starts again and its cooler also. I see a big bodied deer walking the same hedgerow. I hit the grunt tube to stop him and glass him with the rangefinder and it is a buck for sure but I couldnt see his antlers too well against the backdrop of the hedgerow. He looked to be standing in front of a bunch of white PVC tubing piled in the brush like a trash pile... Until he turned his head and it all moved with him! He was fucking huge! A ten point we saw spotting that was about 22" spread and probably in the 130 range.. So I hit tthe grunt again and he starts my way on a beeline fast trot down the farmers dirt trail along the fiels edge about 150 yards away. just then I hear a noise below me. Its my buddy walking out. I tell him a huge buck is walking this way and he retreats to the briar patch behind me about 75 yards away. I look back and grunt one more time. The buck is now at the field edge 60 yards away. The hair on his back is raised up and he disappears into the thicket in front of me and reappears about 15 yards away. Broadside but his whole body concealed minus his head which is swinging to and fro looking for the other buck that challenged him. I, BTW am at full draw thinking it's in the bag. But he was reluctant to step into the shooting lane. I contemplated shooting at his head but that was a bad idea. After what seemed like an hour with my arms getting fatigued he decided to back up and walk out of the set up. Not spooked but not sure everything was right. He just walked off quickly. I figure he has probably encountered a hunter somewhere in his life under similar circumstanses. What a buck. He was amazing and though I didnt get a shot at him, it was THE highlight of my bowhunting career! At 15 yards him taking one more step seperated me from a dead trophy and him slipping away. But thats why its called hunting, not killing! Thought I'd share.. |
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Thanx. I know the headshot thing is a bad idea but desperation was seeping in and I was trying to come up with a contingency plan for what was shaping up to be the unexpected.. Im gonna try to get out Saturday and hunt the same area and that will probably be it until rifle season.
It's been a good season so far even though I havent gotten a deer yet but I had a buck at the end of my arrow that most will never even see in their hunting careers.. Cant complain one bit about that. But next time I'll connect for sure 
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