Nov 10
We got up about 5 am and had a cup o Joe. About half way thru that cup John said lets go, and off we went. I was not too enthusiastic as I never see deer in the morning. I had sat there in my stand and watched the sun on the far hillside as the sun came up the shadow came down the hill. I was considering how to get to the top of that hill. I know that there is a four wheeler trail a bit to my south that I have tried to go up before. I would have to clear some briars, but I think it can be done. Then there is the very soft sound of movement to my right. I keep watching and nothing. I am looking directly down the trail either way I look. Finally there is more sound, and then it becomes clear that it is the sound of foot steeps moving very slowly coming my way. Around the bend in the trial I see a large rack emerge, then the rest of the deer comes into view. I can tell that he is at least a 6 pointer, but he probably has some brow tines to make him an 8. He comes on down the trail, then makes the bend around the downed tree into the creek. I turn around and get prepared as I know he is going to be coming out of that creek bottom and will be able to see any movement. I have turned sideways and readied my bow; there he is just where I expected him to be. He stops at each and every scrape along the way. There are two scrapes directly below my stand out about 15 yards. He stops at the first and checks it out. I can here him breathing he is so close at this time. He is behind some brush and will have to come about another 10 ft before I can take a shot. I have already found the perfect shooting lane. I know that when his body covers a certain log on the ground that there will be nothing between the two of us but air. I wait and count the points again, and he does have some small brow tines. I decide to take him. He is a very nice sized deer. He moves a few more feet as he is working over the tree limbs with his moth, putting his sent out for the does. He puts his heed down and comes a bit farther. He is almost to the log I have selected. I put my bow to my shoulder, looking over the scope at where he needs to be and at where I wish to hit. Another step and I look thru the scope I find the mark just behind his left leg and squeeze the trigger. A solid hit, he whirls completely around and rockets off in the directioing came. I watch him as he goes up the trail as far as I can. I take another breath and lay my bow down on the stand. I slowly stand up looking to see if I can still see him. He is gone and out of site. I buzzed John on the radio to let him know that I had shot one. After a smoke and about a half an hour I climb down. There is my arrow right next to the log I had used as my mark. It has blood and meat all over it. I looked around briefly for blood, but could not see any. I decided to go back to camp to get my camera as I had not brought it along today. John meets me at the bottom of the hill on my return. We start the tracking process. There is very little blood to follow. We get to a point in the trail about 100yrds from where I took the shot. It looks like he has headed up hill. Damn these deer over here they go up hill. We follow the blood trail about half way up the hill and again I am faced with another lost deer. We looked for a long time. John went up and I went to the left and down into a valley. Nothing no blood no deer. Damn.
We headed back into the woods again for our evening hunt. I search around for a new place to hunt. I finally decided where I wish to hunt and I realize that I had not brought my harness for the tree stand. I turn around and head back to camp. I decided at that time to just get my shit together. All of my stuff is in the tent, but I have been staying with John and I have been very unorganized. I spent the next few hours getting my act together. Oh well I will go out again tomorrow.
Nov 11
It’s raining like hell. It started to rain about 4 am, John and I decided not to go out early today. We went to town for breakfast and then we went scouting. On the way into town we say a nice 6 pointer standing in the field just before you get to the gate an the way out. We hunted this evening and did not see anything. I had two does bleating above me and a buck grunting up on top of the hill as well. We came back to camp and I fixed the chicken diner for John and Scott and myself. We sat around the fire until the monsoons came. This is the first night that Gravy and I are sleeping in the tent as John has Scott in with him, and there will be others here the rest of the week. We sure picked a bad day to try out the tent. I have put down the tarp over the tent and hopefully we will stay dry until morning. The alarm is set for 5 am. I left my stand in the tree I was in tonight for in the morning. It is supposed to rain all day tomorrow. Oh well..