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It has been a long while since I have posted anything here, but for some reason, I feel compelled to share my recent adventure in trying to tag my best mule deer buck to date....and as the title indicates, so far it has been heartbreaking.
I have only been able to bow hunt since the last part of October this year, and before long I found this fellow in the pics. I have gotten pretty close to him a few times, and so far it just simply has not panned out.
As anyone who hunts with a bow knows, it can be very rewarding and heart pumping, but can often times be filled with pure frustration. It seems that I am getting all the frustrations this season.
On one particular day, I came within bow range twice. I spotted him at first light on the move and I figured I had a good idea where he was headed, but I had to take the long way around to find him again, due to wind direction. I was walking slowly as I had yet to locate him again and was about to break the horizon to peer down into the draw before me when I found him again! Ok, let's back pedal a bit, then belly crawl over the top to get where the lay of the land will hide me from him again. Once I was out of his sight again, I was able to slowly walk through the bottom of the coulee. I was getting pretty close to where I would soon see his antlers again. Pausing to glass the surroundings I was forming my plan of attack, when...what's this in the brush ahead of me. Oh for pete's sake...it's a whitetail buck that would score around 130 that is 35 yards in front of me. Now he's seen me, and up he goes. Crap, now the mule buck knows somethin is off. I peer over the ridge, and he is on his feet. Has he seen me? He's moving now....around the bend. Well let's follow him. I am moving a bit faster than I should when behind more brush I see him at 20 yards, but he has seen me first, and is moving away. Not a walk, but not a run either. he is about to round the corner and stops where I get a chance at a shot, which is right over top of him. I ranged it afterward, and he was closer than what I had estimated him at.
Well this is part of hunting with a bow. I start off in the direction that I last saw him. I go though one then two draws without sighting him again. I have one more to look into and then I am done for the day. I am just rounding the corner, when I see a doe off in the distance up the third draw. I start glassing again, and there he is to the left and low from the doe. Lets go for round 2!
Again, I have to go the long way around to come from the opposite direction, as the wind has switched. I am just starting to peer over the edge when I see a doe,, so back up, drop the pack and down on my belly, I locate the doe, then another and then him again at about 150 yards. As they often do, the three deer have their eyes in all directions. What do I do now?. There is no where to hide. So I try something I haven't tried in a long time as the odds of it working have been slim for me in the past.....feet first, on my behind and right side with bow on my lap, I start to move down the sidehill while one to deer are looking in my general direction. My goal is to make my way down to the bottom where brush will keep my view from them obscured.
After what seemed like an eternity, I was finally there! Now I am able to stand again. I go one side of the brush, I can see them slightly, but decide I should investigate the other side, so I back up and go around carefully as the grass is dry and there is much dry twigs and brush to step through. I am just getting to where I can see the deer again at about 50 yards.....one of the does is now up and wandering away from me down the draw, then the other. Right on!!! The buck will be by himself...one step, two step, three....where is he???
For the little while that I couldn't see him, he had gotten up and moved off down the draw. I have spent a lot of time on this stalk, so again I start moving slightly faster than I should and take moves that I know I shouldn't to follow the does, and I still can't see the buck. The does are about 80 yards ahead when one of them spots me....and now I see the bucks antlers pop up. Game over. I go home, feeling dejected.
I don't see him the next day, and then the second day after that it is raining and snowing. That never used to bother me...now I have glasses and due to not being a spring chicken anymore, I have become a fair weather hunter
Yesterday, it was time to go again. I hunt all the usual places, but I can't locate him. I decide to start back for my truck to try another area nearby to see if he has moved over. As I am on my way back, I spot a doe in the distance in a draw that I have already been through that morning. Well just to be sure, let's look again. A while later, I have spotted him again, further up the draw and by himself!!
I keep the wind in my face, and this time I am able to move down to the bottom obscured from a bend in the coulee. I drop the pack and investigate one side. I decide against this approach as he would be facing toward me and I would still likely be 60 yards away. I go back and try the other side. I can stay low enough to keep hidden and start moving up the side of the coulee that he is on to come from above. After a bit I close the distance to 25 yards from him. I can see his antlers, but that is it. Now it's a waiting game. I sit there for what I figure was about two hours. Lot's of time to think......
I have bow hunted long enough to know that nothing is ever in the bag, until it's all done. But I will admit, I am starting to think that I've got this!! I figure once he stands up, I have a 25 yard shot, if he moves to the left, I have either a 35 yard shot or 50 yard shot. If he goes to the right, I have more shots at 25 yards, a 35 yard option and a 40 yard option, as I have ranged everything.
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While watching him, his head falls over to the side....he has fallen a sleep!! I move forward about 10 yards. His body is still hidden behind sage brush.
I sit down again and range him...I am now 13 yards from him. I've got this!!! Meanwhile his head is back up, and I am still watching him. All of a sudden his head jerks over to my direction....we are at a stand still for about 15 seconds. Now he is up.
I start to pull back on the bow....but it is hard to pull. After sitting for a couple of hours in 0-1 degree temps, I have started to cease up. While I am pulling the bow back, he is already off and running. Again, game over
In hind sight, which is all that I have now, firstly, I should have stayed put at 25 yards. I would have had more time to react and had all my bases covered for when he eventually got up. Or secondly, once he fell asleep and I moved, I should have kept going right up to him if need be.
I apologize for the long story, and I honestly am not sure why I am posting my recent failings as a bow hunter...though I suspect it is in part to help me get over my extreme frustrations over having been so close and not able to follow through.
I have two more days to try, and hopefully I will be able to come on here and tell you that I got him, but.....well I guess here's to hoping!!
Bow hunting - Heartbreak
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