He sure did the little runt. Andy and I set up two dangerous looking tree stands yesterday afternoon overlooking a licking stick where some little bucks have been doing their thing. Mac and I got in there around 5 PM. I've never hunted off the ground before and no lie I stood and hugged that tree for 3 hours straight. He was way more relaxed. Some does came by eventually, one walked under our stand so that made us confident about the cover scent, and at about sundown a little spiker in velvet wandered over. Mac couldn't see my way but there was a bigger 2x4 ( I know, weird) coming with him so I told him to wait a bit. The little buck stood broadside at 14 yds but the shooter tried to walk under us like the doe. So Mac leaned over and shot almost straight down. The deer was about 5 yds from the base of the tree and we were 16 ft up. I got it on video as the arrow went in behind his shoulder blades. And away he ran.
I hoped he was hit OK but once we left him for an hour and started tracking I got worried. There were 4 of us tracking in the dark and we follwed for 3 hours without him bedding. I was sure he was gut shot, and because there was no exit wound low on him the blood trail was really skimpy in places. We tracked him throught the poplar bush, over a fence, across meadows, into thick bush again, across stubble, back into bush, across summer fallow (that was a first for me, following a blood trail on black dirt) back in the bush and across a cut alfalfa feild where the track just dried up. It was very late, we were all very tired and it was decided to leave an arrow on the last blood and come back this morning. Mac was feeling really sick about loosing a wounded critter but there weren't many options.
Andy walked back to get the truck and when he returned he took a look at the lay of the land and said he wanted to check one more place. Sure enough he was on blood in minutes. I have always thought I was a good tracker but that guy is scary good. He told me after, he once tracked a gut shot deer in rifle season for 14 miles and got him. After what I saw last night I believe him.
The trail in the tall grass was way more visible and soon we could smell a deer in the trees. Minutes later Andy said, "Here he is, dead!" Sweetest words ever!
The whole deer hunting experience here has been way more intense and fun than I expected, and the whole thing last night was amazing. Sticking with it and finding that deer was awesome. I did take pictures but can't post them yet.
By 2 am he was hung in the barn all skinned out, and Mac was out like a light. We slept for a bit then met up with some friends for a field shoot at 6 this morning.
That's hunting. I love this place.
Mike
