Post by zeeriverrat on Nov 1, 2017 8:47:48 GMT -5
My wife and I spent most of the 9 day season hunting at our place in the Ozarks... Raye was on the hunt for a big buck. We hunted the first 4 days in shirt sleeve weather and didn't see much deer movement. We have a bumper crop of acorns and the deer don't have to move to find food... by the time the first 4 days were over I could see that Raye was getting frustrated. We had some many pics of big bucks I could understand her frustration...we took a break and went home for a couple days.
On second trip to the 40, the weather changed and got cold with some rain...the next to the last day, I was in the box stand about 100yds from our camp well before daylight. About 7:30am an 8pt came down the trail and gave me a broadside shot at about 70 yds. Easy I thought...at the shot he ran, limping about 30 yds and then started walking up the hill to the stand. I was waiting for him to tip over, he didn't! Pretty soon I realized I had muffed a really easy shot, and I was scurrying to get the smokepole reloaded....then I couldn't find my capper! I searched all the 15 pockets I had on and still couldn't find it... By this time the deer was just standing about 40 yds from the stand and I knew he wouldn't stay there much longer. Finally, I found my capper in my pants pocket, in my jeans, under my coveralls...it was 24 degrees and I didn't think to move my capper when I put my insulated bibs on! Anyway, got the rifle primed and shot the deer again...this time there was no doubt and I heard him crash as he went out of sight running toward our camp....
Raye was hunting out of the porch window at camp...and never saw a deer... We got the dog and let her blood trail the buck, then used the tractor to get it back to camp....
It was one of the smaller 8pts we had been watching, but he was big enough for me to put in the freezer and I have lots more time to hunt...
Raye was kind of disgusted with her hunting, but I told her she was trying too hard and it was supposed to be fun! She left camp for the evening sit with a little different attitude. About 4pm, I got a text saying that she had shot a 6pt and she heard him crash after he ran.... It was time to fire up the tractor again...
We had no trouble finding her deer...he was spraying blood from both sides and only ran about 40yds up the hill and died. She had made a perfect shot completely wrecking his pumphouse! When we got to the deer she was surprised to find it was an 8pt...a small one we had not seen before! She was thrilled to find those extra points....she finally had an 8pt!
The deer had jumped the fence from the neighbors and crossed right in front of her stand...he was on the move and as he moved away down the trail she tried to stop him by grunting at him and he ignored her....finally at about 75yds he turn almost broadside and she shot him...bullet entered right in front of the last rib and exited right behind the off leg....perfect quartering away shot! Neat and clean shooting.... unlike my early morning performance!
It was all fun and now we have some fresh meat in the freezer...we each have a buck tag left for a big buck and rifle season opens in a week or so...