DAMNED, DOUBTING AND DISGUSTED

After two days in the cemetery stand, I decided it was time to switch. Late yesterday afternoon I hit GNJohn's stand. This is one of my favorite places to hunt. It sits on the far edge of an old orchard bordered by a swamp, an overgrown field , a mowed pasture and overlooks Gilkey's ridge and the river. It's a panoramic view straight out of a tourist brochure. Even if I didn't see a deer it was one of the best places on earth to watch the sun set. 

   As I climbed in the stand I could see two does out in Gilkey's pasture. They never raised their heads. Soon I heard movement in the brushy field. The golden rod was so high all I could see was the weed tops moving as the deer came closer. Finally i spotted brown. It was a little spike. He worked his way into the orchard and I settled into the warm afternoon. After about an hour I saw deer coming across the river way over by the bend, past the white pine. I put the binocs up and saw the backs of two bucks battling it out. They were too far to see size, but the fact that they were fighting was a good sign. It took about a half an hour for the deer to cross the field towards my stand. By the time they were close enough to see in the glasses, one buck had split off, but the remaining one looked like a nice 8. Hmmmm? Could I possibly get this deer in?   I'm pretty good at calling turkey in, but deer are a different story. I've never had much luck in this area. I grunted softly. Nothing. The deer kept munching the grass. Then I caught movement below me. It was the little spike staring right at me. The last thing I needed was this deer to blow and spook the rest. I called again, louder this time. Still no reaction. The light was fading. One last call- as loud as i could. The buck raised his head and took a step towards the sound. Then another and another. He was coming.

   I hadn't set out yardage markers, so quickly eyeballed the terrain and guestamated  where 15, 20, 30 yards......before I knew it the buck was below me, stretched out and doing the "grunt, snort and wheeze". I'd seen this on TV hunting shows, but never in the field. Wow! I drew back, settled the 15 yard pin and shot right over the deer's back. FUCK! The buck spun but didn't go far. I tried to quietly knock another arrow and it was jammed in the rattling plastic quiver. Below me the spike stepped out and looked at the big buck. I gave up on this arrow and was able to get another loose. He stood broadside, glaring at the spike. 30 yards. Perfect. I drew back again....

Sorry. I can't go on. My tears are flooding the keyboard. Lets just say That big buck spent the night healthy, happy and chasing does. Me? I didn't get much sleep. Disgust doesn't even come close to describing my state of mind. It's going to take some doing to get over this one. I'm such a tool.