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Day 2

Let me back up a bit. Yesterday morning, Jake had a great ten show up early. He decided to pass on him. Then a little later in the morning the ten followed a doe back in front of Jake's stand and this time he changed his mind and shot. He knew right away that his shot was low. Luckily, he got the shot on video. We held out hope. Kent showed up later in the morning and they both took up the trail. It was good for a while, then it petered out after a few hundred yards. They backed off and came in for lunch. We watched the video which clearly showed that, in fact, his shot was very low - below the rib cage - and we all agreed there was no way that deer was recoverable. And last evening Tom shot a buck that was not immediately found. They were going to look for him today.

For my Day 2 morning hunt I went to one of my favorite spots here at CRO - the Junkyard stand. It was a perfect morning - cold, still, and crunchy. At first light bucks started to show up and it didn't let up all morning. A big 8 with an entire side snapped off started it off, followed by a young 8, then a small 10, and some scrub bucks. They were chasing does all over the place - nearly all morning long. It was crazy.

Around 8AM I could make out a very nice 10 coming in. My heart pumped a little faster since it looked like a shooter. He was following a doe, and grunting with every step. As he came in range I looked him over hard. I was tempted to kill him - but I had a shred of doubt. I decided to pass on him. The doe fed on the bait and then walked off with the buck in tow. As he walked away he looked bigger - and I started second-guessing my decision. He just didn't look fully mature.

The morning went on and at 9:00 AM it got slow. I decided to play back the video and was planning on uploading the buck here to the thread. While playing the video I spotted the wound. Holy crap - it was Jake's buck. I was hunting the junkyard, and Jake shot this buck at the pipeline - a mile away as the crow flies. What were the odds of that?

This buck came in at 8AM. I thought about shooting him but decided to pass

As he chased a doe I wondered if I would regret passing him - they always look bigger when they walk away

Later, while reviewing the video, I noticed his wound. I was stunned. This was Jake's buck!

Unfortunately, Tom's buck was not found either. We have closure on Jake's buck but we'll never know what happened to Tom's. They looked all day. It was a bummer. CRO has a strict policy - draw blood: hunt over. I felt terrible for them but they took it well. They are both experienced, and outstanding hunters and it happens to the best of us.

For the afternoon hunt Kent suggested I hunt Oval Office. It was a decent wind for that stand and it had not been hunted yet this year. Tom and Jake came along for the ride, which was nice since they are leaving tomorrow. As we passed through the gates of the property I noticed some strange signs that were posted along the road. One of them had my name on it? I turned to Kent and said "WTF?"

For those of you who follow the forums you may already know that we play practical jokes on each other. Last summer I sent Jake and inflatable sheep called the "Love Ewe" - well this was payback. And boy did Jake get me back... We couldn't stop laughing!

The sign at the entrance to the property

The Second sign

This one was a low blow...Simply hilarious

I settled into my treestand laughing my butt off. These guys are too much. We needed a good laugh today. This is why this hunt is so much fun. The hunt is great, but the friendships we've made with everyone here is priceless.

My afternoon hunt was a little slow. I had a young eight and a bunch of small bucks. Great action with grunting, chasing, and carrying on.

This was the biggest buck seen this afternoon. Needs a couple years and he'll be nice!