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DAY 3

Tuesday Morning Hunt

Do you guys remember what happened to my camera yesterday? Well it almost happened today, except instead of falling out of the treestand by accident, I almost threw it on the ground on purpose.

You see, I went back to the same stand I hunted yesterday evening. I decided to focus my attention on that huge 8 that came by last night when it was dark. I got in my stand early, set up my video camera (securely) and settled in. Twenty minutes later, just at pink light, I see the form of a big deer moving down the gully to my right. I had to look hard but when he got to 40 yards, I couldn't believe it. It was the 8. I stood up, took my bow off the holder, and flipped on my video camera. As the buck approached, I lowered my bow and leaned back to center the deer in the viewfinder. But I couldn't see him - it was just a bit too dark for the camera. The big buck was now beneath me and feeding around my stand. I figured I had a minute, so I went to flip the camera into light-gathering mode and just as the adjustment clicked in, the buck turned and walked in back of my stand.

The picture is grainy because I shot the video at first light. Using a software program I lightened it up so you could see what I'm after. I had this big buck at 6 yards in front of me - and missed my opportunity.

No problem, I knew he bedded in the trees in front of me so I just waited for him to come back. But he didn't. He fed out into the sagebrush behind me, stopping at a tree to make a scrape then disappeared. I was able to capture some video footage of him but that's all I got. I played the video for Kent back home. Kent said he was a minimum 150 and if the main beams were as good as I described, it could easily go 160. Of course, I'm just using the scores as a reference, I'd shoot him regardless of what he'd score. He's a huge, mature, impressive buck and that's all I care about. Unfortunately, I blew it today by messing with the camera. That won't happen again.

This young 8 made a scrape before chasing a doe around.

I saw a couple small bucks chasing a doe, but all action stopped by 8:30 AM. I stayed in the stand until 11:30 when Kent came by to pick me up. I could see a nice buck was in the deer carrier - Ron Drain from Tennessee had scored on a wide 8 point. He had hit it last evening and they found it this morning. Way to go Ron!

Tennessee bowhunter Ron Drain used a Hoyt bow to take this wide eight. He was shot last night and recovered this morning.

Tuesday Afternoon Hunt

Despite the fact that my big buck never spooked, I never did see him come back from the sage-covered sand hills. So Kent and I discussed hunting a different stand, in the same vicinity but in a tree belt next to the sand hills. They had been seeing does feeding in this one spot where hedge apples were plentiful. I figured that this time of year, where there are does, there will be bucks. I gave it a shot. Well Kent was right, the does came pouring in. I had 15 under my stand at one time. Surprisingly, no bucks were seen. I'm not sure what I'll do in the morning. Depending on the wind, I may go hunt my morning stand again and hope that the eight comes by.