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DAY 4

Tuesday All Day Hunt

I had a feeling it was going to be a great day and I was right. I hunted the wooden stand which is North of town. Kent had this stand for a couple of years but this was my first time hunting it. The stand was in the brush at the back end of a big alfalfa field. Directly to the north was 30 acres of plumb thickets - the bedding area. The wind was blowing from the field to the grasslands behind me and that was perfect for any bucks wishing to scent-check the field for hot does. Before light a buck had moved in and fed under my stand. I could just about make out a big frame but it was way too early to shoot.

As the sun came up several deer moved from the field to the bedding area. A young 8 fed by me as I turned on my video camera. He was too small and I had no intention of shooting him. But while I filmed him he whipped his head to the South and I could see the frame of a heavy mature buck coming straight at me. I hoped he would stop and feed or at least give me just enough time to grab my bow. No dice. He looked at the younger buck and then headed out to the field to chase does. Even if I had my bow ready all I'd ever have was 2 seconds on a quartering-to shot. He was just not going to stay still.

Care to guess his gross score ?

He ran one particular doe across the alfalfa before he turned and ran back toward my end of the field. He came by close but then pushed another doe into the field before heading out for good. I watched him for 20 minutes chase does around that field, several times laying down to wait for more does. By 9:00 AM he was gone.

Several more deer showed up and at 10:30 am the big buck ran back across the field. He chased a doe into the plumb thicket to the North. I was hoping I'd get a shot. At one point he was heading back toward me, but instead of making it back to me, he bedded down 100 yards from my stand.

Kent was supposed to pick me up at 11:00 AM but there was no way I was going to pass up this opportunity. I text-messaged Kent not to pick me up until I called. I was prepared to sit all day if necessary but I was confident he'd get up and come in before long.

I was wrong.

I sat on that stand for 12 hours and that buck never came in. I saw him stand up once at noon and then again at 3:36 PM. But he must have snuck out through those thickets. It was a great hunt but a little rough since I had no food or water with me. No regrets. I pull an all-day sit at least once a year.