One evening i was sitting around work and just decided that I was going to take off the following week and spend it in the woods. After putting in my vacation paperwork I just sat back thinking of what all I could do for a week straight ! I can take 3 days off and have off 11 total so could get in some serious hunting.I would be off the week of Veteran's day and the possibilities were almost endless. The deer should be in the fired up pre rut stage bucks on their feet and searching for does was mainly on my mind,but trapping season would start on Tuesday and Saturday would be the opening day of duck season.
My week long hunting vacation would start out with a bang,literally ,with Youth duck season. Two days dedicated to sitting back and watching the boys kill ducks. The first day my middle son Jamison who is 15 and my youngest Mason who is 8 will be shooting while myself and one of Jamison's older buddies would stand back and watch the show.
We got to a popular spot only to find someone parked and lined up to go to the hole I wanted,so I stopped to ask them where they were heading and from the conversation I don't know if they were even sure where they were at,but after talking to another group of guys we had a plan in place and headed off in the darkness with decoys,guns and two excited boys.
Shooting time didn't bring the fast action that we had hoped for but we had 6 ducks on the straps. Two killed by Mason and Jamison had scratched out four shooting back up for his little brother. After a quick move to get on the X we managed to scratch out a few more,ending the day when the ducks stopped flying.
The next day found us in a different spot with an extra shooter,my sons friend Gunner. He has hunted with us several times and he has been friends with my son Jamison since they were both babies. The morning was perfect. Before shooting time we watched as group after group of mallards worked the hole and splashed down in the decoys. Finally the magic time arrived and I told Jamison to not shoot till the other boys had a duck on the water. They picked one out of a group of incoming mallards and as soon as the two younger boys had a duck on the water I told Jamison he could shoot.
After the fire stopped and the smoke cleared we had 4 mallards on the strap. The action was not as fast and furious as we had hoped but we left there with 7 ducks ,and Mason killing his first 2 mallards !
Monday morning couldn't get her quick enough,the problem is that I have a hundred things to do before I get to the woods.Among those things I have a guy coming to pick up a handmade boat that he ordered several months ago that I have just finished. After he and I chatted awhile,I did my running around my plans of being in the big woods was fading fast. I decided to head over to another public spot where I was sure to see some action that evening.
And action is what I found 8 trucks in the parking area ! I drove around to a different access point and there were 12 trucks there ! With visions of an evening spent in a tree fading I was off to yet another side of this property where I knew no one would be. We spent some time in there during youth gun season and Jamison connected on a big doe. I headed off to a perfect I found then and hoped for the best.
Not long after I settled in I caught some movement off to my right. It was a flock of turkeys ! With an archery tag in my pocket I watched while the 14 birds scratched the ground working their way to my position. I had a nice big tom picked out and they fed within 40 yards of my position but not one ever gave me a shot.
About an hour after the turkeys were gone I spotted a doe and 2 fawns making their way out of the clear cut onto the old log road I was sitting on. I had not decided if I wanted to shoot a doe,but nevertheless I stood up and had my bow in hand. She was closing the distance slowly but I made up my mind to shoot one of her fawns if it was not a button buck.
The doe was about to make the few final steps and commit to leading her twins down the road and giving me a perfect,clear 20 yard shot and I felt the wind on my neck. Her nose went straight up in the air and caught my scent. They all jumped and ran 30 yards straight away and while she thought about it a few times she never walked back my way and I watched as she let her twins safely around my position. I left the woods that evening relaxed and excited that I had
seen so much game and knowing I had 8 more days of this !
The next day I was leaving the house with my truck loaded down with my 4 wheeler,hunting gear,trapping gear,and food and snacks for the day. I parked the truck,unloaded the 4 wheeler,loaded up all my gear for the morning and headed off in the darkness to a place we like to call “The Island”.
After a 3 mile ride I shut the engine off and sat in the dark for a few minutes. The morning air was crisp and the stars were as bright as they could be. I knew right where I was going to sit this morning. I quickly and quietly unloaded my gear and headed off into the woods. I would not have a very far walk I was just hopin that I could find the tree that I wanted to be in. I had not been in here since before turkey season. I don't know if it was luck,skill or a combination of the two,I walked right to the tree,a medium size oak that didn't have a limb for 20 feet.
The place where I’m hunting is what I call a transition area.It's where several different habitats and terrain come together. To the north there is a slough and floodplain with dense thick brush that a rabbit would have a hard time getting thru. To the south is an old overgrown field.To the east is tall hardwood ridges and hollows,with a tall sandstone bluff running along the bottom of most of it,and to the west hardwood bottoms that are open in areas and thick in others. A perfect place to find deer roaming around at all times of the day.
Once I was settled in I looked at my phone to check the time,and weather. The forecast is just about the same all week sunny and 60 during the day and cool lows in the upper 30’s at night.I would sit for 45 minutes before the sun got here ,but I could see a deep orange glow starting in the east. The first animals that I hear are wood ducks.The wind whistling thru their wings. They sound like mini jets shooting thru the morning sky heading for an old slough or some nearby flooded timber.
The squirrels are awake next . I’m always mesmerized by them ,storing up acorns for winter,chasing each other up and down trees,and how if I move too fast they have me spotted. My mind wanders to 10 months or so ago when Mason and I were in this very spot checking traps ,which quickly turned into a squirrel hunt, and him getting his first squirrel. He was so proud and excited when he pulled the trigger and it fell. The high fives and the jumping up and down made sure that he wouldn't get another one that day,but I don't think he cared and neither did I.
Movement farther down in the bottom brought me back to the present. I could see it was a deer,but that's all I could tell. It was heading my direction . A long 20 minutes later I could see it was a buck,a small 8 pointer. I would not pick up my bow for him but anytime I get a deer within bow range I count the day as a success.He hung around chewing on acorns for 15 or 20 minutes when he jerked his head to attention. He was looking behind me. I turned to see a doe making her way thru the thicket. In a moments notice he was gone,making a beeline straight to her and within seconds they were both gone.
I saw a few more does pass thru the opening that morning but was content just watching them feed quietly under me. Not that I’m just a buck hunter,or that I won't shoot a doe cause trust me I will,but this area has had significant deer die off for a couple of years in a row and I’d like to let the population grow in here a bit.
At 10:30 I could not sit anymore. One because I don't have a very long attention span and two today is the first day of trapping season. I hauled a bunch of traps in with me and I was excited to get them in the ground.
I made several coyote/fox sets and set out several Dog Proof coon traps and since my morning snacks were gone I headed back to the truck for a quick lunch and a quick nap before I was back in a tree in a different area. The evening produced some does and a decent buck right at dark but I ran out of light before he made it close enough for a shot.
The next morning found me in the same tree as the previous day,and the day started out the same as before,the wood duck flight,squirrels ,and today a family of coons that I was just praying were in my traps by the time I got to them. I was extra antsy today because I wanted to check my traps. Trapping to me is like Christmas morning ,everyday ! I just can't wait to see what I have !
The urge to get down suddenly ended when I saw antlers heading my way. Today he is big enough that I don't have to wonder what he is ! I grab my bow,stand and anticipate where he is going to be. He didn't waste any time coming across the bottom and as soon as he went behind a tree I drew my bow. Three more steps and he will be perfect,one more, he stopped and is at 15 steps. I put my 30 yard pin on him and touched the trigger . I watched the arrow sail over his back by about 6 inches. He jumped and ran 20 yards to my left and just stood there. I quickly knocked another arrow but there is a tree in the way and I just can not get a shot. After a few tense minutes he turned and walked away .
I sat down shaking and confused. I sometimes get a little careless when a deer is so close but couldn't figure out what had happened. I played the shot over and over in my head.The kisser button was at the corner of my mouth,I had my left arm bent just a bit,settled the pin right behind his shoulder……...the pin ! I used the 30 yard pin ! I was sick. It was 9:30 I was mad and had traps to check so I decided to get down.
I walked over to my first trap a DP and to add insult to injury there is a possum in the first trap I check of the year ! the rest of the traps there were empty so I took my possum and headed to the 4 wheeler. I checked the rest of my traps and picked up 3 coons and had a pullout.
Thursday and Friday ended with the same results saw a few deer within bow range each time I went and I caught a possum and 2-3 coons and since my time off was winding down I had decided to shoot the next doe I saw.
Saturday morning was the first day of duck season a holiday in my opinion one that I NEVER miss,but my week in the woods I quickly realized that going duck hunting would be a huge disappointment.It took some convincing to talk Jamison into going bow hunting instead of wasting time on ducks that were simply just not here.
Saturday morning found us at the tree I started the week at. I told Jamison to NOT shoot the first deer he saw because there were several in there and a couple of real dandys. I left him and went off in the direction that we had came from and set up about 300 yards from him on the other side of a thicket and at the base of a huge hill that also connected up with the bottoms. If a deer was gonna walk anywhere that day it would have been right thru here.
It was no latter than 10 minutes after I could see I heard a bow fire and the instinct “thwack” of an arrow hitting a deer ,some running ……..then silent. I texted him and ask if he killed a good one. He responded with”No just a little one that is missing half his rack “. He said the shot looked and felt good,and I told him to just sit still cause I wanted to kill one now.
An hour later I saw a doe and fawn making their way thru the thicket but she winded me pretty quick and was gone. 10 minutes later I heard the sound of a deer walking in the leaves. I look over and see a nice thick rack bobbing back and forth around the saplings. I stand grab my bow and when he is at 20 yards decides to walk on the other side of a brush pile and thru some thick stuff not giving me a shot.When he was a bit past me I gave him a soft grunt on the call and it made him stop and look around but since he didn't see a deer he went on. Not being able to hold Jamison back anymore I got down and headed over to him.
I made my way to the base of the tree that Jamison was in and he was already on the ground. He gave me the play by play of where the deer came from where he was standing for the shot and what direction he ran off . Jamison was a little worried about his shot because he found his arrow and just a little blood but no real blood trail to speak of. The arrow was not a complete pass thru .It looks like it went in and bounced out. The insert and his broadhead were missing.
I had him show me the exact spot where he last saw the deer when it ran away. He showed me the tree where he last saw the deer and I looked down and saw blood. I looked out thru the woods and 50 feet from where we were standing there his deer was laying dead. We ran over to it and there was some shouting and high fives .There on the ground lay a 2 year old 8 pointer,well he was an 8 pointer a few days ago,now he has 4 points on one side and a broken stub on the other. If I’m not mistaken I saw this guy earlier in the week and he had a full rack,but it looks as if he ran into another deer that was a little bigger than him. Since this is his first deer with a bow we will both remember this hunt forever.
Back at the truck we had some lunch and we talked about the morning's hunt replaying every detail . The last couple of years we have skimped a little on deer hunting. I made sure that we hunted during youth season,but bow and gun seasons have taken a back seat to duck hunting. We talked about good places to check at certain times of the year,and about past deer hunts in the area.
Talk soon turned to where we were going to hunt in the evening. We had planned on hunting a place I had found years ago and had always wanted to deer hunt but for one reason or another I never had. I had duck hunted there a few times and last year I had trapped there and we named it The Otter hole. It is settled back in the hills where few people go. The place looks like it was created by God for deer hunting. Several years ago beavers dammed up a small creek about 400 yards before it dumped into a much larger creek. Now approximately 6-8 acres are under water and the beavers have made several more dams that control the water flow. Farther to the north lies bottomland that snakes several miles before it runs into a river. To the east is a large clear cut that is so thick that a rabbit would have trouble getting tru it,and to the south and east are mature hardwood ridges and hollows . A couple of severe spring storms have blown down a lot of the big trees and the openings in the canopy have created thick undergrowth that is almost in penetrable .Last year I cut a trail into this place because the log road that was once access has been all but covered by large oak trees and the same overgrowth that has taken over the hollows.
After a quick run into town to hang Jamison’s deer we were rushing to get back into the woods. In the rush I could not see the faint trail that I had cut the previous year that took us off the ridge before the sandstone bluff that skirted the ridge started. Knowing that I blew past our turn I went down the old log road till we couldn't go anymore we parked the 4 wheeler and found a place we could climb down the bluff to our hunting spot.
It was not long Jamison was in a tree overlooking the intersections of 3 or 4 trails at the edge of the beaver pond,the steep hills,and a cane break. I was several hundred yards from him overlooking part of a dammed up creek, the base of the hills and the corner of the clear cut. The ever so slight wind was blowing my scent out across the creek and I had 2 or so hours to watch this little part of the world and maybe shoot a deer.
Beaver squirrels and wood ducks seem to be the only thing moving and I thought that was going to be the extent of the action for the evening when I caught movement off to my left.
I could make out 3 does running thru the bottom of the hollow that comes out of the clear cut,and right on their tail was a buck. I could not really tell how big he was but I caught a glimpse of his head gear. One of the does slipped past the buck and came up the ridge and was feeding closer to me. I watched her while she slowly scanned that area before she committed to walking any farther. Soon another doe joined her. I watched them and was trying to decide if I was going to shoot one. With all the work that would be involved in getting a deer out of her I would probably pass,but they are not close enough to shoot yet and things may change.
I heard walking in the leaves behind me and the does looked in that direction. Thinking it was a squirrel but just to make sure I slowly turned my head. What I saw was a big buck walking right at me !. He was looking at the does that were looking at him and I was right in the middle of them.
He walked up to a small tree and rubbed his antlers and then made a scrape. Once he finished he looked straight at the ladies that were feeding on acorns just 40 yards away. The buck stood there for what seemed like forever then started walking slowly in my direction . He was grunting with every other step and soon he would be right underneath me. When his head went behind a tree at 20 yards I drew my bow and anticipated where he would be when I shot. He was still walking when he was 10 yards away and while I have made this slow walking shot several times I wanted him to stop so I could shoot. I bleated softly with my mouth,but it was a LOT louder than I wanted it to be. He jumped and ran back to about 40 yards and stopped broadside. I had a clear shot so I put the pin right behind his shoulder and sent the Thunderhead on it's way. I saw the arrow disappear behind his shoulder,and blood start to pour as he ran away. Soon all was quiet.
I sat down and replayed what had just happened in my head. I was shaking,breathing fast and my heart was racing. I had to sit down so I could gather myself together enough to climb down the tree.I marked the spot where I saw him run down into the hollow and climbed down. Light was fading fast and we had a lot of work ahead of us so I went to the last place I saw him and there was a blood trail that I would have no trouble following.He ran 70 yards as the crow flies,but on the ground it was a different story. I walked 200 yards STRAIGHT down to a creek ,up the creek another 20 or so yards,then up the side of the bank where he didn't make it any further.
I was over him in a second and in my hands was a nice 130” 8 point rack. I will admit that he is much smaller now than I thought he was,but this was the first deer I have killed in several years so I was proud none the less.I back tracked the blood trail till I found the other half of my arrow,then walked over to get Jamison.
After some pics and field dressing we started the long hard drag to the top of the hill,before we could even think about getting the 4 wheeler. Forty five minutes later we were at the top of the hill,it was no pitch black and we have to get the 4 wheeler to this spot which was NOT easy. I walked straight up the ridge where we left in and had to crawl up over and around 200 yards of blown down trees briars,and thick overgrown underbrush.
For the life of me I could not find the trail I had cut through her last winter so I just found a spot that was not too steep and go down. After 10 minutes of driving thru 6 foot tall trees and underbrush and going around huge oak trees that had been blown down I was no where close to where I wanted to be. I knew there was a ridge that would take me all the way to a creek but for the life of me I could not get on it. I had realized this was a very bad idea but I was way to deep into it to go back now.Another 10 minutes of driving I stopped and yelled for Jamison. I did not hear him. I turned and went 200 or so yards and yelled again. This time I could hear him ,but it was faint. I headed in the direction of his voice,stopping once in awhile to yell again till I got to where he was.
We loaded up the deer and our stands and tried to formulate a plan. There are 2 places we can get on top of this ridge with the 4 wheeler,the place I had just came down,and the place where I had originally cut the trail, but in the dark I'm not gonna be able to find either. My first thought is to drive along the bottom of the bluff and just go up wherever I could . That turned out to be a bad idea so we backed out. I tried to now find my original trail,but it had grown up to much over the summer. We regrouped and decided that I should carry the bows and walk in front of the wheeler and lead the way so to speak.
After an hour of wandering around we were no closer than when we started. It was so thick and there were so many blow downs it was hard to travel in a straight line and keep my bearings. If we left the 4 wheeler it is a 3 plus mile walk back to the truck,not happening. If we leave the 4wheeler here we will have a hard time finding it in the daylight. So we have 2 options. Keep on pushing or stay put for the night.
We decided to give it one last go and head straight for the bluff in hopes of finding a spot to climb it. Not long we were at the base of the 30 foot high bluff and not long after that I found a spot I could climb,I had to use my hands and knees but I could get to the top. Next problem the 4 wheeler. I rummaged in my pack and got out my limb trimming saw and went back up sawing down the little trees in the way till there was a spot big enough for the wheeler. Jamison thinks I’m crazy but the plan is to winch the wheeler,deer and stands up the bluff ,and after a couple of resets of the winch that's exactly what we did. I don't know how,but we did.
We got back to the truck and about the same time got some phone signal. Mostly text messages that said “Where are you?” and “How Much Longer ?” From the wife and my buddies that were up here from Arkansas hunting. We were supposed to meet them over 2 hours ago . We sat at a local grill & bar for an hour or so catching up and telling hunting stories .
I have to say that for a spur of the moment decision to just up and take the week off to hunt it was great. Took the kids duck hunting,caught some fur,spent time with one of my sons,was with or I should say near him when he got his first bow kill deer,and to kill one myself. Not to mention getting to spend 8 days in the woods.
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