One for the Memories

Lurch12

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Jan 5, 2021
Messages
192
Location
Western, PA
Probably my most memorable hunt ever took place this year.

I had just got home from an awesome DIY hunt in Colorado in late October. With being gone for 10 days I had been holding back from any mention of an evening or morning sit in the stand.
On a Saturday morning my almost 4-year-old had swim lessons, so I decided to go check trail cameras, look for rub lines and scrapes with my 2-year-old.
I double layered his cloths got his favorite hat and headed to the garage to get him and his pack in the buggy. As I pulled out of the garage, I decided to grab my bow and my grunt tube.
We get to where I normally park, and I set the pack on the ground as I get my bow out of the case and I look over at my boy and he is trying to get into the pack by himself. So, I load him up and begin up over the hill. Get to camera one and we check it. had some good photos. Go out one logging road and begin to notice there are scrapes and rubs everywhere. Loop back around just easing along the logging road very slow toward camera 2, on the edge of a thicket. We drop down over to it and it has 149 photos on it. I hang my bow in a tree find a log nearby and sit down and begin to scroll through the pics, and more great pictures that would get anyone excited. A few pics from that morning of a couple heavy bucks. My boy loves looking at the picks too so I was showing him them over my shoulder and he would say deer. Trying to get him to learn buck still.

As the pics are deleting off the card, I hit my grunt tube with 2 short soft grunts. It wasn’t 3 minutes and I hear the famous crunch-crunch and I look to my right, and I see a deer's legs in the thicket. It keeps coming and then I see horns. My bow was about 6 feet from me, so I scramble to grab it and drop to my knees, knock an arrow all while trying to find an opening. He hits a trail and is headed down it at about 20 yards, small opening just in front of him so I mouth call the baaa and he stops just after the opening with no shot. He continues down the trail still very alert and at about 30 yards my only other opening I baaa again and he stops. I know this is my only shot. I drew back as I made my mouth call and sent the arrow at 32 yards (ranged later in the day). I heard the sound we all like to hear. And he just walked off down over the hill and out of sight. Thinking to myself I can not believe what just happen. I sit down for a while and take the boy out of the pack. He was getting fussy from just hanging out in one spot.
I eventually walk down and find my arrow, with a disappointing find. An arrow with brown matter on it that meant I was back on him.
The deer was headed straight for my buggy, and I knew I had to let him lay for a while. I looped way out around and dropped over the hill to my buggy, and as I’m loading up, I catch a glimpse of a deer crossing the stream, with blood all over his side. I grab my bow, get my boy back in the pack and hurry down the opposite side of the creek from the deer. As I’m heading down, I watch him bed in a thicket.
I retreat and head home after calling my wife.
We had some plans for the day, so we went out and did what we had planned. 5 Hours later when we get home my wife says she wants to come along to retrieve the deer. Me not confident in my shot I wanted to head down myself with bow in hand. I head in and he was dead right where I watched him bed, probably expired not long after I left him.
I went home and grabbed the family, and we all went down to gut him and bring him home.
This was an awesome hunt, and something I never expected.
My wife mentioned about mounting the deer since it was so cool having him with me at the age of 2. He is now at the taxidermist waiting approximately 8 months to get him back.

This buck will always be a special one.


I took this selfie immediately after taking the shot.
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LostArra

WKR
Joined
May 9, 2013
Messages
3,434
Location
Oklahoma
Great story and nice buck.

Moral of story: "As I pulled out of the garage, I decided to grab my bow and my grunt tube."
(never hit the woods without it during hunting season)
 

Rufus

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Jan 12, 2021
Messages
183
Great story. I have taken my boys with several times when they were little. Never actually harvested a deer during those times, but my boys still talk about it years later. Awesome job. -Rufus
 
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