Third Annual Bow Hunt

Plans were made, dates were set. We’d meet at my property lease in Brunswick County, Va by noon Tuesday morning Oct 20^th. Our anticipation was high as the past two years have all been successful. Year one, I tagged a 7-pointer and during our second annual hunt together, it was George’s turn. He tagged his largest buck ever -- a very nice 10-pointer. So suffice to say, we were stoked and ready to roll!

After setting up camp, we were mulling over stand sites for the evening hunt. I had hunted the property a couple times leading up to this but had not seen much activity. I did however, have some areas picked out where white oak acorns were dropping, but in the end, George decided to do something different choosing a location with lots of shade in the bottom at the front of our property. His primary thought was one of keeping cool. Did I mention it was in the upper 70’s that day?

Me, well, I’m not so smart. As a matter of fact, I’m a little hardheaded. I had a real good feeling about a spot I’d scoped out last season. It’s a low area along the “edge” - I’m a big believer in hunting “edge”, especially this time of year. Confidence in a location, like confidence in your favorite gun or in a special fishing lure is 75 percent of the game. I knew I was going to see deer at this stand site on this particular evening; I just knew it.

So off we went, George to his cool bottom area in the front of the property and me to hunt the edge among the White Oak trees, while working on my tan. Nearly an hour slips buy when I catch movement in the adjacent woods. I can’t see if it’s a buck or a doe but it was clearly a Deer and it was moving at a very steady pace through the woods. He (she) had no interest in the sweet acorns dropping from above. Well, nothing I can do about it. Hope it returns once it finishes up with whatever it was heading off to do.

Another hour goes by when I catch movement on the trail I came in on. It was now 6 pm and my plan was coming together just as I knew it would. This deer is slowly making its way along the path, in my direction. After taking a look with my binoculars, I see it’s what we call a Cow-horn. A buck with two points of 8 inches or longer, one on each side. I also call these Devil Deer for obvious reason. He’s now turned and making his way into the adjacent property and off my lease. He’s standing broadside at about 20 yards, an easy clear shot should I choose to take it. Standing there 18 feet up in a tree, my Diamond Victory bow in hand, knocked with a 100 grain magnum Slick Trick broadhead tipped arrow, I decide to let him walk. I’m thinking there might be some good luck coming my way when I let the first shoot ‘able deer of the season “walk”. Besides, there’s still a good forty five minutes of shooting light left. Maybe there’ll be others.

Thirty minutes later and much nearer to the end of legal shooting light, the cow-horn reappears. This time, on the other side of my tree not 10 yards away …he’s standing there offering me a classic quartering away shot that, in the end, I just couldn’t refuse. Surely this still qualifies as letting the first one walk, Right?

When my 4-blade slick trick broadhead passed through, I thought that deer was going to jump clean out of his skin! He jumped and spun around in one quick motion towards the woods, then quickly ran sideways falling into a small group of saplings. What happened next was damn near comical. The saplings, after bending under the weight of the deer, repelled it back like a slingshot. The Cow-horn, feet and legs running while in midair, hit the ground running in the opposite direction just to hit another group of saplings 20 yards away. This time he stumbled. When he got back on his feet, he headed back, once again in the other direction, towards my tree. This time however, he only got about 5 yards when he piled up just 10 yards from my tree and 15 from where he was originally shot. I can't be more sold on these magnum Slick Trick broadheads. After meeting up with my buddy George, I learned that he also saw deer. Six I believe but the only shot he’d have, came well after legal light. So his chance was going to have to wait.

Wednesday was a bit slow for us. George saw a couple deer but neither of us had any shot opportunities. Still, we had another nice evening; drinking beer and dinning on fresh Venison tenderloin. Thursday morning we had a plan. I was sending him down to one of my favorite stand sites overlooking a group of White Oak trees that have been dropping acorns for a week or more. Me, I made a lousy choice for a backup site. I'll not go into it and just relay the events that took place for my friend George.

Around 9:15am he’s starting to get a little bored. He’s mind is starting to wonder when out of nowhere, a nice 8-pointer steps into the picture. He stood broadside at 30 or 35 yards but George decided to let him get a little closer. At about 20 yards, he settles his 20 yard pin on the bucks vitals, touches the trigger on his release and sends the arrow flying. The deer hauls ass into the cutover and George is watching him as the buck struggles to make his way through the thick overgrowth. Then, nothing -- The buck is down. Now George is sitting down trying to regain his composure and slow his heart rate back to something more normal. Fifteen minutes goes by when he sees what he believes might be a doe coming down the path. “Two deer down in one day, can it be?”

George quickly knocks another arrow and after a few more yards, sees that this isn't a doe at all, but instead, finds that it's a very large cat -- a Bobcat to be exact. So at about 20 yards, after making sure it wasn't someone’s house cat Fluffy, Ol Dead Eye George sends another arrow sailing. Whack! A perfect shot right through its plum sized heart.

After a quick recovery of both animals and a number of pictures, we packed them up and hauled them out. We were in a bit of a rush to get the deer dressed, quartered and on ice as it was another warm day. Once the work was complete, we spent the rest of the afternoon celebrating another successful hunt together. So that's it, a great and productive two and a half days of hunting, way too much eating, a little drinking and a bunch of just plain enjoying ourselves away from our day to day responsibilities. Until next year George! By-the-way, we need to get planning that archery wild Boar hunt!