Well I closed my season yesterday with some excitement. The morning hunt I had three does in front of me at about 25 yards. The wind was swirling and they had gotten a scent of me but they couldn't figure out where I was. I kept hoping they would drop down the ridge into range, but finally my hunting partner ended the situation when he came walking up from behind me and spooked them off.
The afternoon hunt was even better and turned out to be one of the most exciting hunts of the season even though it ended with a missed shot. About an hour before dark I spot two or three deer running about hundred yards away through the woods. I kept trying to see where they had run to, and finally zeroed in on some noise in that direction. It turned out to be two bucks sparring with each other. I could distinctly hear their racks hitting together. This went on for maybe 10 minutes when I saw a deer headed my way. It was a spike buck and there was a small six point following. Then the two larger bucks I had been watching also started heading my way behind the first two. I was hunting about fifty yards off a food plot with the hopes of catching deer milling around inside the woods waiting until dark to enter the food plot. It had been raining off and on during the afternoon and now it started raining again. The first two smaller bucks passed by me at around 18 to 20 yards, and I had my concentration on the two larger 8 points bringing up the rear. One of them had probably around a 16" inside spread ivory rack with the other one slightly narrower yet taller dark rack. The two larger bucks got within 20 yards or so and looked like I could expect them to pass by broadside at around 15 yards. I was in my climbing stand about 18-20' off the ground. The lead buck passed through a narrow lane before I could get drawn. They had been feeding I hopedone would stop in an opening and give me a still shot. Suddenly the two bucks got alert and I could hear one of the smaller bucks stomping his hoof and I knew the smaller bucks had gotten down wind of me. I quickly checked out both larger bucks and saw they were both behind cover. The lead one and closest to me had an open lane just behind him and I knew he would pass through it, but hopefully it wouldn't be to quickly when he spooked. He turned to leave and I drew quickly lined up and let fly as he passed into the opening. I watched my arrow fly over his back and knew my season had just ended.
When I found my arrow, one of the feathers was laying on the ground next to the shaft. I don't know what happened for it to fall off and be laying where it was next to the arrow. Oh well, they will be even nicer bucks next year and maybe ours paths will cross again...
