I know everyone likes a good hunting story, so here is mine for this evening. Last week I cut my way into the bushes (mostly autumn olive) in the background of these photos, on the other side of the creek. Enough bits were pruned for good bow clearance and then stacked in front, which made for a pretty good hidey hole. I was in place this evening about two hours before sunset. Unfortunately I realized that the stool I brought was a bit tall, leaving me feeling too exposed, so I alternated sitting and kneeling...not the most comfy. Just when it looked like I had done too much shifting around to keep my blood flow going, I saw a doe wandering by through my entrance hole in the bushes. She was far enough out in the field that she didn't seem to smell me, but didn't appear in front of the blind. Soon after, I heard a LOUD flapping maybe 20 yards directly behind me...apparently there were turkeys back there going to roost. I lost count after 12 or 13. Just as the last couple were blasting off to their roost, bobbing antlers appeared to my right. I was maybe going to get a shot at a pretty good size buck. 10 yards...8 yards...then at right about 5 yards, the deer seemed to sink into the ground. It took a second for my brain to process this unexpected development - the big goober had walked down into the creek and right past me. In that position he was too close to the blind for me to get a shot. As I was waiting to see if he would come back and maybe step out of the creek, I saw him coming in again from the right...what?? And then the original buck turned around in the creek to face the new one (OK, not the same one). Buck #2 apparently got too close to Buck #1, as there was a sudden clash of antlers five yards in front of me (still in the creek bed, still mostly screened by bushes). Buck #2 wandered off. #1 was standing broadside at 5 yards, still no shot. I was sure he must have sensed me by now and was coiled like a spring, ready to bound away...but no, he lifted his rear leg to address an itchy spot somewhere. He was completely relaxed. He took a step forward. There was a softball sized hole in the brush...I put pressure on the bowstring...then realized that, although there were technically 10 minutes of legal shooting left, I would be shooting at a deer blob through a small hole in a lot of brush. Sigh...I relaxed the pressure on the string. I couldn't even pick a spot since it was too dark to see hair. He wandered off in the direction of Buck #2. At some point I realized I could have stood up and gotten a very clear shot, but that didn't even occur to me at the time, and surely he would have busted me, never returned to our county, and told all of his deer buddies about my secret spot. So, probably just as well. I managed to sneak out without disturbing the turkeys. Next time victory will be mine! I will return with a comfier, slightly shorter stool and maybe throw some logs in the creek bed. Still the most exciting hunting I have had in a long time.
