I just got back from a 5 day hunt with Whitefeather- Matt Fout. He invited me and my buddy Dax and his boy up to his place in hopes of connecting with a deer. Matt had some natural ground blinds set up for us and we were seeing a few deer from distances too far, but the rut hadn't heated up yet. Second to last morning I decided to switch things up and go mobile. I had watched a small 4 point walk across a higher ridge so I planned on setting up on top of it. I was making my way up when I heard a deer coming my way through a thicket. Through the tangle of branches I saw antlers and as he drew closer I could see it was a very nice 9 point. I had him at 20 yards or less for several minutes but just never got a shot. he eventually circled around me leaving my arrow still nocked on the string. I continued my stalk to the ridge where I stood against a tree in a thicket of Pawpaw pinched between a couple blow downs and the ridge top. It made for a nice funnel so I just stood still, happy with my location. 3 minutes didn't pass until I heard another deer coming. It was this little basket racked 8 pt. He walked the ridge edge just as planned. Just in front of me, 15 yards or so, he took a long pause looking and smelling his surroundings. I was sure he would spot me since I was not in a blind and I was relying on my lack of movement to keep me hid. With a flick of his tail, he continued on. I followed him with my bow as he walked. at 10 yards and broadside, clear of the tangle of saplings, I put the sticks to him and I watched him bound off down the hill. The shot was a little behind the heart and I was not overly happy with the placement. I found blood and noticed there was a very followable trail of bright blood. To be sure I let him go for several hours and returned later in the evening. Matt and I followed the very easy blood trail for about 350 yards and found him in a tangle of logs at the base of a Beech tree where he needed an unfortunate finishing off. Then came the long drag back to Matt's cabin through the rocks, briars and steep terrain. While he isn't that big 9 pointer that I had encountered earlier, I am very pleased with my little 8 point and I am grateful for the opportunity to hunt with Matt at his beautiful place! The selfmade gear that did the deed was my Osage selfbow, cane arrow and stone point.
