November 21, 2000. Temperature around 30, very slight wind and sunny skies.

I starting hunting around 3:30pm (after the drive there and mile and half hike). I went to the area where I'd had a small 4pt come w/in 15yds (didn't present a shot) last Wednesday.

I normally bump a couple does on my way in, but there wasn't a deer to be found. I debated my location and kinda wandered back and forth from the timber to the ridge overlooking the pasture below where bucks have been chasing does. Nothing. I headed from my lookout to the pasture back into the timber. (It was so hard not to make any noise).

I got about half way to where I decided to sit down when I spotted a deer in the hay field adjacent to the timber 100+ yds away. I got the binocs up and it was a doe, shortly after another doe joined her. They were content feeding in the field, so I carefully tried to close the gap and see if I could get a shot at one of them. (I think it took me 15 minutes to go about 10yds)..










I kept glancing up and just as I did I saw a buck join the does in the field...OOOOH! He put his head down and fed and I made my move down this ravine, where I lost site of the hay field all-together. I managed to get through this and closed the gap another 30yds.

I sat down behind this thorn bush along the fenceline for a few to let the now silent timber settle down.

The sun had gone down below the treetops and it was almost time to quit.

My bow was already loaded... I got up on my knees to peek onto the rolling hay field when I heard a grunt! WHOA! I was stuck where I was, my glove was on my hand over my release, a couple seconds later I was staring right at that 8pt buck not 15yds away... He helped me close the gap even more... I managed to sit still and got my glove off as he turned back...

He went behind some thick brush and I readied, as he was going to jump the fence and be on my side! He jumped the fence and started trotting AWAY from me! I grabbed the grunt, snort and wheeze call and gave one soft grunt.... to my complete amazement, he turned around and came back to me! I shifted around and went to full draw when he got behind a large thorn bush...I saw his rack, then head, and one foot, but he wouldn't take that one step I needed to get a clean shot! He was less than 10yds away and licking the bushes!

--I was fairly calm before he started showing parts, then I could hardly hold my bow, my legs were shaking, my heart was beyond racing, my arms started to shake terribly bad...I tried so hard to take deep breaths and reassure myself, but it wasn't any help... I kept saying, "come on, come on"... I felt that I held that bow for, at least, 3 minutes... I had to let it down... Shortly after, he came out feeding and I managed to take a few deep breaths as he went down into another ravine just to my left... OOOOOH... I may get another chance... He only had to go about 5yds to be in the clear, I went to full draw and was much more calm this time around, but he turned and went to the bottoms away from me. I let down and tried to grunt to him again... I got a snort this time, so we played that game for awhile. When I couldn't hear him any longer, it was time to go... shooting time was done...

I went to get up and my legs were still shaking and I had to sit back down.

I made it back to the truck in 10 minutes (record time) and called Randy.

Randy passed on this buck last week and now I've had a chance at him.

I hope I get another chance, but if I don't, that's fine, too. This hunt was a HUGE confidence booster! (I was runnin' pretty low).

I learned a lot tonight and it was the most wonderful experience. Then Randy told me something that I could not have been more touched by... he said, "Honey, you're officially a bowhunter now!" That meant a lot coming from him, although it may not sound like much. He's not big on compliments.
Good Hunting!!!