Stories

Et Tu Deux
Lowry Moore (2005)

Talk about a great hunt with a strong ending!

It was a cold and windy Saturday afternoon sitting in that 12 foot 2 men ladder stand sitting on a ridge above the cotton patch, the day I shot the big buck. I was sitting about 40 yards to the left of the original entrance; the stand leaning against a small tree that would move each time the wind gusts came. We were winding up a 5-day hunt that began Wednesday morning, January 12 with Brian, Steve and myself settling in to a 5-day hunt and camping experience.

The first morning was spent setting up camp which included putting up tents, unpacking cars, putting up the food in the coolers, getting water, getting the fire ready etc. The weather was unusually warm that day and we didn’t mind knowing the cold was on its way. The first evening hunt was boring except for the extreme thrill of hearing a shot come from the direction of Steve. Sure enough, Steve had shot a smaller doe from a stand that we had just finished at Mr. Anderson’s. This ended up being great and we ended up eating some of it while we camped.

During the next couple days, Steve was seeing deer and turkey left and right. He shot and missed a 6 point, didn’t get a shot at an eight point and saw a few more. On top of that, Steve was seeing a few large gobblers and taking pictures to boot. Not to be outdone, I had photographer 5 gobblers all considered “longbeards” and taken a few movies of them as well. Brian’s luck wasn’t going that well.

On Friday, with the weather turned very cold, my luck started to change. Sitting on top of the Red Clay Hill in one of the climbing stands that evening, I caught a quick look at a nice size buck jumping over a deeper section of the swamp. I was hoping to get a clear shot of the buck but he somehow vanished into the woods. Next came the 2 small fox’s that hung out in the green field below the Red Clay Hill. They hung around for some 15-20 minutes enjoying some playful moments in their quest for dinner. Next came a deer in the Fishing Hole Field across the swamp from the Red Clay Hill. It was a doe and didn’t stay long in the green field. Just as the light started to fade, I caught a glimpse of a large deer running across the Fishing Hole Field but couldn’t tell what it was.

On Saturday, we were all getting a little disappointed that no buck had been shot. The Saturday afternoon hunt came and I quite frankly had a feeling that either it was going to be that afternoon or we were going to have to drive back to Florida empty handed. I was comfortable sitting above the Cotton Patch at first but then the wind started finding ways to get inside my cloths and my eyes started watering as the wind kept blowing hard almost directly into my face. I had gotten to the stand early, around 2:30 and brought a couple snacks and a drink. I was hunting such a large area, staying totally still wasn’t necessary although the less movement, the better. The sun had finally gone just below the hill 500 yards away when something caught my eye…running about 400 yards away was a deer. I put my scope up in time to see in run over the hill with the red glow from the setting sun allowing me to see only the silhouette of the deer. I did not dare shoot over the ridge and know it would have been a miracle shot. My heart racing I search with out hope that somehow that deer would turn 90 degrees to his right and keep coming towards me because I felt most likely it was a buck running this time of year. After a short while I noticed to small dots following the path the deer had taken. The dots once I zoomed in with my scope were 2 small dogs following the deer’s scent. THIS COULD GET INTERESTING I thought to myself! After a few more minutes, just and I felt all hope was lost and the light would soon fade, here comes a deer running directly for me a couple hundred yards away. I put the scope on it and could see a spread of horns and fired at about 150 yards. I didn’t hesitate a moment, I had operated the bolt action of my Winchester Model 70 without thought and had the scope back on him immediately as he continued to run but not quite directly at me this time. My second shot provided me with a better target and was at 75 yards with the deer disappeared into the thicket below where I was hunting right after my shot. I did not even bother to look at the deer on the second shot, just see the “target area” and shoot. I’m now standing up in my stand looking into a thicket of downed trees and brush about 7 feet tall. I don’t see any movement and can’t hear a thing with my ear’s ringing away. I decide to wait for a few minutes and then go look. Because the sun was setting, I waited only about 10 minutes and decided I needed to start looking for blood or the deer while there was still light. I decided the brush was too thick to take a rifle so I left my rifle at my stand and took about my Browning Hi Power 9MM pistol. I wanted to be sure I was ready in case the deer was wounded and came at me. My search was directed to a point about 20 yards from where he entered the thicket in the direction he was traveling. The first thing that caught my eye once I made it to the spot was a white area a few yards away. I walked up on the buck lying down and carefully kicked it a couple times ready to shoot if it moved. There was no movement and I could see the horns and excitedly started to count them outloud, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8! An eight point buck and it was a beautiful deer. Nice large spread even rack, broad shoulders, thick neck, one solid looking and feeling deer. I sat down by the deer and just stared for 5 – 10 minutes letting it sink in.

My next thought was to go get Brian and Steve, the deer cleaning gear and scales and get started on the deer. Back at the camp, Steve is waiting for me and said not only did he hear and know that was me shooting, he had heard Brian shoot as well. Steve and I waited for what seemed like an eternity and finally Brian showed up well after dark. Brian tells us of the big deer he shot at from Red Clay Hill, over the swamp in the Fishing Hole field. Brian can’t get to where he shot at the deer with out driving around by us so we all take off looking for the deer. While Brian and I are searching, Steve hears something a few yards away in the direction of the swamp but we find no blood or deer.

We then head back to my deer and for the next hour and half, take pictures, gut the animal and then heard back to camp with the deer 10 feet up in a tree hanging in the 20 degree weather.

That night, the excitement is back in the camp. The food tasted better, the whiskey flowed and was smoother than ever and finally the bed was the bomb. Steve and I had had our fill of hunting on Sunday morning and decide to sit this one out. I hear Brian drive off in the 6 wheeler before 6am heading back to the Red Clay Hill where he had bragged about the beauty of the place. Just as I’m back asleep about 6:30 I hear a shot and it sounded like it came from Brian’s area. I can’t go back to sleep and start to worry when he doesn’t come back to the camp after 15-20 minutes. I’m hoping he did fall out of his stand and his gun when off of that he didn’t shoot a doe. I don’t have the energy to finish cleaning my deer and clean a doe too. After what seems like 45 minutes Brian shows up very excited. He’s unzipped my tent, he’s holding and fooling with his digital camera and he starts to tell me about this doe he shot at. I’m thinking oh no, we have a 9 hour drive ahead of us but he then put the camera to my face and says see, look at this buck I found. I look and say, damn, that’s a big rack, and an 8 point. I jump up like I’m on 4 pots of coffee and we all go to the frozen swamp to check this out. Brian had found the deer he had shot the evening before and it was an amazing story and shot. We carefully examine the deer and confirm this is a fresh kill.

We haul it back close to the camp, start cleaning the deer and decide to get both deer heads mounted. Finding a taxidermist on a Sunday morning in the middle of nowhere can be a little tricky but my little sister comes through and a short while latter we are all done with that. We pack up the camp site and head back to Jacksonville stopping in Mobile and enjoying a huge meal at the Oyster House, the only meal of the day for me and arrive back to Jacksonville close to midnight.

BACK

[email protected]