Halloween turns the old mature bucks into daywalkers. As I so often advise “deer are always in the woods” but as much time as I have logged in my treestands, rarely do I see big mature bucks on the hoof during daylight until the rut starts. They are the ghosts of the woods that are usually caught on trailcams in the middle of the night for me. The neighbors put a lot of pressure on the herd from opening day of bow until the last day of muzzleloader, it’s something I’ve learned to live with.
Anyway, I was in my stand 15 minutes before legal shooting light, as I’m hanging my bow on the hook and getting situated I hear a grunt off in the distance but never saw anything. I waited about a half an hour before rattling my first sequence. As soon as I smack the antlers together I hear a deer behind me in the thick stuff bolt, it was a young spike and he stops at 75 yards looking up the hill towards the grunt I heard. I scared him as much as he did me. I continue to rattle but cut it short in fear of the spike busting me and blowing at me for 20 minutes. I hang up the antlers and turn to grab my bow, to my right I hear a grunt again way off in the distance but it was loud considering the distance I can see in that direction. Slowly reaching for my bow I see antlers appear over the goldenrod roughly 150 yards away, he’s coming at a fast pace and like he’s on a string coming straight at me. He takes the first mowed path, then the second one zigzagging my mowed trails towards me. At 100 yards I could see the grey on his face, and antlers wayyyy outside his ears, that is the last time I looked at his antlers, from that point on I’m looking for the shot and that’s all or buck fever kicks in. At 75 yards I can clearly see him feverishly licking his nose and the broken up steam coming out his nose, my adrenaline pumping hard at this point I’m putting tension on the string. At 40 yards he’s still coming in fast and I draw my bow, at 20 yards he stops at the crossroads just short of my scent cone to my right with 1 small wild Apple tree between us. Finger on the trigger all I can do is wait, all he has to do is turn down the path in front of my stand to put a good shot on him. From here he can really go 3 directions and I’ll have him. I see a 4-5” hole opening and closing revealing the vitals between the wind moving the branches that a younger me would have tried to feed an arrow through. I’ve been down that road to many times and it’s not worth the risk of a bad hit on any deer. I’m anxious as the clock ticks, by now I’m starting to shake from holding back the bow, it feels like 20 minutes but was really maybe 4-5, my shoulders start burning and feeling weak, I know I can’t hold it together much longer. It was at that very moment I feel the wind hit the back of my head and it was over, he smells me and abruptly turns and walks away the same way he came in and at roughly the same pace. Such a beautiful animal, a majestic creature that I have so much love, respect, and admiration for. As he walks away I take note of his rack through my bino’s, he’s definitely a slammer, a heavy bodied mature, wicked wide and thick but short tined 8’ish point that I have not seen on my trailcams, he is now burned into my memory forever. Sure I was bummed I didn’t get a shot but it pales in comparison to the excitement of the whole experience that I am thankful to simply have witnessed. It’s precisely why we call it hunting and not killing.
What a rush! Most people have no idea how exciting hunting can be, or what is walking around their back yards because they aren’t out there. People see it as a waste of time but they have no clue how mentally healing it really is. The rewards are much more than just meat on the table, the experiences and memories are more than worth the effort. Sure I have lots of tasks to do just 300 yards away inside my warm cozy house but it’s deer season!!
Oh, if you’re wondering about that Apple tree, I grafted most of it last spring so I have some time and effort into it. The only reason I didn’t cut it down in the past to clear that potential shooting lane is because the prevailing wind typically blows right at it so it’s been viewed as a non factor. But... I still didn’t hesitate to jump on the 4 wheeler after this hunt and mowed that damn thing down with a chainsaw, it won’t happen again
