Randy before you ask this is how the 2009 whitetail season went for me and my wife..........
Nothing special nothing fancy just my story as it happened this fall.
Before the 2009 deer season even rolled around I was burnt completely out from guiding bear hunters,with not much in this area for deer and next to no motivation to go hunting for myself,I setout with the hopes of helping LadyTrapper tag a deer.I baited our usual areas with apples and Tcams and began what would end up to be one of the most frustrating seasons I've ever struggled through.
In an effort to escape the poachers and "shiners" that this area is noted for I setout for country I've never hunted before.But with landowner permission I was soon on my way deep into this guys land.
Tcams soon started picking up does and small bucks.I also told myself before the season even started I was all done shooting spikes and 4 pointers.After a few weeks of baiting I was thrilled when I started getting pictures of this guy.
I told myself he's a decent deer and if I was ever lucky enough to have him come around in the daylight during hunting season I would try to take him.Well as luck would have it by the time the opener rolled around I had spotted him several trips into rebait the hunting spot,and also had got several pic's of him on the cam.
So opening morning rolls around and I find myself perched high in my climber watching this area and apples.As darkness began to turn slooowly into daylight a flash caught my eye.It was the flash of my tcam.Now it's still pretty dark but light enough I could see the "glow" from my apples and I can't see anything but those apples,so I pick the 308 up and peek through the scope.Low and behold theres that 8 pointer having his morning breakfast.As the camera flashes away and I try to hold my own against the desire to "take him now" and wait for better light.I look the other way and tell myself better lights coming hold out on him.25 minutes pass and it's now time to "regroup" and getrdone.
I find him in my scope again and he's fair straight on with his head down eating apples.I keep him in the scope and watch as darkness turns into good light and begin my gameplan..You guys know how it works,take your time,wait for him to give you the shot you want,don't rush it.
So as he begins to make his way broadside and away from the apples he stops in "a hole"..I can fully see this buck and all thats missing is his legs,cause he's standing in a hole.I settle the cross hairs on his shoulder and think for a minute" is everything" right.It appears to be and I "touch ER off".As my 308 breaks the stillness with a thunderous boom,this buck is gone from my scope.I shoot with both eyes open"always have" I don't see any deer running in any direction or even laying on the ground.I "assume" he's laying in the hole he was standing in.So I light a smoke and replay everything in my mind,yup everything seems cool.So after 15 minutes or a good smoke whichever way you wanna look at it,I begin my descend from my perch.I'm thinking when I get theres he's gonna be in that hole.
I get down walk over and to my surprise,he ain't in the hole.Puzzled I begin to wonder "huh"...I look around and theres nothing no blood no hair and no tracks of a running buck nothing.Now I'm not the best shot in the world but I believe I'm not the worse shot either.I'm standing there "thinking" this bucks TOPS 40 yrds,I got a Bushnell Dusk & Dawn 4X12 and a 308 Browning,everything there was cool two days ago at the range.
I'm now standing in the hole that buck was staring up at my stand location when I spot it,NO,NO,NO I couldn't have...I walk over look up....FAUKLKMAN YOU DID.High in the top of a small 4 inch spruce that my scope hadn't picked up is a "skinned" side of a well placed 308 bullet.I stand there looking up at that remarkable shot and then see the bullseye in the next 24 inch spruce that was to the right of the buck.As I stand there thinking over the past 35 or so whitetail season I've sat through it comes to me......Yup first time I've ever done that.I have a word with myself
and start for home thinking....well it's only day one and to him that was just a loud boom.I tell myself he'll be back,knowing full well that he won't be this season.But am relieved that I missed him completely
I started to set with LadyTrapper after this just waiting for "my " buck to return for round two.I begin what would turn into a daily routine of checking cams and waiting.Days turn into afew weeks,on one daily routine to the cams I spotted this guy feeding under a apple.
I pass on this guy for three reasons.#1 he's the buck LadyTrapper is hunting during her limited time off work #2 I said I wasn't gonna shot spikes and 4 pointers even though he's 6 I pass,#3 I'm still waiting for my 8 pointer to come back for round two.
Over the next couple weeks I do nothing but think of that 8 pointer and hope he returns.No stand hunting for me nothing but checking cams everyday.A friend in the other end on Nova Scotia has invited me to hunt his place and with him for a few days.I haven't seen this guy in 20 years and with LadyTrappers urges I plan the trip.These Tcam pictures helped.
I hunt with my friend for a few days and everything is traveling at night,8 different bucks "all good ones at that" are traveling strictly at night.I return home for the final week of deer season.I'm way off my game and still have hopes of my 8 pointer returning,as I wait for his return I pass this guy.I was in my stand when this picture was taking.
I think as I watch him he's a little 8 pointer but has a tall rack and I begin to wonder what another falls growth would do to his rack.I passed him,came home and had a call from a good friend ..He's message was for me to call him ASAP...I'm thinking he's got a buck and wants to tell me the story.I return his call and first thing outta his mouth is....GUESS WHAT I FOUND.He continues to tell me how he's heard a shot "in the nighttime afew days ago"......he says I was out for a walk around my field this morning and found a 8pointer spoiled.Now he lives in the area I've been hunting ad I ask him thats this 8 pointer look like.He says I got the horns come see.I drive to his place and my heart sinks as I confirm it as the 8 pointer I had fired at from the first morning,Madness now settles in as I've "waited on" this buck 4 weeks now and realize he ain't coming back.From what my friend told me,it was a drive by shooting and they just left this buck to rot in the field.I'm assuming they didn't wanna take the chance on looking for him in the middle of the night and get caught doing it.
I begin to rethink my thoughts on passing on deer that are more than likely gonna get nailed but some drive by nighttime !@#$#@@^*,I then come to my senses and say I'm doing what I thinks right and thats all I can do.........jumping ahead to the last day of our 2009 season.
I'm up and gone well before daylight,first stop is to set on stand until 8am then check the cams and go from there.I do all that and check both our Tcams,one has no pictures and the other shows a doe and yearling and a spike.Nope not shooting no spike I tell myself.So with these thoughts in my mind both these two spots seem to be a NO GO for tonights hunt,it's now 10am and I'm in town wet from the rain and ordering a Tim Horton's coffee when it comes to me....I haven't be "over there" to check those apples in 2 1/2 weeks,might do well to go have a look,so I get my coffee and start the 45 minute drive to the spot that had this guy way back in October but hasn't been seen since this tcam pictures was taken
when I first saw these pic's I thought dang he's a pretty good buck for just 4 points,but he's gone so get over it.When I arrive at this spot I walk in and find tracks everywhere and the bait has/is being hit hard.It's now 6 hours away from the close of our 2009 deer season.I study the "sing" and begin to come up with a game plan.Lets see "wind is on my chin" tracks are just hrs old if that old,storm front coming in,last day of the season,I'm along way from home to far to go home and come back.I begin to think maybe this is the spot to end the 2009 season one way or the other.Everything runs through my mind,6 hours to set.I'm wet and cold and that'll just get worse if I set down.What to do what to do.
The hunter instinct in us all takes over and I get the "urge" to take a seat.So I get myself situated on my 5 gallon bear bat bucket behind the 4 foot high spruce tree I've limbed up for visibility.This was to be LadyTrappers spot and she's not good with heights so this "makeshift" groundblind I'm now in is to be mine for the remainder of the 2009 season.As the minutes slowly turn into hours my mind starts to wonder and I think,well if it's meant to be it'll be.I've had my chance for the 2009 season one way or the other {8 pointer} still in my mind along with the two or three small bucks I'd passed.The dampness from the morning stroll in the rain has now turned to a deep cold as I begin to 'wiggle" around trying to get warm as I'm dressed for travel not sitting on the ground on a bucket.I spy a big rock that would allow me to see the bait and woulds also block the wind from hitting me in the face and to lazy of a wind to go around me but would rather go directly up the back of my hunting coat.I take refuge behind this rock and this helps for another hour or so.I begin to feel like that dude on that survival show and wonder how I'll make it till dark..I'm froze now and it's only 2:20.
I beater for the truck and fire up the heater...AHHHHHH heat I think as I seriously think about calling it quits and driving really fast home to my wood stove that I know is full of seasoned dry hardwood and sure to be toasty warm.
Nope don't give in I tell myself and try to make it really convincing,just get your old tired bones warm and get back down there all the signs point to tonight as the night.OK I'm warm and I can't help but think of all the guys that are always on this site telling stories of how they've "tuffed" it out one way or the other.Ok I gotta be as tuff as one of them boys I think,so I grab my coat and gun and I'm at it again.
I retake my seat on nothing but the highest grade of plastic they make buckets out of,and wait.5pm I tell myself stay put till 5pm,{I can shot until about 5:20}doesn't seem as bad when I say it that way,I can do 5pm.
So at "about 4:40"...I see movement,whats that I think as I raise the 308 to my shoulder for a better look through the scope,YEP looks like a deer."It's standing there 75 or so hards away with it's head down.I watch through the scope for long enough my arms got heavy and had to put er down.Couldn't be a deer I say as it hasn't moved.Then suddenly it moved.UP COMES THE GUN.Peering through the scope,it's got horns I say as I begin to settle the cross hairs on it's chest.His head goes back down and just as fast comes back up.LOOKING HARD straight over his back he see's something.In one motion he's off across the cut going away from whatever it was he saw.FAULKMAN I think,I'm to my feet in recordtime........I see him going broadside to me at full steam ahead,the 2009 season has came down to this .................I pull the hammer back, find him, follow him,lead him.........
I touch er off,the 150gr 308 core-lokt bullet from my Browning has obviously found it's mark..HE'S ON THE GROUND.Dead center between the ear and the eye.I've collected my 2009 gift from the hunting spirits.
I said I wasn't gonna shoot no spikes and 4 pointers,but on the last day when the hunting spirits offer you a gift it's rude to turn your nose up at it.