Success!

This archery season has been a bit tough for me this year, but finally I had some success. Here's the story and some pictures.

I over-slept two alarms and woke up late Thursday Nov. 17th. After a few minutes of internal debate I decided the frosty, 20-degree weather and high pressure was too good to pass up. So I sauntered into the stand about 8:30am spotting a bobcat, 8 point buck and a doe on the way in. It was already a good morning in the woods and deer were moving, but like much of the season I didn't have any good shot opportunities. I also showed up 2 hours later than I should have, so I figured I missed out on the really good hunting. As I reflected on this season's mistakes and misfortune I sent up a little prayer to the man who got me hooked on hunting -Grandpa. He passed unexpectedly several years ago just weeks after taking me on my first deer hunt. 

In the silence of the frost-covered woods I thanked him for sharing the season with me and looking out for me. And then I asked him for a little help. When I looked up from my prayer, I spotted antlers about a football field away from me coming through the timber. It took this 8 pt buck a minute or two to walk slowly and steadily straight to me. While I have seen much bigger bucks over the years, I certainly recognize opportunity when it walks in. So I quietly thanked Grandpa, stood up, and when the deer came into range I took the shot. After the shot, he ran only a short distance and as luck would have it, straight up-hill toward the truck!

While my buck tag for bow is filled, I still have 2 archery doe tags and I look forward to many more outings with the bow. If all goes well, I'll be hunting all the way through January with shotgun and late season muzzle loader so I’m looking forward to many more memories afield :-)

Thanks again to everyone who has been a part of my hunting season. If you're still out to fill a tag, deer activity is still moderate to high, so keep after it and it will pay off! 

In my next blog I'll talk about how the weather will influence our post-rut pattern and I'll make some predictions about the upcoming special November Antlerless Season. I hope you all have a happy Thanksgiving!