Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

My Best Buck Yet: Flyer

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

    My Best Buck Yet: Flyer

    As August rolled around this year, I was somewhat ambivalent about deer season. A deer I had played cat and mouse with the previous two years, and missed TWICE I might add, was back on camera, but other than that nothing else seemed that interesting. I had settled in on the idea of maybe third time/year would be the charm with Wide, and I'd finally spring a trap on him this year.

    Then September rolled round, and one steamy morning I was sitting in another spot waiting for a pig, and I saw a deer that actually took my breath away. There were a couple of shooters in front of me, but one just added up to daydreams I have had. He had been named Flyer by another lease member, and the name fit.

    Opening morning arrived with a bad wind to hunt Wide from the tripod, so I improvised and made a make shift ground blind to play the wind. It almost worked. Right at shooting light I heard him trotting my way.... right at that moment... the wind completely died. He pulled up about no more than 5' to my left, did a U turn and trotted off. He wins another round.

    The next week I offed a pig my first night that was a nuisance to the deer. There was a better wind my final day of the trip, and I snuck into the stand early in the morning, and got skunked. Walking out I checked a spot he has known to bed, and sure enough fresh bed... he had watched me walk in that morning.... ugh. Flyer was still on my mind, and so I resolved I was just going to hunt the best wind every sit, and if that put me on Wide so be it, if it put me on Flyer so be it. Flyer was the dream, Wide was the history.

    The third trip was a total debacle. A storm had ripped through, and relocated one of the blinds for us and done some other damage around our sets. I ended up sitting in the rain for 3 hours waiting on Wide, he didn't show up. When I packed up to head home the next day I was exhausted, and beginning to think maybe I should take up berry picking instead of hunting.

    As my fourth trip to the lease started it looked like winds would be perfect my first morning sit for Wide, then I'd have to switch to a blind to hunt Flyer for the evening, and the 2nd morning sit I'd have to sit at yet a 3rd location and basically watch deer and hope for a pig. I had a pig that was running Wide off periodically, and so I made a plan. I arrived early enough the night before to stalk the rude pig and put him down. With the board cleared I was excited about getting the drop on Wide.

    At 5am I'm up and having coffee, thinking about smoking Wide. As I'm loading the ATV, the wind on my face doesn't feel right. I walk a little outside camp and and spray some wind detector.... bad wind for Wide..l seriously the absolute worst wind there could be. I had a moment of disappointment, but realized the wind was perfect for the blind Flyer was known to visit. I swapped some gear around for sitting in a blind where Flyer frequented vs the tripod where Wide was.

    By 6am I'm in the blind and unpacked. I already have multiple deer milling around. It was a full moon that had been out all night, so it had been easy to make good time from the atv which I had parked a couple hundred yards further back than I normally do. The feeder threw about 10 minutes before legal shooting, and those 10 minutes seemed to last forever. I was using my binos to try and identify the half dozen bucks that arrived well before dawn. I could only make vague determinations. Legal light came, but visibility still wasn't great, but I thought I saw Flyer. More checking with binos, a text to Flufster saying "I think Flyer is here....", and a silent prayer. I had my mount for holding my phone for video already in the window, but my phone wasn't in it. The deer had shown up so early I didn't want to risk putting it up until I could see them clearly.

    I identified Flyer finally, and reached to put my phone in the filming mount. I slip, the phone holder snaps shut, I drop my phone to the blind floor. *bang* White flags are running in all directions. I just almost cried. How could I be that dumb? I sat back, leaving the phone where it was on the floor and hoped they weren't really sure what happened as I had the wind absolutely perfect and had not thrown hand corn or anything to leave any clues a human had been nearby. A minute later the younger bucks moved back in, and I held on to hope. Finally I saw Flyer again, he was hanging around as far away from the blind as he could and still get the more sparse corn on the far side. He knew something wasn't right, and he wasn't going to get anywhere near my side of the feeder. I ranged him... well I tried to range him. I was shaking so bad I couldn't get the reticle to stay on him. Breathe, breathe. I propped my rangefinder on the top limb of my bow and hit the button. 42 yards. Further than I wanted to shoot under the circumstances. I dialed my sight to 25 and decided as soon as he was in a range I could Kentucky windage that pin.... I was sending one. He slowly circles back to my left and I get a second range 25. Only problem completely facing me. I knew I could make that shot, but I really really didn't want screw this up, I passed. Patience was rewarded as he worked his way back to my right in a wide arc. I realized he was just a tad over 30 and I think I actually smirked.... the end is coming for you buddy. The 70# felt like nothing as I settled into anchor, swung my pin to just above half way up his shoulder. Pin is there, thumb to the trigger... breathe...... pull *thump*. The bright green lit nock disappeared in the pocket perfectly.

    Flyer tore out like a locomotive on nitrous. All power and speed, dirt and grass flying everywhere. He chose a path down an alley you can see for a long ways, and he's hauling the mail. He doesn't make it far, when he actually dies in the air mid leap. He lands 6' into and on top of a thicket. I see branches and leaves fly and he disappears. I can't catch my breath, he's down. I say a quick prayer of thanks for the good Lord giving me a second chance I didn't deserve and for a perfectly placed arrow. I set my timer for 3 minutes, pulled out a follow up arrow and packed up some of my stuff. I circled around and stalked up to where I last saw him, but I couldn't see anything. I had a moment of doubt about what I had seen. Then as I leaned into the thicket I saw him... yep he had landed on top of it a little ways in, he wasn't even touching the ground. Flyer could certainly fly and how appropriate he left mid-flight. I spent the next hour taking pictures, which are not my best LDPs... I was still so excited it had all worked out.

    In the end the wind put me in a seat, and it was the right seat on the right morning. Thousands of arrows downrange, and 13 practice pigs over the past year had let me hone my shooting and shot placement skills. Those pigs had also let me polish my broadhead sharpening skills, resulting in a deer running as hard as he could and only making it a grand total of 54 yards before going down. Well Wide, if you make it through this season, I'll be waiting on you the first weekend in October my old friend.

    The following weekend I finally had time to pull the cape and head out of the freezer and put a tape on him. 146" gross. (I'm not a pro at putting a tape on them, but think its pretty close).

    Equipment -------------
    Bow: Prime Nexus 4 70#
    Arrow: VAP TKO 300 with Fusion X-II vanes
    Broadhead: 150gr Valkyrie
    Sight: Axcel Landslyde with UV3 Scope
    Release: TruBall GOAT
    Attached Files

    #2
    Hell of a deer!

    Comment


      #3
      Great buck. Congrats

      Comment


        #4
        One hell of a deer, mister. Congrats again.

        But that beard has to go. . And don’t give me the wife loves it story.

        Comment


          #5
          Congrats!

          Comment


            #6
            Hes a monster deer...congratulations...

            Comment


              #7
              Congrats

              Comment


                #8
                Awesome buck congrats

                Comment


                  #9
                  Heck of a deer, big time congrats !!!

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Congratulations! Good writeup as well.

                    Comment


                      #11
                      Great buck and great write up!

                      Comment


                        #12
                        Heck of a buck. Congrats

                        Comment


                          #13
                          Very nice buck!

                          Congrats!

                          Bisch


                          Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

                          Comment


                            #14
                            Awesome buck and story! Congrats

                            Comment


                              #15
                              Great buck and story!

                              Comment

                              Working...
                              X