Long Read: Accepting the bad days as I do the good days
On December 28th a saying kept going through my mind that my Dad would tell me and my brother when things did not work out as planned. His saying was “son if you are going to except all the great days that God allows you, then you must be willing to take and accept the bad days also.”
See on December 27th at 8:04 a.m. a buck walked into one of my food plots that I had been looking for since the beginning of season. Had I got pictures of him? No, but he was mature and had a great frame that carried 9 long tines. He was a buck I had seen shortly in October then poof he was gone. The morning of December 27th I watched this buck for close to 10 minutes as he picked around on some browse back to my north. He finally made his way out into the strip of food plot that bordered the edge of the woods.
As I watched this buck make his way out onto the food plot, I made sure of the distance, that the shooting lane was clear, that he was broadside, that my peep was perfect, that my jacket sleeve was tucked and so on. Everything was perfect……… accept…… I drew my Monster and all I kept hearing was it whispering in my ear, “Let me Eat” so I settled my pin right on the front elbow and squeezed the release. In an instance the unmistakable sound of arrow hitting deer rang out. But wait something did not look right, he jumped up, landed and then hunched up like I had just shot him through the gut. Are you freaking kidding me!
After the shot, the buck bolted a little ways down the tree line then slowed to a very slow walk, the entire time his tail was doing the fall down wined up. But the only problem is that he never fell down. I watched him slowly make his way into the thick timber and then out of sight. I sat there trying to replay the shot in my mind. I started thinking that I should have chanced the rain and brought my video recorder, did I knock my sight off, did my peep move, did my knock slip, did I rush the shot, did I………... Hundreds of thoughts were racing through my mind before I finally caught my snap.
I waited 30 minutes then climbed down to inspect my arrow. I was relieved to find the arrow with no gut matter on it, but the arrow did not have any blood on it either. I looked at the dig outs in the food plot and noticed some very dark red blood on the wet green browse. That helped my spirits a little as I walked back to my old hunting jeep and made my way back to the cabin.
Me and my Jack Russell named Buzz sat on the porch and waited until 11:45 a.m., close to 4 hours after the shoot. I put Buzz on the first sign of blood, and he was off like a rocket. As I held on to the 20 foot lead and tried to pick up blood spots on the leafs as we made ground through the timber, I was noticing good blood spots along the way. Buzz stayed on blood as the buck had crossed two fences and a railroad track. The buck took us though some very heavy saw briars and then across a very thick Cedar Elm break. As we were about to break out of the Cedar elms, we jumped him out of a bed. I could not believe 4 ½ hours after the shoot and he jumps, blows and runs to the west. I grab my dog and we inspect the bed. It has some blood, but mostly a clear water downed type blood. It does not have any gut matter but not bright red blood either?
We let 45 minutes go by and pick up the trail again. This time it only took us about 20 minutes to jump the buck again. This time he stood up and let me look at him for about 5 seconds before he jumped off the river bank and crossed the river. As the buck stood there I got to see the entrance hole, it was back and low. When I say back, I mean like 8 to 10 inches back and right where the hair changes from white to brown. I could not believe my eyes. All I could think is how in the world could this happen.
I made the decision not to chase him anymore, in the hopes he would go across the river and bed again and then die during the night. Well to make this long story short, I did not find him. I have sat on the river bluff about 200 yards to the south of the crossing every day since the screw up praying I would see him crossing back over into the thick brush; but no luck. I’m going to keep looking and pray that I run across him or at least catch a photo of him.
I have put out two more cameras in hopes of catching a photo of him, but I’m not to optimistic. You wait all year for that moment and then when the opportunity presents itself…….. I BLOW IT! The bow shot perfect, there were no obstacles, and peep was fine, the knock had not moved, I did not rush the shot. I do not know what I would do different if I could do it again; accept aim further towards the front! I had been fortunate enough to see many different bucks on my Bosque County grounds this year but for one reason or another none met what I was looking for, at least up until the morning of December 27th.
I thought since I post and share all the great times after each harvest, that it was only right to post the screw up!!!! I do accept all the great days that God gives me and my family and thank him often, but are having heck accepting that bad day! Ha.
Thanks for listening and have a great day.
Rwc
On December 28th a saying kept going through my mind that my Dad would tell me and my brother when things did not work out as planned. His saying was “son if you are going to except all the great days that God allows you, then you must be willing to take and accept the bad days also.”
See on December 27th at 8:04 a.m. a buck walked into one of my food plots that I had been looking for since the beginning of season. Had I got pictures of him? No, but he was mature and had a great frame that carried 9 long tines. He was a buck I had seen shortly in October then poof he was gone. The morning of December 27th I watched this buck for close to 10 minutes as he picked around on some browse back to my north. He finally made his way out into the strip of food plot that bordered the edge of the woods.
As I watched this buck make his way out onto the food plot, I made sure of the distance, that the shooting lane was clear, that he was broadside, that my peep was perfect, that my jacket sleeve was tucked and so on. Everything was perfect……… accept…… I drew my Monster and all I kept hearing was it whispering in my ear, “Let me Eat” so I settled my pin right on the front elbow and squeezed the release. In an instance the unmistakable sound of arrow hitting deer rang out. But wait something did not look right, he jumped up, landed and then hunched up like I had just shot him through the gut. Are you freaking kidding me!
After the shot, the buck bolted a little ways down the tree line then slowed to a very slow walk, the entire time his tail was doing the fall down wined up. But the only problem is that he never fell down. I watched him slowly make his way into the thick timber and then out of sight. I sat there trying to replay the shot in my mind. I started thinking that I should have chanced the rain and brought my video recorder, did I knock my sight off, did my peep move, did my knock slip, did I rush the shot, did I………... Hundreds of thoughts were racing through my mind before I finally caught my snap.
I waited 30 minutes then climbed down to inspect my arrow. I was relieved to find the arrow with no gut matter on it, but the arrow did not have any blood on it either. I looked at the dig outs in the food plot and noticed some very dark red blood on the wet green browse. That helped my spirits a little as I walked back to my old hunting jeep and made my way back to the cabin.
Me and my Jack Russell named Buzz sat on the porch and waited until 11:45 a.m., close to 4 hours after the shoot. I put Buzz on the first sign of blood, and he was off like a rocket. As I held on to the 20 foot lead and tried to pick up blood spots on the leafs as we made ground through the timber, I was noticing good blood spots along the way. Buzz stayed on blood as the buck had crossed two fences and a railroad track. The buck took us though some very heavy saw briars and then across a very thick Cedar Elm break. As we were about to break out of the Cedar elms, we jumped him out of a bed. I could not believe 4 ½ hours after the shoot and he jumps, blows and runs to the west. I grab my dog and we inspect the bed. It has some blood, but mostly a clear water downed type blood. It does not have any gut matter but not bright red blood either?
We let 45 minutes go by and pick up the trail again. This time it only took us about 20 minutes to jump the buck again. This time he stood up and let me look at him for about 5 seconds before he jumped off the river bank and crossed the river. As the buck stood there I got to see the entrance hole, it was back and low. When I say back, I mean like 8 to 10 inches back and right where the hair changes from white to brown. I could not believe my eyes. All I could think is how in the world could this happen.
I made the decision not to chase him anymore, in the hopes he would go across the river and bed again and then die during the night. Well to make this long story short, I did not find him. I have sat on the river bluff about 200 yards to the south of the crossing every day since the screw up praying I would see him crossing back over into the thick brush; but no luck. I’m going to keep looking and pray that I run across him or at least catch a photo of him.
I have put out two more cameras in hopes of catching a photo of him, but I’m not to optimistic. You wait all year for that moment and then when the opportunity presents itself…….. I BLOW IT! The bow shot perfect, there were no obstacles, and peep was fine, the knock had not moved, I did not rush the shot. I do not know what I would do different if I could do it again; accept aim further towards the front! I had been fortunate enough to see many different bucks on my Bosque County grounds this year but for one reason or another none met what I was looking for, at least up until the morning of December 27th.
I thought since I post and share all the great times after each harvest, that it was only right to post the screw up!!!! I do accept all the great days that God gives me and my family and thank him often, but are having heck accepting that bad day! Ha.
Thanks for listening and have a great day.
Rwc
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