As most of you know, due to the fact i kept posting about it, i had my dad come down the sunday of opening weekend in hopes of filling his buck tag early.
He had a very rough year last year in terms of hunting due to eye problems. His season was cut extremely short because of it. A couple surgeries later and he was all healed up and ready to get back in the deer woods.
This year i really made it a point to have a decent buck patterned for him to get'r done early. The rut is to much of a crap shoot for him with the limited amount of time he has to hunt.
So fast forward to the sunday of opening weekend. He made the track down to athens from the cleveland area as he's been doing for years. He was all jacked up and extremely confident in his shooting since we bought him that new ten point xbow a couple months back.
I had two deer i felt good about him getting a crack it, and both where on different properties.
He went out on sunday evening and saw tons of action, but the target buck ive been calling 'double d' was a no show.
The following morning i decided to take him to another property where i have been watching a buck i named 'the bonnie buck' since summer.
I felt this was a great target deer for my dad since he seemed mature and didnt seem to have tons of potential.
I named him the 'bonnie buck' in memory of the landowners wife who had recently passed. She was a great lady and it just seemed right.
So the plan on monday morning was to get my dad set up in the stand by 5:30 a.m. to let things settle down in case we bumped some deer out on our way in.
Well sure enough as i was walking my dad into the new stand location, we blew a bunch of deer out of there. I started barkin like a dog and chasing after them like a maniac. The old man looked at me like i was crazy.
We finally get close enough to the ladder stand to where i can hit it with my flashlight to show him where it was. I gave him the old smack on the back, wished him good luck, reminded him to only shoot the 'squiggle tine' buck, and then i got my ass outta there.
I got home, crawled back into bed, cuddled up to the chick, and was back snoozing in no time.
Well about 7:45am my phone starts blowing up. I see its my dad and quickly pick it up.
I could tell his adrenaline was pumping as he told me about what just happened.
At about 730 the 'bonnie buck' acted the script, came in to 19 yards and offerred my dad a perfect broadside shot.
He was still in the stand so i told him to sit tight, and thatd id b there in about 20 minutes.
Arriving on the scene, i quickly found the broadhead and it looked great. Covered in bubbly blood.
We tracked for about 50 yards with a great blood trail, and then decided just to be safe ti give it another 45 minutes as my dad wasnt positive of point of impact. Better safe then sorry, but i was feeling really really good about it.
So we got out of there, waited about an hour, and then took up the trail again. About 40 yards later, just clear of some thick brush, there he laid!
Holy shit did the emotions start pouring out of us. Just about every emotion possible in about a 5 minute span of time. Incredible. Its the reason we all do what we do!!!
This marked the first time we harvested a buck that id been following on trail cam.
The plan just came together perfectly. This deer doesnt even make p&y , but he's a booner in our book!
My dad went home as one happy camper! All the hard work payed off and we could not have been happier.
Here's a couple 'hero' shots.
This text message he sent me after he got home was enough to get me all teared up like a little girl.
"Made it home in 3.25 hours thanks 4 all ur hard work that was a dream hunt now we know that anything is possible just like u read in the mags great scouting great stand placement great bow great arrows and broadheads great place to gut hang and skin the deer youv come a long long way thanks again love dad"
All you regular posters here on TOO and even before on the other site have made me into such a better deer hunter its night and day. The shared knowledge/experience is second to none.
All of you played a roll in this harvest whether you know it or not, and that is just TOO fuggin good!!!
THANK YOU ALL!!!!
He had a very rough year last year in terms of hunting due to eye problems. His season was cut extremely short because of it. A couple surgeries later and he was all healed up and ready to get back in the deer woods.
This year i really made it a point to have a decent buck patterned for him to get'r done early. The rut is to much of a crap shoot for him with the limited amount of time he has to hunt.
So fast forward to the sunday of opening weekend. He made the track down to athens from the cleveland area as he's been doing for years. He was all jacked up and extremely confident in his shooting since we bought him that new ten point xbow a couple months back.
I had two deer i felt good about him getting a crack it, and both where on different properties.
He went out on sunday evening and saw tons of action, but the target buck ive been calling 'double d' was a no show.
The following morning i decided to take him to another property where i have been watching a buck i named 'the bonnie buck' since summer.
I felt this was a great target deer for my dad since he seemed mature and didnt seem to have tons of potential.
I named him the 'bonnie buck' in memory of the landowners wife who had recently passed. She was a great lady and it just seemed right.
So the plan on monday morning was to get my dad set up in the stand by 5:30 a.m. to let things settle down in case we bumped some deer out on our way in.
Well sure enough as i was walking my dad into the new stand location, we blew a bunch of deer out of there. I started barkin like a dog and chasing after them like a maniac. The old man looked at me like i was crazy.
We finally get close enough to the ladder stand to where i can hit it with my flashlight to show him where it was. I gave him the old smack on the back, wished him good luck, reminded him to only shoot the 'squiggle tine' buck, and then i got my ass outta there.
I got home, crawled back into bed, cuddled up to the chick, and was back snoozing in no time.
Well about 7:45am my phone starts blowing up. I see its my dad and quickly pick it up.
I could tell his adrenaline was pumping as he told me about what just happened.
At about 730 the 'bonnie buck' acted the script, came in to 19 yards and offerred my dad a perfect broadside shot.
He was still in the stand so i told him to sit tight, and thatd id b there in about 20 minutes.
Arriving on the scene, i quickly found the broadhead and it looked great. Covered in bubbly blood.
We tracked for about 50 yards with a great blood trail, and then decided just to be safe ti give it another 45 minutes as my dad wasnt positive of point of impact. Better safe then sorry, but i was feeling really really good about it.
So we got out of there, waited about an hour, and then took up the trail again. About 40 yards later, just clear of some thick brush, there he laid!
Holy shit did the emotions start pouring out of us. Just about every emotion possible in about a 5 minute span of time. Incredible. Its the reason we all do what we do!!!
This marked the first time we harvested a buck that id been following on trail cam.
The plan just came together perfectly. This deer doesnt even make p&y , but he's a booner in our book!
My dad went home as one happy camper! All the hard work payed off and we could not have been happier.
Here's a couple 'hero' shots.
This text message he sent me after he got home was enough to get me all teared up like a little girl.
"Made it home in 3.25 hours thanks 4 all ur hard work that was a dream hunt now we know that anything is possible just like u read in the mags great scouting great stand placement great bow great arrows and broadheads great place to gut hang and skin the deer youv come a long long way thanks again love dad"
All you regular posters here on TOO and even before on the other site have made me into such a better deer hunter its night and day. The shared knowledge/experience is second to none.
All of you played a roll in this harvest whether you know it or not, and that is just TOO fuggin good!!!
THANK YOU ALL!!!!
