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After several days of multiple close encounters, some for several hours at a time, And many of them with bow in hand unable to move. I was fortunate enough to kill Fred!
Now the fine print of this deer may read something like, may include little sleep, lack of showering, clothes that you didn’t know could smell so bad no matter how much smoke you put on them. 5 encounters in 11 days, missing an inch low 3 days prior to success, Oh and you will have to fight off Yellow Jackets in your pants stinging you and there’s not shit you can do about it.
I had only deer hunted 4 times leading up October 30th, being the start of time away from work. During one of those hunts Fred appeared a mere 40 yards from me, out of small woodlot. I quickly stood with bow in hand. Watching as he worked a scrape between the woodlot and a small cornfield. He then proceeded to turn and come towards me then stepping back into the corn to disappear. At that time he was just a large frame 8 until the 30th the start of my vacation. I was hunting that evening bored to tears glassing from the same stand, as I looked across a pond there he was getting a drink. I thought to myself “ well Fred’s up” laughing at the fact I arbitrarily just named a deer Fred. Once again he had made his way around, appearing in the same spot same routine, no shot once again.
Fast forward I scrambled hunting day and night for several days trying to locate Fred as he disappeared from that area. This particular farm is 200 acres of about a total 500 acres of land mass road to road on all 4 sides of typical flat lander ag land big fields of standing corn and cut beans with small wood lots connected by overgrown fence rows.
11-7, I had moved to the NE corner of this same pond with an old cattle lane separating me and a heavy overgrown fence row from a 20 acre woods that had been logged years back and ungodly undergrowth growing. As the evening went on the deer were doing what deer do this time of year. Working scrapes checking hoes and feeding. When all of a sudden I catch Fred moving through the shit to the north away from me. Nothing I could do I just watched as he disappeared. Roughly an hour later I’m glassing deer to the south to turn and find Fred standing 30 yds to my left. Unprepared, I swiftly pull my bow from being shoved in the base of my stand. Quickly Evaluating a shot, as he slowly walks in front of me at less than 15 yds, I put tension on the string. Finding my anchor and picking my spot that arrow was in flight. Forgetting the key words in my head for my sequence, “ Don’t Fuck This Up” dropping my arm that arrow flew an inch under his chest. He stopped to look for the branch that nearly hit him, looking around then walking off before I could grasp another arrow.
11-8, same wind and knowing the area he was last known to be in, that morning I burned it to the same tree that I left my stand hanging in from the night prior. 0 dark 30 I was settled. As daylight broke I started to have a parade of of young bucks around me. Soon spotting Fred , he was 60 yrds in front of me in the overgrown fences with a doe. It’s heavy 20 yrds wide of briars. I had apparently slipped right by in the dark with the wind and noise of the four lane that borders the backside of the farm.
This is the painstaking 4 hour close encounter part. It was just that, I could do nothing but watch as he kept all the little bastards away from his new girlfriend. Several times she would break away, creating a chaos. taking off into the thick woods to the north with a trail of 5-7 bucks. I would just keep scanning for Fred’s big white antlers bounding back and forth as he would show in between the trees. Standing with bow in hand waiting for my chance the whole time.
Eventually he was able to separate her and bring her right back to the row 60 yds in front of me. Shortly after making it back, all that running makes you thirsty. He pushes her to the pond i so happen to be next to. Standing bow in hand trying to figure shit out. Fred puts her in the cattails 20 yards to my right. Fantastic you’d think, just feeding,drinking having a good Ol time 18 yds next to me
. The canopy in my tree would require me to get on my knees to shoot. All good but, for the fact I couldn’t move. Remember the 5 trailing bucks?, yeah they are standing under me. All I could do is stand and watch, slipping my phone out and holding it at my waist to take a video.
20 minutes later he pops up to run off a few bucks , with a quick chance I once again tension that string finding my anchor, he was just to fast through the softball size opening I had in the canopy, I let down without getting a shot. Looking for my next opportunity that wouldn’t happen that morning. She once again decided to split in the commotion. I was not able to lay eyes on him the rest of the day.
11-9, same tree same easterly wind. Being confident he would still be in the area, hunting sign, sign doesn’t get much better than 2 days of eyes on deer.
In the last hour of the day,
once again see those white antlers coming through the green briars “ Fred’s up” now I had another buck with a doe in the same row 60 yds out as Fred the day before. He was a dandy of a 9
however I was to invested in this stupid deer I called Fred. It’s all about the story and I wanted to finish this story.
The way Fred was coming in I was sure he was coming to challenge for a fresh girl.
Watching painfully through binoculars I realize he once again already had one wrapped around his arms. And it was apparent she either was wanting the pond or the cut corn field to feed. Long story short as they approached the 40-50 mark I was up once again bow in hand playing out my moves. Each day that wind became a little more less in my favor. Remember that lack of showering and clothes that could stand up on their own… yeah that wind swirled a little in her favor giving her just enough to get uncomfortable. Getting her to slowly turn and take him back from where they came.
Now the fine print of this deer may read something like, may include little sleep, lack of showering, clothes that you didn’t know could smell so bad no matter how much smoke you put on them. 5 encounters in 11 days, missing an inch low 3 days prior to success, Oh and you will have to fight off Yellow Jackets in your pants stinging you and there’s not shit you can do about it.
I had only deer hunted 4 times leading up October 30th, being the start of time away from work. During one of those hunts Fred appeared a mere 40 yards from me, out of small woodlot. I quickly stood with bow in hand. Watching as he worked a scrape between the woodlot and a small cornfield. He then proceeded to turn and come towards me then stepping back into the corn to disappear. At that time he was just a large frame 8 until the 30th the start of my vacation. I was hunting that evening bored to tears glassing from the same stand, as I looked across a pond there he was getting a drink. I thought to myself “ well Fred’s up” laughing at the fact I arbitrarily just named a deer Fred. Once again he had made his way around, appearing in the same spot same routine, no shot once again.
Fast forward I scrambled hunting day and night for several days trying to locate Fred as he disappeared from that area. This particular farm is 200 acres of about a total 500 acres of land mass road to road on all 4 sides of typical flat lander ag land big fields of standing corn and cut beans with small wood lots connected by overgrown fence rows.
11-7, I had moved to the NE corner of this same pond with an old cattle lane separating me and a heavy overgrown fence row from a 20 acre woods that had been logged years back and ungodly undergrowth growing. As the evening went on the deer were doing what deer do this time of year. Working scrapes checking hoes and feeding. When all of a sudden I catch Fred moving through the shit to the north away from me. Nothing I could do I just watched as he disappeared. Roughly an hour later I’m glassing deer to the south to turn and find Fred standing 30 yds to my left. Unprepared, I swiftly pull my bow from being shoved in the base of my stand. Quickly Evaluating a shot, as he slowly walks in front of me at less than 15 yds, I put tension on the string. Finding my anchor and picking my spot that arrow was in flight. Forgetting the key words in my head for my sequence, “ Don’t Fuck This Up” dropping my arm that arrow flew an inch under his chest. He stopped to look for the branch that nearly hit him, looking around then walking off before I could grasp another arrow.
11-8, same wind and knowing the area he was last known to be in, that morning I burned it to the same tree that I left my stand hanging in from the night prior. 0 dark 30 I was settled. As daylight broke I started to have a parade of of young bucks around me. Soon spotting Fred , he was 60 yrds in front of me in the overgrown fences with a doe. It’s heavy 20 yrds wide of briars. I had apparently slipped right by in the dark with the wind and noise of the four lane that borders the backside of the farm.
This is the painstaking 4 hour close encounter part. It was just that, I could do nothing but watch as he kept all the little bastards away from his new girlfriend. Several times she would break away, creating a chaos. taking off into the thick woods to the north with a trail of 5-7 bucks. I would just keep scanning for Fred’s big white antlers bounding back and forth as he would show in between the trees. Standing with bow in hand waiting for my chance the whole time.
Eventually he was able to separate her and bring her right back to the row 60 yds in front of me. Shortly after making it back, all that running makes you thirsty. He pushes her to the pond i so happen to be next to. Standing bow in hand trying to figure shit out. Fred puts her in the cattails 20 yards to my right. Fantastic you’d think, just feeding,drinking having a good Ol time 18 yds next to me
. The canopy in my tree would require me to get on my knees to shoot. All good but, for the fact I couldn’t move. Remember the 5 trailing bucks?, yeah they are standing under me. All I could do is stand and watch, slipping my phone out and holding it at my waist to take a video.20 minutes later he pops up to run off a few bucks , with a quick chance I once again tension that string finding my anchor, he was just to fast through the softball size opening I had in the canopy, I let down without getting a shot. Looking for my next opportunity that wouldn’t happen that morning. She once again decided to split in the commotion. I was not able to lay eyes on him the rest of the day.
11-9, same tree same easterly wind. Being confident he would still be in the area, hunting sign, sign doesn’t get much better than 2 days of eyes on deer.
In the last hour of the day,
once again see those white antlers coming through the green briars “ Fred’s up” now I had another buck with a doe in the same row 60 yds out as Fred the day before. He was a dandy of a 9
The way Fred was coming in I was sure he was coming to challenge for a fresh girl.
Watching painfully through binoculars I realize he once again already had one wrapped around his arms. And it was apparent she either was wanting the pond or the cut corn field to feed. Long story short as they approached the 40-50 mark I was up once again bow in hand playing out my moves. Each day that wind became a little more less in my favor. Remember that lack of showering and clothes that could stand up on their own… yeah that wind swirled a little in her favor giving her just enough to get uncomfortable. Getting her to slowly turn and take him back from where they came.
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. I gave it up the night before foolishly thinking I was gonna trick myself into going to work, I even took my stand down the night before in full commitment.
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