Met my Dad and Uncle Thursday late am up at deer camp... Saw a big bodied buck maybe a 2 or 2x3 on the way in @ 2 miles from camp.... Couldn't get out and load quick enough but a great sign!!! Met up with my Dad and Uncle... They didn't see a thing that am...
Got all my stuff set up and put away along with wood cutting/chopping ect...
Went out for the evening on a blocked road I scouted earlier this year... Saw two doe and what I thought was a spike chasing another doe but wasn't sure... Dad and Uncle saw a few does...
Next am get into my same spot and see a doe being chased by a decent BT buck... I could see it's antlers through the trees but never gave me a shot... Then I get to another spot farther up the trail and another doe is running through the timber... Then a HUGE buck right on her tail... I only had a matter of seconds to shoot and did through the last opening.... 96 yards off hand... I've made way tougher... I wait for my Dad to get there with pack frames... 1 1/2 hours later we're on the trail... For 6 hours.... Not a drop of blood or hair to be found... Both deer traveled straight up hill jumping over everything the westside has to offer... Nothing.... Not a good sign... I haven't missed a deer since I was 12.. Going on 17 years.... Get back to where I shot from... Nothing and more nothing... Then I glass where I shot from and where the deer was... I couldn't see it in the scope but with my bino's I see a dead branch sticking out in my lane about 2 feet... 43 yards away... That's halfway to the deer.... Can't say for sure but I think I hit the branch and it sent the bullet on it's own path... (that makes me feel better though)
Was down in the dumps that pm and was thinking about going home.... Wind and rain came in something bad that night and spent most of it drinking beer, stoking the stove between tying, staking, retying, restaking my Uncles tent and set up down... Got blown over or every direction I don't remember how many times...
Get up a little late and Uncle is breaking camp... Still pouring rain... We head out and plan to come back for a brunch before he leaves... I see more does along with another small buck but no shot... Dad doesn't see a thing.... Eat brunch, Uncles leaves and shoots a spike a mile from camp on the way out!!!
He sent us pics and we couldn't believe it... Uneventful evening other then more rain and wind...
Saturday more rain and does.... Dad swore he saw a buck but couldn't confirm for a shot... And saw a big 3 point 700-800 yards off into a cut... Another uneventful evening.... We are thinking about calling it and now dry wood is getting harder to come by... Everything we cut and split even covered in the tent soaked up moisture...
We go out Sunday am to our same spots with another welcome from the pouring rain... I here a shot @ 8:30 am.... Turn my radio on and try to get Dad on the horn... Then I here something to my left and catch movement... I had been sitting in this same spot since 7:15 am.... All I saw was a deer get up from under this tree 38 yards away from me with antler on his head!!! I shoot he drops.... A decent forky... he was bedded under the tree for I don't know how long... Get on the horn with my Dad who is asking if I just shot and I say yeah... You shoot... He says yeah... We both got forkies almost twins @ 1 1/4 miles apart a few minutes apart on the last day.... He made a 160 yards shot through the timber as the buck was trailing a doe...
After packing both out and getting back to camp @ 3 pm we decided to stay another wet night.... Got soaked to the bone for almost 3 days straight... Just got back this am.... Found out all the pics we took with my camera didn't turn out for crap because of how wet it was... And if I can't get it dried out it might be broke.... Everything is blurred but some cell pics of my buck... Not pretty.. (head shot) But this is the first year in ten we went 3 for 3... And the last time we went 3 for 3 was my Uncles last deer... I told him he better hope that's not the norm pattern now cause he'll be 74!!!
