What a day! I went up this morning to check on the rut status and had planned on having a couple to come out and help me. Not really how I had planned the day but it worked. I climbed my way into the stand and rattled and grunted for about an hour before a spike came RUNNING to my tree. After the spike wandered off i grunted for about an hour with no luck. I decided to go out the the field for an easier hunt. It's was NOT easier, the sub freezing temps had turned the road to a crunchy icy mess. There was no way I'd see deer at this pace so I went back to the stand. At least I had seen something there. So back in the stand for me, a few hours with nothing I was getting ready to pack it in and try to meet up with some folks that had responded to my prior post. I grunted a few more times then started to pack up. That's when the awesome happened! I can hear something crunching ice but it sounded more like a squirrel, as I look up this buck come flying through the sky off a 10-15 ft cliff, and lands on the jeep path with his eyes locked dead on me. Of course my gun is two feet to the left hanging on the safety latch. I waited for his head to go town and after three attempts I got my rifle in my hands.. There really is not much of a shot, the deer is 100+ yards away standing in 3ft of under growth and facing me. Now comes the so or die moment. The deer catches wind and begins to wheeze me. I lined up center mass and squeezed the trigger. The buck rears up on his hind legs and bursts into the forest and disappears in some evergreens. So after I a while I come down in search of blood and there is NOTHING! NO BLOOD, NO FUR NOT EVEN SOME GREEN STOMACH JUICE. My heart sinks, I botched it.. Why didn't I wait for the backup.. I walk a 10 yard grid and there is no sign I hit him.. I know my gun and my limits and I was pushing them both, but I still felt confident I hit him.. After calming down for a bit I figured id walk down the the evergreens where he had disappeared.. Not 50 yards away he is laying dead as a doornail just beyond the view of my stand.. PERFECT heart shot! Bled out internally not a spec of blood was dropped.
