This past week I got the chance to head over to "The Lodge" for some guy time and ended up having a phenomenal trip. Thursday night I saw four deer and put an hour long stalk on another until the sun went down. Then I got up for the morning hunt Friday and took my 30-30 with me in hopes of getting my first kill with open sights. It's an old gun that since I bought it seems to be cursed with some bad juju. Whenever I carry the rifle it is as if all the animals dissappear. Fortunately this year the juju is gone.
My dad and I went up to our tree stands around 6:30a.m. I started by clearing a large branch that dropped with a loud crackle and crash that dad could hear several hundred yards away through the forest. In his words he "hoped it was a branch and not the stand falling." I waited a several minutes and then started with some grunts and bleats. During the first sequence I heard a crash and hoofs. Then three minutes later out walks a buck about 30 yards to my right that then walked directly under me. I waited some more, called a sequence again, and he appeared 50 yards to my left. He wasn't a monster so I thought I'd let him pass and see if anything else came in. I waited again, called again and to my right appeared the buck at 60 yards. My predator instinct took hold and all I remember is eying the deer, slowly raising the gun, locating the white diamond of the sight, shoulder, and front post in one motion and BOOM! DRT. Down like a wet taco.
45 minutes later.. my deer was cleaned and I was just hanging out while dad finished the morning hunt. I heard a shot, pause,and another shot. Dad got a dandy from his stand. His best yet. He saw he shot high the first time and was able to correct before the buck moved. We planned on a four day hunting trip and ended up with deer for both of us the morning of day two. I couldn't ask for a better father-son time.
