Gather Around for a Wild Deer Story

[Five Seasons]

So as some of you know I moved south for work. We had a wedding in Rochester on 10/4. So I packed my gear and bow in my case and the wife, son and I flew home for 11 days. Burned the rest of my vacation time and an extra $25 each way to bring the bow but it was a small price to pay for some NY bowhunting (although a month too early).

 

I hunted pretty hard for so early in the season. Mostly 8F, but a few days in 7J. A total of 5 morning and 4 evening sits. The first evening I saw deer but no shots. Tuesday morning i had several great shots at 3 doe but I was not going to fill the freezer till later in the week. Filling the freezer was an essential part of the mission. I am not sure what kind of hunting I will have on lightly scouted public land down here and my NY properties hold some excellent deer and a lot of doe.

 

I do not have another shot at a deer till the following Monday morning. I had seen a real nice buck and a few smaller ones and even more doe, but none within bow range. I am now nervous I will not fill the freezer at all. The morning hunt allowed me to see a nice big shooter doe who walked directly head on towards me and then under my stand before leaving and not providing a shot. Son of gun. With a 4am wakeup call for our Tuesday morning flight I had no intentions of wanting to hunt Monday night. It was warm, it was windy and I didn't really want to shoot, track, gut and drag a deer the night before I left. I had everything to pack. Didn't have time to really clean up all the mess...But of course I did anyhow. I was in the stand at 3:30.

 

Around 5pm I'm sitting there and i hear a crunch to my left. Sounds like the same f'n squirrel that's been around me all hunt. Well what do I see but a young doe. Not a real freezer filler, but a deer just the same at about 15 yards. I stand up. Grab the bow off the hanger, draw and let one fly down through the back, into a lung and out the guts (funny angle). She runs < 100 yards and piles up. I want to find her and get her out before it gets dark. Call my dad to get the cart and then I get down to go get her. She died quickly and nicely in the pines. Quick gut and a few minutes pass and dad's there to help.

 

It's about 6:15 at this time and getting dark. For anyone who has ever hunted old pines you know that you can walk in them pretty well but you tend to snap and crack a lot of dead lower limbs to get through. Well we are dragging her out making all kinds of noise and talking about the stand and the hunt. We cross a small dried up ditch and pause. Talk some more and then just as we're about to move on I turn to see A nice 2.5 year old 7 pointer. Not 5 yards behind us on the run we're walking back on. WTF!? He is downwind as well and it was windy!

 

"Dad... Dad."

 

"what"

 

"holy shit there's a buck behind us... Dad what do I do"

 

"shh be quiet"

 

He stands there for about 10 seconds looking at us totally unphased. This to me is a shooter buck. Of course I have no bow and arrow. I'm in the post hunt "I don't care" mode.

 

He then walks up a parallel run and into the woods. Provided a nice 5 yard shot broadside, although in the dark it would have been tough. Totally unspooked the whole time. We stood there in shock and disbelief. My father has been hunting the better part of his 60 years and has never seen such a thing. I have heard stories and seen videos of bucks approaching downed bucks, but never this. Never this early either. All we can figure is that our crashing through the woods sounded like some bucks going at it and piqued his interest.... but still he was almost tame. It was wild.

 

If you read my whole long story and found it interesting than thanks. Honestly I just had to write it down.

[jjb4900]

cool story, I actually had a similar experience and was able to take the buck as it just stared at me and let me nock an arrow and shoot it from about 10 yards away......

[BizCT]

I have a similar story. 2007, opening day I shoot a basket 8 pointer 5 minutes into legal shooting time (still my biggest NY buck). He drops right where I hit him. I'm pumped and waiting for my Dad to come since I'm sure he heard the shot. In the meantime I call my Mom and wake her up to tell her because I'm so excited. As I'm talking loud and walking in circles a 4 pointer comes out of the same pines the 8 pointer did and stands there 30 yards from me for a few solid straight minutes. My dad finally comes, we gut the deer and start dragging. We get to a nice spot for pics and my Dad starts taking pics of me and my buck. As he's taking pics he freezes and has this weird looking face. I asked him loudly what's wrong as I realize he is looking past me. I turn around and there are 2 more 8 pointers 20-30 yards behind me, both of which are bigger than the one I already shot. My dad grabs his gun but couldn't get a shot off.

Still to this day, the most bucks I ever seen in 1 hour in NY.

This is the pic right before the 2 bigger bucks appeared behind me

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Edited October 15, 2014 by Biz-R-OWorld

[BizCT]

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[mjac]

I also learned the hard way to always have my bow/gun with me even if my main reason in the woods are not to hunt,, logging, camera check , stand set,,,etc,,,,,   crazy things happen !!

[Renegade Hunter]

I had a similar story that I posted on here, walking through the woods with two buddies to put up a stand, middle of the day during bow season. Being loud, talking about where to put it. All of a sudden a real nice 9 or better buck gets up and walks in front of us at 30 yards. Then gets on the same run we are on and walks right at us. I took a video but man I wish I had brought the bow. From now on, I bring it.

[Paula]

That's cool, and you were able to experience with your father. That's exciting