Post by LongSpur39 on Aug 18, 2010 3:29:31 GMT -5
Now this isn't a complete success story by any means. But I will never forget the day or the weather. It was two days before the gun season opener,and I still hadn't filled my archery buck tag. The actual rut had been goin on for nearly a week. I remember seeing all kinds of bucks travelin the country side. This particular day was extremely cold! In fact to this day i think it still stands as thee coldest day I have ever spent in the early archery stand. I arrived at my stand before first light,which sat in the middle of a small swamp bordering a field. I figured if I snuck in quietly well before first light. I wouldn't run deer out of the adjacent field. That wasn't to be. Not only did the deer hear me in the field,but they were probably hearing me for miles around. All I could hear was deer crunchin through the ice covered snow in the darkness. All wasn't lost,because I could also hear bucks grunting. I slipped into the creeky stand. As i waited for light I could start to associate sound with bodies. The closer it got to light the more the anticipation builded. But ofcourse when it became light to see,no deer. I sat for another 2 hours,when I caught movement back in the swamp to my right. And out steps this giant .He stood there looked around and went back the way he came. By now I'm shakin from buck fever and the bone chilling temps. I sat for another hour and then another. My feet were frozen couldn't feel my hands. Around noon or so I started seeing and hearing deer. One doe was dodging in and out of the thick pines in the swamp. Eventually I had 3 small bucks out of bow range go into the swamp. Then all was quiet. So eventhough I was borderline hypothermic or I was hypothermic. I couldn't leave with all these deer somewhere close by. I'd been sitting now for close to 9 hours. Back then you didn't think much about contracting muscles and all that. So I just sat and continued to suffer and be stupid. At a little after 4.i hadn't heard nor seen much. I was just about ready to try and get out of the tree. When crash ,here comes deer from all directions. One lone doe ran under my stand. She was definitely in heat cause here comes a line of bone ,behind her. I stood up grabbed my bow picked a nice 8 point out he ran past me,I went to draw my bow and couldn't. I finally was able to come to full draw.I let er fly,whiff!. Then they all went under me. One huge 8 bringin up the rear. I didn't even have time to nock another arrow. All i could see was straight down between his main beams. I grabbed another arrow and here comes the doe again right under me. This time the huge 8 was on her heels. Runnin so fast i had no time to draw. The doe ran in a big circle and here she comes again. I drew my bow and waited for the big dude to come runnin, this time. He switched his path like a cuttin horse,and went to the other side of the tree. I looked up and here comes a monster 10 haulin butt toward me. Continued--
