WVBOWHNTR
New Member
Well, it all started with a call from dad on Tuesday, he said a great 10-point was trailing a doe in the corner of his field just before dark. Since I have a stand on the ridge below that corner of the field, I chose to hunt it Thursday afternoon.
It was cloudy and 55 with a gentle drizzle when I reached the stand at 3:00. At 4:00, the rain stopped, and about 4:15 I heard some crunching behind me. It was a lone doe. She exited the thicket to my left and headed down into the hollow. As I watched her, I looked up to see him coming right at me! He overshot her trail, ran away from me, stopped, then came right back, grunting like crazy the entire time. As I made the final turn to get into position, the unthinkable happened. I accidentally touched the trigger on my release. Since I had a little tension on the string, the arrow popped off and fell into the metal grate of my treestand platform. He never saw or heard it, but stopped broadside at 8 yards for about 5 seconds before spotting the doe and running down to her while my quiver was hanging on a hook on the other side of the tree. It would have been a chip shot.
He then proceeded to keep her pinned in a blowdown about 70 yards away until dark. He circled her making sure she could not escape. I got a great look at his rack during this time. He's a very symetrical 10-point with about a 17-19 inch inside spread. Good tine length, and certainly,the biggest buck I have ever had an encounter with.
I'm unable to hunt today, and with the opening of rifle season here in West Virginia on Monday, hunting him post-rifle season will be tough, if he makes it at all. The property owner, as well as the other neighbors will turn that place into a war zone for three weeks. It's funny, because I have it all to myself in archery season.
Like many of you, I work very hard year-round to put myself in a position to succeed. With a demanding job and a young family, time in the woods can be hard to come by. The fact that it all came down to my screw up is very hard for me to get over right now.
Thanks for letting me get that off my chest. Best of luck to everyone hunting the remainder of the seasons in your respective states.
It was cloudy and 55 with a gentle drizzle when I reached the stand at 3:00. At 4:00, the rain stopped, and about 4:15 I heard some crunching behind me. It was a lone doe. She exited the thicket to my left and headed down into the hollow. As I watched her, I looked up to see him coming right at me! He overshot her trail, ran away from me, stopped, then came right back, grunting like crazy the entire time. As I made the final turn to get into position, the unthinkable happened. I accidentally touched the trigger on my release. Since I had a little tension on the string, the arrow popped off and fell into the metal grate of my treestand platform. He never saw or heard it, but stopped broadside at 8 yards for about 5 seconds before spotting the doe and running down to her while my quiver was hanging on a hook on the other side of the tree. It would have been a chip shot.
He then proceeded to keep her pinned in a blowdown about 70 yards away until dark. He circled her making sure she could not escape. I got a great look at his rack during this time. He's a very symetrical 10-point with about a 17-19 inch inside spread. Good tine length, and certainly,the biggest buck I have ever had an encounter with.
I'm unable to hunt today, and with the opening of rifle season here in West Virginia on Monday, hunting him post-rifle season will be tough, if he makes it at all. The property owner, as well as the other neighbors will turn that place into a war zone for three weeks. It's funny, because I have it all to myself in archery season.
Like many of you, I work very hard year-round to put myself in a position to succeed. With a demanding job and a young family, time in the woods can be hard to come by. The fact that it all came down to my screw up is very hard for me to get over right now.
Thanks for letting me get that off my chest. Best of luck to everyone hunting the remainder of the seasons in your respective states.
