A Deerhunt In Progress - 2005

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December 28

MORNING: 
A doe somewhere further uphill and in the dark snorted at me as I walked up to my stand 157 yards (on the rangefinder) from my food plot. I have a NorthStarr Treestand in the tree. Five years ago I set this stand and left it and the tresteps up since then. 

I use one of those small Pinch flashlights that makes an amber light and I pinched it and inspected the steps before stepping on them. They were fine (Cranford's EZY Climb fold up steps). Once I reached the treestand, a Steel Starr, I checked it and the chain that fastens it up. All was well there too. I settled in and waited as the sky began to show signs of the coming day. It was peaceful and beautiful. And I felt comfortable, knowing I had a great day already.

Fifteen minutes later, in the day's first light,  I saw shadowy movement downhill. My binoculars showed it to be a button buck. 

Somehow, after December's freezing weather my food plot is now the only thing around that is still green. I've been watering again too. The water tube is full and yesterday I made 3 water puddles on the ground. The deer went to the puddles and drank.

Daylight improved and I spotted a large doe and another button-head downhill near some trees. They also went to the water and drank. 

A lone doe went to them but stayed out of their way. This one was an extra large, mature bus doe.

The light wasn't photo great yet but I zoomed in and took pics as the doe and buttons left the food plot area and meandered in my general direction. But they took a turn 50 yards from me and disappeared in the direction of the nearby gorge.

The lone doe kept stayed apart from the other deer. She stopped and watched the trio leave the immediate area. Then she grabbed a leafy branch of a small tree and worked it with her mouth and rubbed her face on the branch and leaves.

Once that job was done the doe continued walking in my direction and I quit taking pictures.

Soon trees and other obstructions kept me from keeping track of the doe. My bow was already in my left hand and I maneuvered my binoculars (Nikon Monarch's) with my free hand and located enough small deer parts to know where the doe was.

I wanted a less than 20 yard shot -- so I let the binoculars hang and slipped the Nikon Laser Rangefinder 500 out of my pants pocket and put the cross hairs on the doe's head ...  click ... 23 yards. She was 10 yards from my best shooting window ... walking slow, calmly checking out the surroundings. Click ... the rangefinder read 18.5 yards.

It was time to fire up the BowTech. It slid quietly into the stops just before the doe stepped into the shooting window. The doe stopped and looked back and then turned broadside, a little bit quartering away. The other 3 deer were coming up.

I aimed at the far front leg and moved my pin slightly so the arrow would come out two inches in front of the leg rather than hitting the leg or shoulder. A touch on the Flathead trigger and the arrow went home.

The bow was so quiet when I shot that the other deer just watched the doe run downhill and fall over in the tall grass by some trees. It is just so amazing, after shooting bows for all these years and expecting that "thunk" noise -- and not getting it -- is really something. A bow that is practically silent. For real. 

As soon as the other deer were gone I climbed down and went to my truck for my tripod. Then I went to the doe and took my own picture with the camera's time delay mode.

Next I field dressed the doe and took it to Whaley Deer Processing in Hamilton.

This fat, mature bus doe made my day.

EQUIPMENT COMMENTS:

BOWTECH Archery
Again today, I used the BowTech Patriot. It's a short bow with a single cam -- perfect for the close quarters in the tree I was hunting today. As I already mentioned this bow draws and shoots extremely quiet. So much so that the other deer were not disrupted, they just watched the deer rush away. Confidence in your bow is vital for a quick, lethal kill shot. BowTech gives me confidence that my arrows will go where I want them to.

NORTH STARR Treestands
The tree I hunted had to have a stand with a narrow width that would fit between the 3 forks in the tree. When I put the stand up 3 years ago I took 3 different stands and the Steel Starr was the only one that fit in the space. I have left it up since then and show up from time to time. It's a good stand in a good place.

EZY CLIMB Treesteps
Ten steps got me to the stand. The EZY Climb steps are made by Cranford Manufacturing and they have been leaders in the treestep business for many years. I have some that are probably 20 years old and they still work fine. The unique thing about this step is how quick it bites into the tree and screws in. I've never seen a step that came close. 

NIKON
The Laser 800 Range Finder and 10x42 Monarch Binoculars were a big help on this morning's hunt. The Laser 800 is compact and you can use it with one hand. I want close shots and it tells me when I've got what I want. The Monarch 10x42 binoculars let me see what was going on from my first sighting up until the doe was hard to see when she got close and obstructions were in the way. The Monarch focuses sharp, fast and clear and I can adjust the focus with the same hand.

Wildlife Research Center
Treestand hunting takes scent control. And that's what the Scent Killer products from Wildlife Research Center are all about. Before every hunt I take a shower and use Scent Killer shampoo to wash my hair and the bar soap for the rest of me. Before I leave I use the spray on my boots, inside and out. These products are an invaluable asset to any deerhunt.

Jim Fletcher Archery
The new Fletch Hunter Flathead with a Buckle Strap is really growing on me. It is a loop release and it took me a bit of practice getting it on the loop without looking at it. But once I had the hang of it it's easy. The Flathead is a smooth, reliable release that makes me feel confident my arrow will go where the pin is.

WOLVERINE Insulated Boots
It has been cold during December and I wore the Wolverine 1200 gram Thinsulate insulated 9" boots every day. They are much lighter than my old standby boots -- which I retired in favor of the Wolverine's. The first time I wore them was in Illinois, in freezing weather, up and down steep hills and high trees. I expected the worst instead was amazed at how they were comfortable from the first day out. These boots are as warm as they are comfortable.

Barrie Archery (Rocky Mountain Broadheads)
After the shot is made it's all up to the broadhead. I used the Assassin 3 blade expandable broadhead. Both the entry and exit wound were large cuts and the doe went down in seconds and in sight.

Timberline Ultra Glow Bowsight
The pin size on this excellent bowsight is perfect for bowhunting. Personally, I prefer a larger fiber optic pin rather than the small ones. it is easier to find a larger pin after I draw and it . PIns don't appear to move as much as the smaller ones do -- and that makes me feel good about the shot.

ARROWS
I fletched my own arrows with the Arizona E-Z Fletch from Arizona Rim. The shafts were the Maxima from Carbon Express and I used red EZE-Eye Wraps and 5 inch, red Gateway Feathers.

Rope Ratchet
This is one of the handiest things a deer hunter can have. After gutting the doe I hooked one end of the Rope Ratchet to a hook on the side of my pickup bed and the other around the does front quarter. Next I cinched it up until the doe's front end was up to the tailgate. Then I swung the back end on the tailgate. Believe me, it is a lot easier than picking it up by yourself. Finally I tightened the Rope Ratchet up again and that held the deer on the tailgate while I drove home to wash out the inside of the body cavity.

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