Saturday morning would be my first day in a tree stand with a bow in my hands. Hampshire County WV had a one-week doe only early archery season and I was fired up about it.
Making preparations the night before, you would have thought I was preparing my back-pack for an all-day sit in the wilderness instead of a morning sit 5 minutes from my cabin. Never-the-less, it pays to be prepared with all the essentials. Knife…check…gutting gloves…check…cover scent…check…range finder…check….TP…check, and so on.
After a beating the alarm clock to the punch and taking a no-scent shower, it was off to the Cheyenne Trail stand, a Gorilla lock-on 22 feet up. What a beautiful morning! Just under sixty degrees with a light wind and blowing in my favor. I was in the stand 45 minutes before day light. Had I been lulled into a peaceful state of relaxation, that state would have been rudely interrupted by an acorn that hit me square on the knee, courtesy of the first fox squirrel in my area to come alive. I heard a whip o-will and an owl just before first shooting light as well.
At around 7:15 I spotted movement between some laurel. A fawn and 2 mature does were making their way through the property. Darn, they veered off in the direction of our cabin. Nothing to do but go for my calls and see if I could make something happen. Can’t say I’ve had a lot of luck with calling in the past, but I’m always trying to improve on my calling in the off-season. Reading, videos, whatever it takes. Hit the M.A.D. doe bleat twice and what do you know the fawn and one doe headed right for my tree.
As luck would have it, the doe, moving straight for me, looked up and stared a hole right through me. All I could do was squint and stay still. I’ve read often that a deer will spook looking into the eyes of a predator. After what seemed like a life-time, she turned and gave me a slightly quartering away shot. The arrow hit a little higher than anticipated but was a lethal strike. Plenty of blood and a 75 yard track-job later I had my first harvest of the season.
After skinning and quartering the doe, I thought about how lucky I was to have such a beautiful morning and how good some fresh back-strap on the grill would be. What a great experience to share in nature’s harvest. I think everyone, if only once, should have to kill, butcher, and prepare their own meal. It certainly gives you an appreciation for the circle of life and for your place in the food chain.
Good hunting to all you Predators…remember, you can’t kill ‘em from the couch!
Don
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
