1.) grandpawrichard - 04/15/2015

I got my Buck, I got my Buck, I got my Buck!!!!!!!!

Man alive do I have a Story to tell you! I arose Long before daylight this morning and headed out bow hunting.

I have been hunting a new area that has had lots of fresh deer tracks and sign in it, but this morning something told me to go back to my old hunting area. That area used to belong to my Father-in-law before he passed away.

The morning was a Foggy, Damp, Cold morning with a temperature of 20 degrees. There was just the hint of a slight breeze and everything was slippery with ice.

To get into my new hunting area I have to cross a knee-deep creek, so I decided I didn’t want to get wet, cold and Miserable before my hunt started. I figured with my luck I would catch pneumonia and miss the rest of the season.

Well, I hunted the whole front of my old hunting area and didn’t see a single animal. So I decided to give the back of the area a good once over. That area has a nice clearing with plenty of hiding spots from which I could conceal myself. It is only an area of about 135 feet by 200 feet, which is just perfect for bow hunting. It is skirted by Interstate 5 on the backside.

I wasn’t totally into the spot that I wanted to hunt from when my eyes caught the movement of a set of horns. I ducked quietly into some brush and pulled my face- mask on. I picked my shooting lane carefully by judging the travel of the rack of horns. I could count 3 points on each side and I started to get excited.

I came to full draw with my trusty Newberry LB1 and then rested my bottom cam against the top of my leg. That way when the buck stepped out into the shooting lane I just had to raise the bow, sight in and release the arrow. Everything seemed to shift into Slow Motion!

The buck stepped into my shooting lane and presented me with a Full Broadside shot of only 20 yards. I raised my bow, picked a hair in the Kill Zone to shoot at and I released my arrow. A perfect shot, right where I wanted it! The arrow Blew Through the buck as if he wasn’t even there!

Man alive, you should have seen the escapement of Steam and Blood! The buck jumped, ran about 10 yards straight ahead, spun 90 degrees, jumped a 3- wire barbed wire fence. He stumbled when he hit the ground on the other side of the fence. I thought that he was going to pile up right there.

That’s when he shifted gears and plowed thru the brush. It is also when I got a sickening feeling in my belly! I realized that he was headed right thru the brush and towards Interstate 5! To make things worse, I suddenly heard a Semi-truck and trailer coming.
Much to my sadness, the deer hit the highway right in front of the Semi! The truck driver didn’t even have time to hit the breaks except for a little bump. He clobbered my deer, dragged it down the highway for about 100 feet as he tried to come to a controlled stop. The poor deer never had a chance and as the truck came to a stop it rolled over the top of him. Talk about a Sick Feeling!

Fortunately, the Semi-truck wasn’t damaged; it got a little dent in the front bumper. Two guys in a pickup truck that was following the semi stopped and helped drag the remains of my buck off of the shoulder of the road.

I sure went thru a bunch of mixed emotions during this episode! My heart was pounding so load that I swear that anyone within 50 yards of me would have heard it as I watched the arrow blow thru the buck. It continued to pound like that all during the bucks run for freedom.

Then the sick realization hit as I realized what direction the deer was heading. Immediately following the deer/truck collision I felt an overwhelming sadness for the loss of my animal. That feeling seems to be staying with me as I write this story, but my heart is still pounding from the adrenaline rush. My hands are still shaky, and it has been several hours since this all transpired.

All I can say is thank goodness that I made a well-placed shot, and the deer didn’t suffer, nor did it go deep in the thick brush where I couldn’t find it!

Another thing that makes me feel good is that I didn’t have to put my deer tag on the animal. That gives me until December 31st. to go out hunting! Maybe Lady Luck will smile on me and give me the chance to fully harvest an animal!

All–in-all, I guess you could say that today was my Semi-Lucky Day!

Dick

Written by


Richard M. (Dick) Raymond Jr.

© 2005 Richard M. (Dick) Raymond Jr.