Mr. B – A Veterans Day Buck
Nov 12, 2015 19:30:02 GMT -5
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Post by michaeladkins on Nov 12, 2015 19:30:02 GMT -5
I sent this to the land owners, they appreciated it and asked me to read it at the funeral tomorrow. I'm not certain I can. I hope I can get the courage up to say something special about him.
Mr. B – A Veterans Day Buck
Veterans Day 2015 is likely a day I will never forget. I entered the property with a heavy heart, as this was the first hunt after the land owner had passed away on Monday. I got in the stand around noon, because I spent a couple hours hanging out with the land owner’s family. We shared stories and pictures, just like any other gathering prior to a funeral. Prior to walking out to the stand, the land owner’s daughter said they have been seeing a nice 8 point above the pond. I told her that my plan was to hunt up there because of the wind and I appreciate her letting me know.
It is now 1:30 and here comes that 8 point I had just heard about. He made a quick scrape, I tried to grunt him back, and then he headed on his way. I quickly grabbed my antlers before he could get out of ear shot. He came right back to me, but now was about 60 yards away. I didn’t know what else to do to get him closer to me, so I decided to try what a buddy was telling me about earlier in the day, and that is a snort wheeze. I did that twice and he bolted as fast as he could. So now I know not to do that again. About 20 minutes after the buck ran off, a small fork came in, but he only had one side left. He hung around for a bit and then followed the 8 pointer.
The wind was just perfect for my stand, I kept thinking to myself. Both bucks that I saw came right to me. I just felt like I was being guided by something. It was almost as if the land owner was there with me. I could certainly use his steady hand and patience when it comes to hunting. I can still hear him say to me “Take your time, there is no need to rush”. Granted, he said this to me in a different setting, yet it applied to this situation. I look up and see that fork again, as if he was doing a circle around me. Less than 5 minutes later the 8 pointer entered directly in front of me, approximately 100 yards away. He made a scrape about 40 yards from me, and reared up on his hind legs to rub some of his scent on the branches. I drew my bow back and waited for him to make his final steps. He took 5 more steps and I released. It was a good shot, patience paid off as it always does. He tried to run, but quickly stopped when he realized his shoulder was hurt. The arrow went through his front left shoulder, through both lungs and stopped at the other shoulder. He broke the arrow when he tried to run. He walked to his final resting place, stumbled, and laid down.
I quickly sent a message to the land owner’s daughter, telling her we got the big 8. I met her up by the house and we formulated a plan to get him out. This is where things got a bit exciting. We took the truck down to the pond, drove over the damn, and partially up the hill where Mr. B was. This property is pretty hilly and there are a few ruts in it that could make for some tricky maneuvering. She helped me field dress him, drag, and load him in the truck. We talked about how her father taught her how to field dress a deer and how she dressed the first deer she ever shot. It was a nice time reflecting on some of her moments with her father. The tricky part was still ahead of us. We needed to get back up a steep incline that is rutted up. She said you may want to get some speed up to make this hill. I put my fx4 in 4 High and headed on up. We made it all the way to the top of that include, but did not have enough momentum to make the next. She jumped out of the truck and went and got her truck, we tied the tow rope and to safety she pulled me.
After we made it back up to the house, it was time for pictures and stories. I decided to name the buck after the land owner, as it was probably the last buck he saw. Mr. B, you will be missed my friend. Thank you for letting me be a part of your life.
RIP Mr. B!
Mr. B – A Veterans Day Buck
Veterans Day 2015 is likely a day I will never forget. I entered the property with a heavy heart, as this was the first hunt after the land owner had passed away on Monday. I got in the stand around noon, because I spent a couple hours hanging out with the land owner’s family. We shared stories and pictures, just like any other gathering prior to a funeral. Prior to walking out to the stand, the land owner’s daughter said they have been seeing a nice 8 point above the pond. I told her that my plan was to hunt up there because of the wind and I appreciate her letting me know.
It is now 1:30 and here comes that 8 point I had just heard about. He made a quick scrape, I tried to grunt him back, and then he headed on his way. I quickly grabbed my antlers before he could get out of ear shot. He came right back to me, but now was about 60 yards away. I didn’t know what else to do to get him closer to me, so I decided to try what a buddy was telling me about earlier in the day, and that is a snort wheeze. I did that twice and he bolted as fast as he could. So now I know not to do that again. About 20 minutes after the buck ran off, a small fork came in, but he only had one side left. He hung around for a bit and then followed the 8 pointer.
The wind was just perfect for my stand, I kept thinking to myself. Both bucks that I saw came right to me. I just felt like I was being guided by something. It was almost as if the land owner was there with me. I could certainly use his steady hand and patience when it comes to hunting. I can still hear him say to me “Take your time, there is no need to rush”. Granted, he said this to me in a different setting, yet it applied to this situation. I look up and see that fork again, as if he was doing a circle around me. Less than 5 minutes later the 8 pointer entered directly in front of me, approximately 100 yards away. He made a scrape about 40 yards from me, and reared up on his hind legs to rub some of his scent on the branches. I drew my bow back and waited for him to make his final steps. He took 5 more steps and I released. It was a good shot, patience paid off as it always does. He tried to run, but quickly stopped when he realized his shoulder was hurt. The arrow went through his front left shoulder, through both lungs and stopped at the other shoulder. He broke the arrow when he tried to run. He walked to his final resting place, stumbled, and laid down.
I quickly sent a message to the land owner’s daughter, telling her we got the big 8. I met her up by the house and we formulated a plan to get him out. This is where things got a bit exciting. We took the truck down to the pond, drove over the damn, and partially up the hill where Mr. B was. This property is pretty hilly and there are a few ruts in it that could make for some tricky maneuvering. She helped me field dress him, drag, and load him in the truck. We talked about how her father taught her how to field dress a deer and how she dressed the first deer she ever shot. It was a nice time reflecting on some of her moments with her father. The tricky part was still ahead of us. We needed to get back up a steep incline that is rutted up. She said you may want to get some speed up to make this hill. I put my fx4 in 4 High and headed on up. We made it all the way to the top of that include, but did not have enough momentum to make the next. She jumped out of the truck and went and got her truck, we tied the tow rope and to safety she pulled me.
After we made it back up to the house, it was time for pictures and stories. I decided to name the buck after the land owner, as it was probably the last buck he saw. Mr. B, you will be missed my friend. Thank you for letting me be a part of your life.
RIP Mr. B!
