Last day of late buck season was Sunday. I woke up early but my arthritis was so bad I just told my buddy I'd drive him around and pick him up at other spots.
It was pouring down rain all damn day, but I was just gonna stay in my rig so I was only wearing thin pants, no long johns and my tennis shoes.
I take him to 3 different spots and he has some fun hunts and jumps some does, he's basically having a good time and is staying dry with his rain gear, all is good and right with the world.
I then take him to a spot he wanted to hunt last, let him out and tell him to stay in radio contact to let me know where he's at.So much for that idea by now we were completey socked in with fog and reception was nil. I drive to a half way point and park, I'm listening to some tunes, staying warm and dry, all is good in my book. I'm scanning ahead, up the hill and finally the side mirror to see if he's coming down the road behind me. I had done this about 30 times when I see something that doesn't look right in the rain spattered side mirror through a rain spattered side window.
Oh **** **** dam it's a buck with a monster rack.
Rifles in the back seat, 45 on my lap, kick the door open and get him in the sights just before he shoots up the bank under the trees, so back to the truck for a radio that does not work.
Now it begins, get dressed, load rifle , run up bank into timber, umbelievably he's still standing 20 yrds. in, he moves behind two trees, now unsure because I can't see the head, it may be a doe, nope he leans forward showing me his massive rack again.
Now I have a window and all he need do is take one step forward, only what I didn't grasp until playing it repeatedly in my head after was that he was angling away and when I placed what was a perfect shot and dropped him,I even seen the bullet make it's entry and it looked perfect, at that point I was within35 yrds. it must have deflected out the front and completely missed all vitals. Bottom line, I focked up.
So after my buddy showed up we re-enacted the whole thing and then began a 2+ hour spiraling search in opposing directions countered with zig zags back to the point of impact only to start again and again til the rain turned to a snow storm with a fogfest.
We barley made it back to the trailer and got outta there before we got snowed in.
I suck, if it hadn't been the last day of the season in the final hours of the day in a snow storm while poorly dressed I'd still be there.Yep I suck.
It was pouring down rain all damn day, but I was just gonna stay in my rig so I was only wearing thin pants, no long johns and my tennis shoes.
I take him to 3 different spots and he has some fun hunts and jumps some does, he's basically having a good time and is staying dry with his rain gear, all is good and right with the world.
I then take him to a spot he wanted to hunt last, let him out and tell him to stay in radio contact to let me know where he's at.So much for that idea by now we were completey socked in with fog and reception was nil. I drive to a half way point and park, I'm listening to some tunes, staying warm and dry, all is good in my book. I'm scanning ahead, up the hill and finally the side mirror to see if he's coming down the road behind me. I had done this about 30 times when I see something that doesn't look right in the rain spattered side mirror through a rain spattered side window.
Oh **** **** dam it's a buck with a monster rack.
Rifles in the back seat, 45 on my lap, kick the door open and get him in the sights just before he shoots up the bank under the trees, so back to the truck for a radio that does not work.
Now it begins, get dressed, load rifle , run up bank into timber, umbelievably he's still standing 20 yrds. in, he moves behind two trees, now unsure because I can't see the head, it may be a doe, nope he leans forward showing me his massive rack again.
Now I have a window and all he need do is take one step forward, only what I didn't grasp until playing it repeatedly in my head after was that he was angling away and when I placed what was a perfect shot and dropped him,I even seen the bullet make it's entry and it looked perfect, at that point I was within35 yrds. it must have deflected out the front and completely missed all vitals. Bottom line, I focked up.
So after my buddy showed up we re-enacted the whole thing and then began a 2+ hour spiraling search in opposing directions countered with zig zags back to the point of impact only to start again and again til the rain turned to a snow storm with a fogfest.
We barley made it back to the trailer and got outta there before we got snowed in.
I suck, if it hadn't been the last day of the season in the final hours of the day in a snow storm while poorly dressed I'd still be there.Yep I suck.
