By: Gary Akin

It Was The Worst of Times, It Was The Best of Times,…

November 10. Rich and I woke early, as we had been for the past 4 days. Sunrise in 2 hours, so we had time for coffee, a light breakfast, and time to drive to the river which we wanted to cross in waders. We’d then change to boots and hike about a mile and a half to where we intended to hunt this morning as the sky would start to lighten…

Yesterday I’d blown it. I had snuck in to an area I’d found that had been worked over quite well by at least one buck. Heck, everywhere we’d ventured in the woods back there had been worked quite heavily. Rich and I had been finding more scrapes and rubs than we’d ever seen here, and we’d been hunting back in there for nearly 25 years!

I’d set up as perfectly as I thought I could. The wind was off my back and blowing down into a tight draw where a lot of buck sign from the prior day’s exploration had taken me. I had hung my doe-in-heat scent so it would be blowing right down in front of me. I’d brought my doe bleat can to also add to my “trap”. My timing had been spot on. I was settling in comfortably while the sky was just barely showing the grey of dawn’s approach still 30 minutes away.

I waited till I could just see into the draw before I tipped the can and let out 2 doe bleats. My scent cannisters with the ribbons attached indicated the scent was wafting right down where I wanted it. If any buck came sneaking in to either the bleats or scent he should come in directly in front of me. The far side of the draw was lined with thick cover and then a steep bank which I hoped would funnel him right to me about 60-75 yards out. Anywhere down there left or right I could see further as the draw itself was more open. Behind me, my visibility was limited. My vantage point was up near the top of my bank, which rose another 20 yards then topped off and dropped away where I couldn’t see. There’s always going to be a blind spot and that was mine. But, my plan was to try to lure that buck in front of me. That was the plan, and I was confident and sticking to it!

Thirty minutes after sunrise I finally felt the warmth of the morning rays on my back. “This is perfect!”, I remember thinking. Any deer down in the draw would be looking directly up into the sun if it tried to identify where those bleats and scent were coming from. I was prepared to stay right here for awhile, (or at least till the sun had risen to no longer provide me this advantage).

I’d been sitting perhaps another thirty or forty minutes. I would sporadically let out a few doe bleats. My eyes had been working hard down toward the buck sign and every time I checked the ribbons they indicated the scent was still drifting down where I wanted it to go. WHAT WAS THAT?….. I’d heard something down there. I was sure of it. My eyes scanned the draw, the thick cover beyond,…. nothing. I know I heard something. Again I tried to pick apart the cover looking for something, anything. Side to side, up and down,… nothing. Wait. “That doesn’t look right.” “What is that? Was that there before?” I’d focused my attention on something back in there that just didn’t seem right. I couldn’t remember if “it” had been there earlier. I stared till my eyes practically watered and objects down there blurred. I’d looked away to clear my vision, then look back. Still there. It hadn’t moved…. It just didn’t look right….

SNAP!,… CRASH!.. “What The…?” Right behind me,… I whirled around, nothing there. CRASH!… SNAP!…. CRASH!… Back around in front of me this time! I whirl back around to where I’d been facing, just in time to see a big deer bounding up the far bank. I instantly see bone for a second! And then it is gone. I never got my gun up. I scan the cover quickly for whatever was back in the cover, but it’s gone. I look behind me again. Nothing there either. AGHHHHHH!!!!! I don’t know what caused the commotion behind me, a squirrel, a branch falling? Who knows. But I sure as hell know what was in front of me. The whole damn time. A buck! Right where I’d expected him to be! But I didn’t see him. AGHHHH!!!!

It was the worst of times…….

Back to today… Rich and I were heading up toward “Top of The World”, our plan this morning was to work together. We would hike in about a mile or so, from different directions and we’d both take an hour or so watch. We’d be up high and within a quarter mile of each other at all times. Then if we hadn’t had any luck yet we were going to work together and one of us would still hunt while the other remained on watch. Then we’d switch up, the one moving would find a good spot to take a watch and notify the other that they were ready and provide a general location. The first watcher would begin moving, hunting, (not driving) but we’d always have a watcher in place and a mover to keep deer on their feet. Sounds good, huh? Well, we’ll find out….

I had taken two watches without seeing a deer. I’d moved twice, working myself to about 400 yards I’d guessed from Rich. I texted Rich that I was set and gave him my general location. I remember standing leaning against a tree, looking toward higher ground and Rich’s position…. HOLY CRAP!!! Here comes a deer bounding through the woods!

It’s a hundred yards away but basically pointed at me and I looking right through the ears and I see horns. Things are going down quickly, but my rifle is on the way up and I’m looking ahead of the deer. It’s going to pass maybe 75 yards away going broadside left to right. But there’s a big gap in the timber where an old skidder track was…. My rifle settles to my shoulder, I have a clear view through the scope, and the buck is centered in the scope! BANG!!

WOW! That happened fast! I try to swing, but the buck is gone. I stand absolutely motionless and listen…. Did I hear a crash? Don’t know…. I then contact Rich and he makes his way towards me. “Do you think you hit him?”… “I’m 90% sure I hit him. He was right in the scope when I touched off.” Rich then heads over and I direct him down the buck’s path, I shout bang! when I think he’s where I took the shot. Almost instantly he spots a splash of blood and hair on the leaves.

I headed over to Rich, we find a bit of blood but it quickly disappears. Well that’s discouraging.. But as I stand where the last blood was, I glance towards where I’d shot, back to me and glance around. Hmm, Rich is ahead but he hasn’t found any sign. I pivot and realize Rich is too far left. He’s started to circle right and I’m glancing ahead and right. We both spot it at about the same time. A solid trail of crimson on the forest floor! WOOHOO! We take up the pursuit with Rich leading and me right behind him with my rifle at the ready. The blood trail is splashed on the leaves, sides of trees, and continuous. It won’t be long. After about 50 yards, Rich thows up his fist and points down to his right!

We take our time. We are going to savor this moment. We take plenty of pictures. We relax and take in our surroundings. Its a beautiful day. The sun is shining and its warming quickly. We’ll be getting this guy out of here wearing just our tee shirts. It’s a long drag to the river, about a mile, but mostly downhill. Rich does most of the dragging. Thank you brother! This will be the first buck we’ve ever taken out this way with the river cross ahead and we are going to enjoy it. My son, Aaron is on his way and makes it just in time to help with the final leg of our drag and the river cross. Rich documents the event with his phone camera…..

It Was,… The Best of Times…….

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