Main Discussion Area > Around the Campfire
Stoke the Fire!
Keenan:
Looking forward to hearing the stories next year Frank ;)
Pat B:
No elk stories to share yet, but I have a feeling I'll have one before it is all over! ;)
20 + years ago when I lived in Bluffton SC we had an archery only GMA near us. Now it is a gated community just outside of Hilton Head Is. SC. This GMA(Victoria Bluff GMA) was only open twice a year for a week at a time in late October and again in early November, just about right for the rut. One area that was visible from the highway is a wide open savanna area with spotty loblolly pines and sawtooth palmetto, broom sedge and myrtle under brush. Most folks would not even consider hunting this area because it looked so open.
Well, we knew better! A deer could(and frequently did) walk around freely because the palmettos, broom sedge and myrtles were tall enough to block their movement from ground level. Richard, my long time hunting buddy and I set our tree stands up about 100 yards apart and in full sight of each other, each within shooting range of a fire break that was a main travel route. Both of us had just began shooting trad, and both felt confident with our target shooting. ::)
About mid morning I hear grunting behind me and get ready for action. A few minutes later a hot doe passes on the fire break about 10 yards out with with 5 bucks close behind; a big 6pt, a small 6 pt, a 4, a spike and a button buck, all with their tongues draging the ground. As soon as I get the opportunity I shoot right over the big 6, reload and the same over the little 6, I reload my last arrow and again, right over the 4. The "train" moves off still being lead by this doe.
Out of arrows I decide I had better climb down and retrieve my arrows. Back in the stand I notice the "train" of deer coming back my direction. Now Richard, not but 100 yards away is about to fall out of his tree as he watches my antics...and the antics continue. Here they come again and again I take three shots and again , three shots over the backs of my targets. By now Richard has to climb down from his stand as to not inflict bodily injury from uncontrolled laughter from high altitude.
Richard wanted to be mad at me for screwing up his chances but quickly got over that and we still laugh about this and other episodes in the woodlands and marshes of coastal SC.
Keenan:
Ohhhhh Pat that had me rolling just imagining the scene. Thanks for sharing that was good. And it reminded me of another story
Several years ago I was up on a ridge and had a 5x5 bull give a quiet chuckle and soon he was moving up the ridge to me. I could see he was going to cut through a saddle to my right so I dropped the pack and back quiver grabbed two arrows and started crawling fast towards the intersect point. Things worked good and the bull came right through the opening I wanted and I cow called and stopped him perfect at 25 yards. drew back and watched as the arrow started porpoising very badly. I instantly realized that I had forgot to put a tie button below the arrow to keep my fingers from slipping the arrow down the string. the bull started to bust so I called and stopped it again. Perfect quartered just slightly further out. I let the arrow fly and things looked so perfect, arrow headed right behind the shoulder,,,,,,,,,until it spun so incredibly fast that the arrow zipped right on by. Remember that I only grabbed two arrows,,,,,,,,,Now to add insult to injury, the bull circled and came back,walking up to the log that I was behind. It was grooooling watching that bull pose and give me such good shots while I was out of ammo. ::)
sonny:
.......almost hate to tell this story but here goes-
Last season, maybe a couple of seasons ago I headed to my afternoon stand shortly after eating lunch.
Tired, early afternoon, I decided that it couldn't hurt if I took a quick nap near the stand right by the river bank,
thinking that the deer certainly wouldn't be moving this early.So I sat down and watched some small fish in a
deep pool right in front of me, then laid back using my fanny pack as a pillow. I couldn't get comfortable as
there was a root under my back so I just laid there debating what to do, not wanting to climb up in the stand
quite yet. Hadn't been five minutes when I heard a commotion on the other side of the river- turned out to be
an average four point buck coming across the river straight to me. He got within 20 feet of me- standing in the
pool where I had been watching the fish- must've gotten a whiff of me as he turned and headed back across
the river. As he's walking along the sandbar I whistled at him to see what kinda reaction I'd get- three times I stopped
him with a whistle. Then he decided to come across the river just upstream from where I was. Seemingly shielded
from view by the river bank I grabbed two arrows and my bow, headed upriver in hopes of catching him coming
up the bank. Well apparently he either saw, heard or winded me and splashed back across the river, never to be
seen again.....
JW_Halverson:
So I says, "Now before you go berating me over missing that buck with all five arrows, you gotta understand I was shooting over his back at a big copperhead that I wanted to back my next bow with!"
or, "Too early in the season, I wasn't missing...I was warming up the bow!"
or, "I was airing out my arrows!"
Great stories, keep 'em coming!
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