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On Sunday morning, Bill greeted me at the lodge at 3:00am. He mentioned that it had stopped raining. I stepped outside with a cup of coffee and was greeted with warm winds in the high 50’s. It was going to be another warm November day for this time of year in Illinois. I grabbed my bow and my backpack and we headed out for my stand.
Bill drove several miles away to a long winding road that snaked through rural farms and woods until he came to a stop at the edge of a farm field. We got our flashlights out and I proceeded to follow Bill after grabbing my gear from the back of his truck. We descended a rather steep grade from atop a ridge from the adjacent farmland that we had entered the woods from and we walked through heavy marsh grass into some tall timber. After a few minutes, Bill abruptly stopped at the base of a tree and turned to me with a wry smile and asked, “You’re not afraid of heights are ya?” I lied and answered “No” even as my flashlight beam traveled up the tree trunk trying in vein to identify what must surely be a treestand platform of some kind. There were the neatly arranged screw-in steps laddering up along with the cursory towrope. Bill wished me luck and disappeared into the early morning darkness, leaving me with my own thoughts. I quickly tied off my bow and pack and after securing my safety harness to the tree, ascended into the heavens.
I wasn’t exactly sure as to how high up the stand in the tree was at this point but decided after scaling what seemed awhile, that this was surely the highest stand that I had ever hunted. It’s a good thing that it was dark because had I seen this stand in the daylight, I honestly don’t know if I would have mustered the courage to hunt this stand. While I’m not usually one to complain, (we hunters have a long and rich tradition of depriving ourselves of frivolities like warm beds, adequate sleep, and consistent blood circulation to our extremities) I found the small brick-like seat offering on the stand especially torturous but paired nicely with the medically correct bend in the tree that put a limb knot squarely in the small of my back. The limb appeared to have been hacked off at an acute 45 degree angle which meant that if I fell to my death from this stand, there would certainly be a Punjab stick remaining from this limb somewheres in the immediate ground area that would serve as an impalement tool to aid in the identification of my corpse for my next of kin. Rounding out this amazing treestand set-up was a platform just large enough for me to get two Lacrosse Alpha Burly boots side by side. I’ve never had my Seat Of The Pants cranked up so tight …EVER.
What kept me in the stand, you ask? Why it was the deer that were walking hither and fro less than ten minutes after I walked a scent drag with the sample of In-Scents Doe In Heat along a doe trail and connecting creek about 30 yards away from my stand. I got right with God in the next hour and a half before daybreak in the event of that fall…just in case.
As the forest came alive in the shadowy canopy of trees and leaves, I could see that I was seated in a tree in the leading edge of a hallow thicket that overlooked swampy marsh grass in front of me and a saddle that rose up to a high ridge to my right side. A creek ran to my left and doe trails intersected throughout. A good bodied buck stepped out of the marsh area and I noticed that he had good mass on his main beams but had absolutely no other tines- almost looked like a bull. He wouldn’t do. Some does also walked cautiously off in the distance.
About 6:30am, I looked over to one of the doe trails that I had walked my scent drag on and saw what looked to be antlers low to the ground. As the deer got closer, I could see him walking along the trail with purpose. He had a nice rack from my position-at least a solid 8. I connected my release as he neared to 35 yards from my stand. He kept a steady trot. As he hit the open shooting lane, I drew and grunted. He never blinked-just kept his nose on the trail. I really didn’t want to take a moving shot in the early morning darkness with still so many shadows. I whistled. Nothing. He kept up his trot with business on his mind and before he finished his next two steps out of my lane and into thick brush, I sent a Carbon Express 250 Terminator tipped with a three bladed NAP 85gr. Thunderhead Pro broadside. He jumped as the arrow hit him and he ran up to the top of the ridge and appeared from my stand in the cut farm field to be chasing his tail in circles like a dog. I never saw him run either left or right so he either bounded off straight away or he bedded down at the field and timberline.
I nocked another arrow and decided to wait a good couple of hours. During this time, I saw two does walk over on the farm field and bend down to something and then bolt away. I was hoping that it was my deer. I glassed the area but was unable to look through the tree line directly out from my stand and into the field. Around 8:45am, I crawled down (never so happy to feel my feet touching Mother Earth once again!) and began looking for my arrow and the blood trail. I couldn’t find either on the ground even after triangulating the position from my stand. My mind began to question as to whether I had actually hit him. Perhaps he just spooked at the sound of my bow. I ambled up the ridge and looked to one side and saw nothing and panned the field. There, in the middle of the field was my buck buckled up. When I walked up to him, I was pleasantly surprised to see that this buck was a 10-point. His body was long and lean. This boy was rutted out and had been scrapping as evidence of a scar by one of his eyes and a recently broken antler tine at the tip. (When we dressed him out and skinned him, I discovered a gore mark that had recently healed in his side from another antler) I sure would have liked to have seen the deer that kicked my bucks butt! I was elated and still am to have taken this magnificent buck!
I called Bill on his cell and he was very happy for me. He had asked me if the antlers were white, as he knows of another 10 pointer in the area that has “massive main beams the size of beer cans.” No, it was not this one. I feel that the success of this hunt was in large part due to the sound game management of Lamont, (they maintain a strict 125 minimum gross score on any buck-subject to a $500.00 if this is violated. This sounds harsh but keeps the buck population very healthy.) Of course the expert know-how of my guide Bill Earl, and the In-Scents Doe In Heat buck lure. As a matter of fact, it almost worked too good! (LOL)
This review is rather long winded, I know but wanted to share my experience with you folks at HC and also wanted to provide some feedback on two of our sponsors that I had the privilege to use and hunt with this past weekend. Anybody looking to bag a nice, mature buck give Lamont and Bill Earl a call! Oh, and be sure to give In-Scents a try on your next hunting trip as well. Good hunting folks!
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