[petey]

A minute or two has passed since my first series of buck grunts and I begin to hear a sound that is almost too familiar. The cadence of the leaves rustling tells me one thing that is certain. There’s a deer coming my way and it’s closing the distance fast. I reach to my right and flip the power on my video camera. As the camera powers up it makes a little more noise than I’d like, but it has never seemed to alert any game I have tried to film. Adjusting the viewer so I can see what I’m about to film, I point the camera in the direction of the oncoming noise. I hit the record button, just in case this is something I want to shoot. There’s nothing worse than worrying about turning a camera on and having to grab your bow at the same time. Trials and tribulations I’ve experienced over the years of filming my own hunts. I see a pair of deer legs through the thick undercover and reach immediately for the binoculars that are snug to my chest. As I’m raising my binoculars, with my bare eyes, I can make out a full dark mass of the deer’s body walking directly toward me and then BONE! Now things are starting to get exciting. I know he’s got some headgear, but just how much is now the question. Finding him in the eyepiece then bringing him into focus is almost a natural action. It’s like swinging your gun on pheasant that busts out of cover right in front of you. Tools that feel natural in your hands and you know how to use them without thought.

The buck is now at 50 yards and closing fast, but after a quick glance through my binoculars my adrenalin calms. Immediately I know this buck by seeing his horns. It’s one of many that I’ve named and have already passed on prior in the season. Even five years ago I would be shaking with excitement. This would have been a dandy buck for my area in those times. A beautiful buck about fourteen inches wide. There are four very symmetrical points on both antlers. The “two-up” are about five or six inches in length. Still, it seems Mr. Alt’s point restriction has had some affect on the caliber of bucks in my area over the past three years. I’ve seen what I consider to be real dandies running around this year, and this buck is not one of them.

Instead of reaching for my bow I turn to my right and reach for the video camera. I love getting good video of deer up close. Not to mention “proof” when I tell my buddies I passed on a nice eight point this weekend. They are at my office door every morning wanting the details of my hunt the day prior, and of course can’t wait to view any video I have, to show I’m not full of it. We have a large flat screen TV in our office we use for video conferencing and it sure does make my hunt look beautiful when I bring it up during lunchtime. It’s like a bunch of schoolboys wanting to use the new bat their friend got on his birthday for recess. Of course, I enjoy telling my stories with so tentative listeners and showing these clips to them.

This buck sure puts on a wonderful show for me. He comes perfectly into 18 yards, and turns broadside to scan for “that buck” that was grunting earlier. Boy I can’t wait to tell my coworkers, “SEE I had him dead right there!”….but it’s more than that to me. As he begins to browse and walk off out of bow range, I turn the camera off and take a seat. Now smiling from this wonderful encounter, knowing I could have ended my season right there and then, but chose to let him walk. I begin to ponder the reasons why. Is it truly because I want a wall hanger or is it because I don’t want to end my time in the woods so quickly? I wonder…

(Chapter 4 - Why I do it)