Anyway, I’ve been experimenting with the Deer Sense incense sticks: http://deerquest.com/ I don’t have time to go into details but this stuff does what they say it will do!
This deer, on the other hand was chasing a doe so I can’t say conclusively that the incense sticks were a contributing factor.
It was about 10:00 AM and I had been in the stand since 7:00 AM. The Deer Sense sticks had burned out and I wanted to go light a couple more. Before that I decided to grab a snack from my back pack. After that I put my binoculars in the backpack which was hung on the tree steps and also had to make a nature call. I hung the crossbow on the stand and grabbed the bottle from its hanger. As I was about to fill the bottle, I saw a doe coming up the hill toward me with the buck in hot pursuit. The nature call would have to wait. I could just imagine someone video tapping me was I scrambled to put the bottle away without spilling anything and grabbing the crossbow!
They both stopped behind the stand and I was looking on either side of the tree for about the next 15-20 minutes. They stopped and were looking at a clearing about 100 yards away. Anyway her ladyship decided it was time to move up the trail past my stand with Romeo tagging right along. Women! They’ll be the cause many an amorous suitor’s undoing every time.
I nailed him with a 34 yard shot from a modified Excalibur Exocet.
Now for the bad news; because I didn’t have the binoculars I mistook this deer for another one that I actually wanted to get. They both have an unusual pattern on their belly on the sides. It almost resembles what you would see on a goat. Anyway the other deer has a bigger rack. The non-typical rack on this one fooled me. If I had the binoculars I would have passed him up. So, I thought I was done for the 2009 season.
Now for the good news; I just found out we can take three antlered deer in Ohio this year! So, I’ll get a second chance at the other buck.
