Favorite hunts?

[sumner4991]

I suppose you can say I really miss Mike P . . .anyway, I decided to give my favorite hunting story a ride on the forum. It's been a few years.

I was 18 years old and stalking from the East end of the family farm into the wind. As I made my way around the North side of the property, I slowly made my way into the clearing of an old home place, called the Molly Place.

I had made the trip three mornings that week and I had just passed the spot where I had taken a very nice doe the year before. There are the remains of the old house, barely standing in front of me. To the left on the back side of the clearing is the briar batch which backs up to a 35-50 year old white pine forest. After looking over the clearing, I decided to move on across and toward the pine forest where the needles made for quite stalking ground and deer often bedded in those needles.

I got about a quarter of the way into the old yard next to the fence line of the garden when I heard the snort. At the entrance of the apple orchard from the white pines, I saw the tail fly up and the unmistakable glare of the sun shining off those horns. The horns belonged to an eleven point buck that everyone in the area had been after for two years.

I gripped my trusted Bear Whitetail Hunter and slowly continued on the same path that I had travelled every other day. I kept that path until I hit the softness of those white pine needles and the seclusion of the trees. I picked up my pace slightly as I placed the ridgeline behind me. I felt at home in those white pines, taking several deer in there during the last few years.

I made a wide circle and slowly made my way toward the entrance from the pine forest toward the apple orchard. It seemed like three hours had passed during that fifteen minute stalk. As I approached the ridge, I glanced over. I saw nothing in the area around the opening. At that point I figured the last fifteen minutes was just a waste of fifteen minutes. The buck had left the woods.

All I could do was continue my hunt back to the barn. As I crept into the clearing and looked over the briar patch, coming from my right was the buck. All I could see were the horns standing out over the top of the briars. I quickly got ready for my chance for a shot, an opening coming up as the deer continued his walk. The buck was coming from the direction I had just travelled. He must have watched me leave and made sure I was gone before coming back.

As he approached, I was trying to estimate the yardage. My initial thought was ten yards. But, I started second guessing myself . . ."there's no way I just got within ten yards of this mature buck on a stalk, it must be at least 20 yards".

Looking through the briars, it was very hard for me to determine the yardage. I couldn’t see the ground. I decided to go with the twenty yard pin. As he entered the clearing, he looked huge. He stood in the shooting lane perfectly broadside. It was a beautiful sight as he stopped and looked down away from me, toward the old house. That's when I released the arrow. Its flight was perfect. Until it hit the top of that big buck's back and glanced off toward the apple trees. I was indeed at slightly less than ten yards! The buck bolted across the briar patch to the North and stopped briefly to say goodbye before he entered the woods and was gone.

That was the best shot I had ever pulled off. I still replay it over and over. That was an awesome stalk. While the shot wasn't good, the actual hunt was, well, memorable.

A neighbor shot the buck on opening day of gun season the same year. What an incredible buck.

[Limbs and Sticks]

Good story, I'm sure others here have a story or two to tell also.

Wes

[raydaughety]

That was a great story Sumner. I know that you'll always cherish the memory of that hunt. I have been blessed so much in the outdoors that I'm going to have to think on this one. Like you, I sure do miss hearing a good story from Mike P.

[frisky]

Nice story. A clean miss is better than a bad hit. Believe me.

[sumner4991]

I've killed a ton of deer since this stalk, but, this one haunts me still. I wonder if I had made that shot if I'd had turned out like CF and been a horn hunter.

I also wonder if I'd still remember the hunt.

[carvedtip]

I also wonder if I'd still remember the hunt.

I betcha would!

I liked the story sumner.

[Chuck Gravel]

great story sumner, what ever happened to mike P? I remember him saying somethin about leavin and then
I haven't seen anything posted in a while

[EQUINOXHNTERVA]

Really enjoyed the story.

[hetichunter]

I suppose you can say I really miss Mike P .

good story sumner.

i used to come here every day looking for those mike p stories but now i only check in about once a week.

this place just aint the same with him gone.