Happiness Is A Warm Gutpile With Nuts On Top

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nchunterkw
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Happiness Is A Warm Gutpile With Nuts On Top

Post by nchunterkw »

I have a sweat shirt with a cartoon drawing of a gut pile and the saying underneath. Of course it's my favorite, and better yet it was on a clearance rack for lie $5. I've had it for probably 15 or 20 years. One of my old hunting buddies from OH wanted one but we could never find another one. Still, each year he and I still "stage" this scene after the kill and send each other texts of the pic letting them know we shot a buck.

I sent him one this morning.

After I spent Saturday night using my blood light to find my buddy's deer, and getting up early to pull security duty at my church all morning, I was kind of "meh" on hunting Sunday afternoon. If I were to go, I would only have time to go to a local place...and I had just killed a doe there on Tuesday night. I was with another young hunter and shot a nice doe at 22yards. The RamCat hit right behind the shoulder and she only went 66 yards with good blood all the way. As it was 5PM, I took my time field dressing her and dragged her and my stuff about 150yards to an area where I could wait until dark so as not to spoil my buddy's hunt. Well, in that "area" a saw a small buck and later, around 6:15PM another deer while waiting.

Back to Sunday.

Around 12:30 (still at the church) my wife says another couple wants to go to lunch, OK, that's fine...I need to eat anyway but these lunches generally take time....but like I said I was kind of "meh" about going hunting. So we do lunch and finally get back to the house around 2:30PM. My wife says she wants to work in the house a bit and "Why don't I go hunting?" ...OK. I will...but wait I have to dispose of the carcass from Tuesday as it's been in a garbage bag by my garage for a few days :shock: .....so I run to the dump quick, and then go get gas in the truck. (TIP: - Never get gas in your truck while wearing our hunting clothes, or boots :D ). Anyway, I finally get going and figure I'm good as I'm going to sit in the new area where I saw deer late in the day on Tuesday. I get in there at about 3:30PM and meander back and forth picking just the right spot for the Ghost Blind and cutting branches to brush it in (Thanks for that tip LBJ - THAT is a game changer with the GB). I finally get settled around 4:30PM or so. Brushed in Ghost Blind, and my HECS suit, sitting about 20 yards off the edge of the property where the neighboring property has a clear cut grassy area. Around 5:45PM I'm guessing, I see some movement to the right...a doe out in the grassy area. She is about 40 or 50 yards away facing away from me. I'm not sure where she came from, but anyway...there she is. She feeds for 10 - 15 min then wanders up into my woods, but behind me and moving away. I figure, "Oh well, that's the way it goes sometimes". Then 5 minutes later another deer is in the grassy area. Same spot feeding on something delicious.....and it's a goofy looking buck with one 6" spike on the right side and 3 little other protrusions on the left. He's there for 10 - 15 min and is now joined by a larger what looks to be a spike (I call those an "11" point), but maybe he has a few tiny points....not sure. But body - wise he's nice. They continue to feed for what feels like forever when the small goofy one finally starts into the woods in front of me. Wind is in my face but he's heading right at me. I'm kind of stuck as my safety is off, but the bow is not to my shoulder. He's moving which is usually OK to get away with some movement, but he's so close I don't want to risk it. He looks to be crossing in front and there are several trees he should go behind that would let me get the bow up. He stops. 10 yards (maybe 8yds) dead broadside. Looks straight at me ...then just looks away like there is nothing to be worried about and starts ripping leaves off a downed tree. One more step and his head is behind a tree....he starts to lurch forward and I start to bring up the bow but then he doesn't. So I don't. Another 30 seconds....he finally moves behind the tree and I raise the bow, but now he is moving away from me at a quartering angle, so I get centered and let the arrow go behind the near shoulder. He's moving but really close so that lets the arrow hit about mid ribs. THWACK! He's hit and the arrow is buried up past the insert in a tree that was behind him. He is running hell bent for leather, tail up but only makes it about 70 yards and crashes in sight. Perfect. No tracking. OK, what about the other buck? He's just standing in the grass looking into the woods. Hmmmm...do I dare reload?.....yes I do! It's already pretty late and I have a long drag, but I get reloaded and the other buck is still there. Another 10 min go by and he is just feeding and feeding. At this point I am wondering if I really want to shoot a second buck back here by myself and then have to process 2 deer......but he makes up my mind for me by finally wandering back down through the grassy spot and away from me. I pack up and walk directly to my deer. It's dark, but I can see his eye shine in my light. Those are the best tracking jobs. First order of business, a quick but meaningful, heartfelt, prayer of thanks. Then a quick field dressing job (complete with the "nuts on top" photo op).....and a check of what I hit....arrow went in mid fib cage, and out in front of the far shoulder taking out both lungs and center punching the heart....and I start the drag. Ghost blind and pack on my back, Micro 355 in my left hand, deer drag wrapped around my right wrist/hand. A long drag, a pumping heart, and a tired body but I get home around 8PM and have him quartered up and hanging in my freezer that I converted into a refrigerator for cooling/aging by 10:30PM.

After a quick shower and some dinner, I hit the rack thinking. Yep, "Happiness is a warm gut pile...with nuts on top".
Last edited by nchunterkw on Tue Oct 26, 2021 9:28 am, edited 3 times in total.
Keith
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and walk in it and find rest for your souls. - Jer 6:16

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grouse
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Re: Happiness Is A Warm Gutpile With Nuts On Top

Post by grouse »

Congratulations, and I enjoyed reading your description of the successful hunt! You're having another good season and I hope it continues for you.
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Re: Happiness Is A Warm Gutpile With Nuts On Top

Post by gerald strine »

Great write up Keith thanks for the story and congratulations on the harvest!
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Re: Happiness Is A Warm Gutpile With Nuts On Top

Post by Boo »

Two deer in one hunt is a lot of work! LOL no thank you! :lol: :lol: :lol: Congratulations Keith!
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Re: Happiness Is A Warm Gutpile With Nuts On Top

Post by DuckHunt »

Congrats on the good eating buck. That's got to be a rush shooting one so close at ground level.
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Re: Happiness Is A Warm Gutpile With Nuts On Top

Post by frisky »

Congrats on your deer :thumbup:
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Re: Happiness Is A Warm Gutpile With Nuts On Top

Post by mr meat »

Congrats
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Re: Happiness Is A Warm Gutpile With Nuts On Top

Post by xcaliber »

Boo wrote:
Mon Oct 25, 2021 12:14 pm
Two deer in one hunt is a lot of work! LOL no thank you! :lol: :lol: :lol: Congratulations Keith!
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Re: Happiness Is A Warm Gutpile With Nuts On Top

Post by ODH »

:clap: :clap:
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Re: Happiness Is A Warm Gutpile With Nuts On Top

Post by longbow joe »

Congratulations Keith great story lol.
Yea ...l won't kill 2 deer anymore either done that and it's not easy. One time I killed 4 doe in an afternoon..Great bragging rights other than that it was too much work ...learned a good lesson.
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