| On a mid-November day in 2001, my buddy Frank called me full of excitement as he said he just saw a huge drop-tined buck herding some does into the timber close to where I hunt. I knew of a good place near there for a stand but all my stands were in us, "No problem," said Frank, "I've got a new API that's never been used so let's put it up." I did and set in it the next evening About 4 o'clock I spotted a doe coming along a hillside and moving very slowly. Because of the hedge, multilorarose and honeysuckle bushes, she was mostly hidden. Finally I spotted movement behind her and was thrilled to finally see antlers moving through the brush. As the sun went down, it became increasingly difficult to see their occasional movement. After some very long minutes she continued parallel to my stand about 25 yards away along the hill side. I lost sight of them and then she reappeard 30 yards out and down by the creek. Low and behold, as I looked behind trying to find the buck, there was a patch of hair that became visible through the bush. He moved just enough for me to realize that I was seeing his shoulder through a hole about the size of a football. Oh how I wished I'd cleared a shooting lane there. Then he raised his head, exposing a lot of antlers and realizing that a huge deer stood 32 yards down the hill. |
