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So…… fast forward through an uneventful October to November 4. With an East South East wind I knew I would be able to sit a stand in a small cedar tree on the edge of the transition area between open grassy spoil banks and those smaller honeys suckle bush and autumn olive choked spoils in grown over strip mine land. It was 4:00 PM. This was the first time I sat this tree/bush. The trunk was only 3 inches in diameter at 10 feet high and the stand was strapped in to rest on the cedar boughs. It did sway in the wind a little, but the blue green needles provide great background cover for me. It was a perfect time to be wearing the Sitka Forest Optifade jacket. After sitting there for 20 minutes I hear some sticks breaking behind me. I gave out a faint grunt, but got no response. It may have been a doe. 3 minutes later I heard some sticks breaking about 80 yards out in front of me- so I wheezed three times. I still heard the braches brake and knew that it was not from a walking deer, but from that of a buck thrashing limbs.
To get more range I grunted on a grunt tube a couple times. I could hear the buck coming closer. He was breaking limbs to let me (a wheezing and grunting buck) know he was coming. He was taking the bait.
Finally I saw the limbs of a tree shake and knew where he was. Then I knew who he was as his form popped up over a spoil bank as if coming right out of the ground. He was the old ‘Tree Shaker’ that grew up on our property. He looked huge! His neck was enormous and we knew from the 4 inch sticker tine on his right antler that he was responsible for all of the deep parallel grooves cut into many of the thigh-sized rubs in the area. I let out one softer wheeze that caused him to abandon his eastward route and come nearly straight south toward me. He dropped down into the bottom of two merging spoils and climbed up right at me. I had the bow up and the lower limb tip resting in the pocket I sewed on the inside of my left pant leg. This helped me steady the bow as I hid behind the wide limbs of the Tall Tines recurves. He kept coming. I hoped he would go more easterly and give me a broad side shot while giving me some breathing room as far as my scent trailing in the wind, but he did not. He heard a buck dare to wheeze at him, so he was coming to square the deal. Well, he ended up looking directly at me several times as he approached. The wide lower limbs of the tree helped frame his vision and keep me a part of the tree (in his mind). He was not turning and ended up closing to 5 yards or less. I drew and held for 5 seconds as moved beneath me. I found a large opening through the cedar boughs and released the 250gr Woodsman Elite tipped 2219 arrow. Tree Shaker dropped in his tracks as the head severed his spinal cord. A second arrow dispatched him and the little cedar tree began to shake from my nerves. Tree Shaker was still working his magic on me.
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So after taking Tree-Shaker on Friday night, I returned to the woods with my second tag. The morning had a light frost and slight Easterly winds that slowly built intensity during the morning. I was sitting in a favorite walnut tree that was in medium cover between two large areas of intense thickets. Again this subtle transition area in the thick terrain usually shows increased deer movement. I saw two different does getting chased by several different bucks. I called in a couple bucks using wheeze calls as well as grunting. I filmed some of the 2 or 3 year olds when I could, but always kept my bow in my other hand in case a mature buck presented. At 9:50 I saw the 12th buck of the morning pop up over a spoil 70 yards away. It was Twister! (This is the same buck I passed up two years earlier and described in the Dec/Jan 2011 issue of TBM in my article called “Heart Shot”. He had twin Y-folked brows at that time.) I was worried that he would break off some of his longer tines in confrontations with heavier bucks, but this was not the case.
I nocked an arrow and let out two soft grunts. I am not sure if he heard them or just followed a natural crossing pattern over the spoil banks like I have seen many other bucks due in the past, but he was coming my way. I remember he had a slight limp as he climbed up the final spoil. He stood there for a bit, then made a 90 degree turn and headed east on the spoil ridge top, crossing about 15 yards from my tree. I tried to hold for a 5 count, but the arrow was gone at about three (which was long for me). I got a pass-through double lung hit. I tracked him up and down spoils and through some very thick under brush before finding him. Oh what a great feeling again!!!
I know I am very lucky to have two close encounters that turned out so well in just two days, but I have had that kind of luck before. I hope I don’t have to change my Avatar. Ha! LOL
Actually, even though my brothers and I have a couple of buck tags, I can’t tell you how many years we have gone without taking a buck. So when I get a chance to take one of these great animals I cherish every moment. Mike
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Wow Mike, you did it again! Fantastic bucks, doesn’t sound much like luck on this one. I know how hard you work for it and your efforts have been rewarded. Great shooting as well. The fact you kept your cool when both bucks came into range is is the mark of a fine hunter…Well done, both are trophies of a lifetime. Hope you and your family are well…God bless, T
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Yes I am doing well. I also want to thank all of those you appreciated, connected to and were motivated by my Heart Shot article in the current issue of TBM. It was a very special article for me and I am touched by the response. Mike
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Congratulations on an exceptional weekend, Mike! I know you worked very hard to make it all happen. We all get lucky once in awhile…..but I feel the work was a better part of it. Good job ! Wayne
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Congratulations, and thanks for sharing. Those are fantastic bucks and I know there’s always a little luck involved. But for guys like you that are consistently taking mature bucks there’s also a heck of a lot of work involved. Also, thanks for the great article in the latest TBM.
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