Poke 'Em
Well-known member
Last weekend the whitetails were just starting to think about rutting. Then I had to travel out of town for work all week, so I've had the itch for the last 6 days. I headed out this morning to a piece of public land that I've been hunting hard all year. I've seen a few good bucks, but it just hasn't worked out yet getting them to come off the adjacent private and give me a shot. I hoped that the rut would be in full swing this morning, and I'd be able to rattle one in to where I could shoot.
I got set up a little before dawn on a hillside overlooking a draw that I know deer have been using. Shortly after first light, I saw a buck head across the draw and up the opposite hillside, angling away from me. Before he got over the hill, I hit him with a rattle and he stopped. At this point he was approximately 600 yards away, and he turned and headed straight for me on a dead run.
As he got closer, I could tell he wasn't quite a shooter (a decent 4x4, but not quite what I'm looking for). Just as he crossed the fence (about 100 yards away), another, smaller 4x4 cut in front of him from my right. Now I've got two deer coming straight at me. They start circling around to get downwind of me, and I look back up and see a heavy-horned buck coming at me on a dead run from exactly where the first buck came through. At this point he was about 200 yards away, and still on the wrong side of the fence.
Now, the first two bucks are starting to get downwind of me, and they spook a little bit. At the same time, a smaller buck comes in from my left, and the bruiser has closed the gap to 100 yards, and is crossing the fence.
As he crosses the fence, however, he dips down into the draw and I can't see him. The other three bucks have spooked a bit, but are thinking about coming back in. For what seems like an eternity, I can see the other three bucks testing me out, wondering when and where the big buck is going to pop up. Finally, he comes out of the draw at about 40 yards and stops, looking right at me.
I put the crosshairs on his chest and squeezed one off. He ran 30 yards and piled up.
A nice, heavy 6x6 was on the ground! He wasn't the buck I was after, actually, but I certainly wasn't going to pass him up when I'd just rattled him in during the most exciting 10 minutes of deer hunting I've ever encountered.
I got set up a little before dawn on a hillside overlooking a draw that I know deer have been using. Shortly after first light, I saw a buck head across the draw and up the opposite hillside, angling away from me. Before he got over the hill, I hit him with a rattle and he stopped. At this point he was approximately 600 yards away, and he turned and headed straight for me on a dead run.
As he got closer, I could tell he wasn't quite a shooter (a decent 4x4, but not quite what I'm looking for). Just as he crossed the fence (about 100 yards away), another, smaller 4x4 cut in front of him from my right. Now I've got two deer coming straight at me. They start circling around to get downwind of me, and I look back up and see a heavy-horned buck coming at me on a dead run from exactly where the first buck came through. At this point he was about 200 yards away, and still on the wrong side of the fence.
Now, the first two bucks are starting to get downwind of me, and they spook a little bit. At the same time, a smaller buck comes in from my left, and the bruiser has closed the gap to 100 yards, and is crossing the fence.
As he crosses the fence, however, he dips down into the draw and I can't see him. The other three bucks have spooked a bit, but are thinking about coming back in. For what seems like an eternity, I can see the other three bucks testing me out, wondering when and where the big buck is going to pop up. Finally, he comes out of the draw at about 40 yards and stops, looking right at me.
I put the crosshairs on his chest and squeezed one off. He ran 30 yards and piled up.
A nice, heavy 6x6 was on the ground! He wasn't the buck I was after, actually, but I certainly wasn't going to pass him up when I'd just rattled him in during the most exciting 10 minutes of deer hunting I've ever encountered.
