Our 2007 Anson County Archery Season found me this morning up at about my usual 0500 hours time whether it is a work day, weekend or Holiday, whereas my internal clock is probably accurate enough to lease out to WWV, National Bureau of Standards, Fort Collins, CO. It would be nice to be able to stay in bed much longer but that is the way it goes.

After getting a little antsy the past week or two and shooting my ole antiquated 1993 PSE Mach6 cam bow for the past couple months only on  Saturday and Sunday morning due to the extreme hot weather we have experienced, I felt good about releasing an arrow at a deer.  The hand me-down 3D deer targets John Gaddy gave me of which I am most  appreciative now looks like a 38MM grenade or one of those Taliban IED exploded in their vitals!   I guess my Holographic sight is dialed in and ready for the real thing.

I went around in circles this morning hoping that my hunting gear and accessories I needed was either in my back pack or my cargo pants pockets and finally got on my hunting stand around 0600 hours.  It was very peaceful and serene with the night creatures busily chirping and singing.  About the break of dawn an angry crow no doubt hungry from the night before started squawking; caw, caw, caw, and the blue jays decided it was time for them to join in too by imitating the sound of a Red Tail Hawk, kay-eee-aaa.  When it was daylight enough to see the area in front of my tree stand/platform it was evident that the deer, squirrels and raccoons had devoured what I had put out on Thursday afternoon but too late to think about that now.

Nothing really eventfully happened except around 0700 hours a deer to my right about a 100 or more yards out sounded the alarm by snorting and headed for a safer area.  The wind direction changed and was blowing mildly in the direction the deer normally approach my feeding area so I didn’t stay on the stand this morning until around 0800 hours due to the wind direction.

Above pix of the view from my platform tree stand that is at least 26 feet high, however as I stated the terrain has a very fast climbing slope and the platform is probably no more than 20 feet if that high from the actual open feeding zone.  Notice the bright colored fletch and florescent orange/red dipped portion of the arrow shaft....the ole Holographic sight sight on the antique PSE Mach6 Maxis bow is no longer available and guess it fits my style......getting antique as well!  My good friend Ed Terry "dawgs" me about the low tech bow strap on the Mach6 bow which sold for around 800 bucks new in 1993 and I am using 1/2 length of a boot string...cost about .50 cents total.  Go ahead and grin now!

I decided to give it another try this afternoon and with the temperature around 91 degrees I did not get onto the hunting stand until around 6:00 P.M. and again, the wind was not the best coming out of the E, ENE and South at times.  Around 7:30 P.M., I heard deer approaching from my right and they were very cautious as they got within about 20 yards of the feeding area stopping and checking the wind direction and looking about.  The first deer was a very small six point with a little basket rack followed by a larger six point and about a minute or two later a large 4 point buck entered the immediate area.  I had seen a much larger six point buck and had good intentions of trying to harvest him first but I trophy hunted for less than two minutes which is about my norm.

When a good (partial) broadside shot presented itself on the larger 4 point buck, I slowly drew the bow back, anchored and let the deer’s vital area settle in the view finder of the holographic sight and released the silent deadly missile (arrow) with it’s 125 grain Thunderhead three blade broad head ahead of the Easton XX78 2315 full length arrow.  The arrow went a few inches higher than my point of aim and made an awesome sound when it entered the deer’s spine and diaphragm area.  The buck did make a 180 degree turn around but his transmission was severed from his motor and could not go any further. I dispatched him with a 3.125 inch “Hinkle” paring knife that I use to field dress and skin my deer which sounds like an under kill but don’t laugh, it works!  I did secure the deer’s head and neck area to the ground with a several inch diameter pole since he wasn’t having any part of me approaching him with blade in hand and those front hooves are sharp as razors and can do some serious damage if solid contact is made.

Since he was in my immediate feeding zone, I elected not to field dress him which is my normal protocol being less than 40 yards from my hanging tree that I nicknamed “Tom Dula” aka Tom Dooley.  However, the drag was gruesome since I could not locate my deer pulling strap and had to use a small 1/4 inch nylon rope which almost severed my head about the shoulder while dragging the deer across the steep branch bottom and up the incline working my way to the lower drive leading to the hanging tree.  Check the inserted pix and see how “pooped” I was!

Notice that his left antler was damaged while in the velvet and is turned down instead of up. I don’t care because I haven’t tried to make antler stew yet. Grin if you must! Capt. Thompson would call this a no-shooter since he trophy hunts but it will be some good eating and others would call this a management buck needing harvest since he doesn’t have any brow tines.

Inserted are other pix of the 4 pointer hanging from ole "Tom Dula" which you guessed it is a white oak tree and I have a boat winch embedded in the trunk of the tree for hoisting deer.
 

I have the ole boy quartered up in my game refrigerator “aging” a little and will slice and grind him up in a few days.

Written by Bill aka Mickey Porter, Wadesboro, NC 28170 09-08-07.