MI 2009 Archery Opener

Twas the night before archery opener and all......OK really let me just get to the story!

I awoke on opening morning and was ready to go. I had been eagerly waiting for today to the point of making myself sick. I know go figure, but it is the truth. I had prepared for this day like never before. I put in a lot of hard work and effort and now it was time for it to pay off.

Before I go any further one small detail I forgot to mention is that I wouldn't be hunting out of a tree because my "friend" finally told me he "lost" my tree stand in a move. Yeah, I can see how that would happen. NOT! So I will be using a borrowed ground blind from my brother in law. Thanks D, I really appreciate it.

So as the morning goes I arrive to the property and get my gear ready for the hunt. I slowly make my way out to the blind that I had set up about twelve hours earlier. I make sure to walk as slowly as possible to not spook anything in the area. So far so good.

I get settled in the blind and go to pull back my bow and come to realize that it is smaller inside than I thought. I will have to draw back diagonally from corner to corner or I will not have enough room. Glad I figured that out now. I get comfortable and begin to watch the deer woods wake up. I wouldn't have to wait too long to see a deer.

7:50 I spot movement from my right 40 yards out. I expect this in the morning as because the deer are on their way back from eating in the field. I notice that it is a buck and I get ready for the shot. He made a left turn and came down to the actual runway they travel and I let my arrow fly.

I wait a half hour and go check for my arrow. I find it and it is covered in sign letting me know I had hit it good. I go about twenty yards and don't see it so I decide to wait. I decide to get some assistance from my father in law. Hey why not, I don't want to have to drag by myself when I can get help. Almost four hours later we pick up the trail and then are stunned when we see a ton of sign and then everything including the deer vanished into the forest air. (Another blog another day) At this point I am sick to my stomach again. I go home and shake it off and refocus.

I head back out into the woods at 4:00. I am ready to go with great anticipation. I see a couple does early on in the hunt but it wasn't what I was after. So I waited and waited and played poker on my blackberry, and waited some more. I started posting on a website about my hunt in real time and waited some more.

Then at 7:00 some movement gets my attention from out front and left 50 to 60 yards or so. It looks to be a nice deer and I start watching as intently as one can watch. It is coming from left to right and on it's way out to the field. Finally I notice that my speed beef has head gear. I slowly fold up my chair to give myself all the room the blind would allow. I draw back and am ready to take the shot. The buck continues to make his way nibbling on branches and taking his time. He has no clue I am even there. At 7:20 he makes his way into an opening and I released the arrow.

The deer turns and goes back left fifteen feet as though nothing happened! Uh oh. He stops and looks back to the right. What is going on I heard it hit didn't I? He then continues left and now between he and I is a thicket and I can no longer see him. I nock another arrow and look to where he should be coming out and wait and wait. I don't see him and I now feel like I just want to crawl into a hole.

I hear a couple of snorts and some upset deer but can't see 'em. The noises weren't in the direction of the one I shot at. I decide that I would get out and check for my arrow. I go to where I shot and the it was just laying there. I pick it up to find only a little bit of sign. I walk to where I last seen the buck and on my way I see sign a lot of sign! I only have on my green headlamp and turn on my flashlight and see not 20 yards from where I shot him, my trophy laying there.

I walk up and take the time to appreciate him. I give thanks and then I inspect the head gear. I just shot my first ten point. My G5 Tekan had done it's part and my Bear Lights Out did it's part. I call and let everyone know what is going on. My father in law arrives about a half hour later and helps me get it to the truck and up to the barn. Pictures were taken and flashes going off left and right. I felt like I was a rock star and was on cloud nine.

I have always wanted to take a ten point in my hunting career. Always dreaming about what it would be like. Well now I know and I hope it doesn't end anytime soon. The rack wasn't as big as the one I had always envisioned but it is my trophy and I wouldn't change a thing.

The crazy part in all of this is, I used to shoot on a archery league and really enjoyed it. So much in fact that I never really hunted with my bow because for some strange reason I just enjoyed the league. So this year I decided that I was going to take my first deer with my bow. So there you have it. My first deer with a bow. The only way you will know this tidbit is from reading it here because I purposely have left it out of all the conversations I had late last night. Cheers.

So until my next blog, be safe, appreciate what you have and get in the great outdoors.