Rembrant Report post Posted January 9, 2007 Yep, it's gone. Set it up over the Thanksgiving weekend, then I didn't get to bowhunt in Dec 'cause I was on the North Rim helping a buddy find sheep. Finally got out in the whitetail woods with my '07 tag, and went to my "A" spot. The trails looked good with good sign on the salt spot. Took a gander up at my treestand and it was gone! Stood there for a moment and wondered why someone would take another man's tree stand - right out of the tree - without talking to him about it first!? He must have needed it more than I do. Or yeah, that's it, he just borrowed it and will bring it back after season. So what to do now? Don't wanna take the time to go somewhere else. Besides, this place looks good. Wind's blowing steadily in one direction. There's a blessing. That made it easy; just sat 30 yards down wind, removed a few more limbs, moved an oak log, to sit on, next to a ponderosa, for a back rest. Butt pad down on the log, range finder to check distances; I'm huntin'! Know what? This is actually another blessing. Just getting over a bout with food poisoning and it was tough shooting my bow yesterday. My biggest fear was to not be able to draw my bow from the treestand. Gotta count the blessings. I love sitting in the woods. Gives me time to sort out all kinds of thoughts and emotions. Good time to talk to God. Decided I'd forgive the guy that borrowed my stand - even if he doesn't bring it back. I got it as a gift from a good buddy anyway. Seen a lot of deer out of it too. Hope it serves him well. Sittin in the woods lets me sort out the stuff that's bothering me. I can usually find humer in most of it and wind up laughing. I just sat there and grinned about a whole bunch of stuff. If someone were to be watching me from the woods through binos - sittin there grinnin and chuckling all by myself - they'd know I'm a crackpot! Gotta remind myself to hold still and be quiet - I'm huntin! Then all of a sudden, off to my right, I see a deer head - ears spread wide, head low to the ground, 30 feet away and coming my way!! It's a buck, and a good one! Never heard him come out of the manzanita and mohogany in the wind. I have my bow on my lap, arrow nocked, release attached, and there's no way I can move! All I can do is watch his approach, wondering how close he'll come before he sees me sitting there at ground level. Closer... closer... I was gettin a real good look at this guy - didn't dare blink! His neck hair was long and sticking straight out of his swollen rutty neck. He looked so puffy that his nose appeared to be really short. His rack was framed like a 95 to 100 class, about as wide as his ears and tall, but his G-3's were each only about an inch long. He would probably score in the mid to high 80's though he was a big mature buck. Closer... He reaches the place where I yanked the oak log out of the ground and stops with a flinch - knowing something is amiss - at 12 feet! The wind was perfect. He couldn't smell me, but I could smell him! Then he proceeds on in the same direction, and I increadiously watch as mature Coues deer buck passes in front of me at 8 feet!!!! Unbelievable! As he walks past, I slowly move my head to keep watching. He senses this and takes a couple of hurried steps. I freeze and he resumes his relaxed walk. My mind is going a million miles per hour - can I draw now? Nope. can I get a picture? the camera's right next to me. Nope. What can I do??!! Nothing. He's already behind more mohogany at 15 feet. Unbelievable! Would I have got a shot if I was up in the treestand? Nope. For the rest of the afternoon, I just sat there and replayed the episode in my mind over and over, and grinned and laughed, and hoped he'd come back so I could throw an arrow at him! Then I realized that God has an even better sense of humer than I do! Sure do love Him. Mike Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
More D Report post Posted January 9, 2007 A lesser man would have turned that experience into a bitching session, way to keep your head up. Life is wonderfull. Some times it is hard to see just how good the big guy treats us. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tucson John Report post Posted January 9, 2007 Great Story Mike! It's good that you have forgivin the guy who stole your treestand. No one can steal your happiness and love of live. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CouesWhitetail Report post Posted January 9, 2007 Wow, neat experience with a buck walking by at 8 ft! Must have been great! Amanda Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mattys281 Report post Posted January 9, 2007 Now that's what bowhunting is all about. Even though you couldn't draw, you still won the round just by not being detected at that range. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
stanley Report post Posted January 9, 2007 Nice! S. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GRONG Report post Posted January 11, 2007 Dude that is unflippin real!!!!!!! Gotta love that one man! Thanks for telling us about it that was way cool! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TwoGuns Report post Posted January 11, 2007 Mike, thanks for sharing your story and I appreciate your honesty and good attitude about everything. I had a stand stolen this year around Flag also, and can relate to your emotions. Maybe God was protecting you from climbing into and then falling out of your stand...like another member of this forum had happen to him this year. Everything happens for a reason. O yeah, and remember, God keeps books about those things. Darren Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
az4life Report post Posted January 11, 2007 Talk abouit Kahrma. I would say you had a very successful hunting day. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
