Good Luck Buck?

Well, you've heard the old saying, "sometimes it's better to be lucky than good". That pretty much could be the sub-title to this post. Here is the story...

Two mornings ago (Monday) I was in my stand near the river. It was a cold morning, perfect for hunting. The wind was out of the west and I was feeling good about the conditions. After about two hours on the stand I hear something from behind me (down wind), I look over and see this young buck heading straight toward me, nose to the ground. Within the next 10 seconds I had to stand up, get my bow, and get ready for a shot - he was coming that fast. Fortunately he slowed down by our drainage ditch and angled toward me for what looked like a perfect broadside shot at 20 yards. He paused at the base of the ditch behind some brush as I pulled back. I was waiting for him to take another step or two, and the next thing I know I squeezed off the shot. I'm really not sure what happened - I must have thought he was in position for a good shot and just took it instinctively. Well, my instincts proved to be suspect in this situation - I hit him way back, a gut shot. (I either pulled the shot left or he was still moving when I released, I'm not sure what happened...)

He wheels around and runs back the way he came. The arrow only penetrated about 10" (I thought it must have caught a rib). After about 100 yards he circles back to the west and then starts slowly walking off. My heart sank. I knew that I blew the shot. I was very frustrated with myself - disgusted would be a better word. I waited a few minutes and then checked for blood at the sight of the shot - nothing. I spent the next 90 minutes walking the first 150 yards of what should have been a blood trail, and never found a single drop of blood. Did I mention that my heart sank? Well, it was beyond that now, I was honestly ready to admit defeat and sell off the archery equipment and go back to playing golf, or something equally ridiculous.

And then I made what turned out to be a very good decision, I did not go after him. I came home and stewed for about 7 hours before resuming the pursuit. I had two friends join me, Jimmy and Dan. They are more experienced hunters and trackers than I am, and I was very grateful for their help. So, with two 8 year old boys and one dog in tow, we started looking for some blood. An hour later, more than 400 yards from the spot I hit this buck, Jimmy finds blood. Another 30 minutes and we are standing at the river bank looking at my buck floating amongst some dead fall - I was elated! I thought for sure I had screwed this whole thing up and lost this deer. I have never been more happy to wade into waist high, 40 degree water.

Another interesting thing happened while searching for this buck - I came across the remains of a different buck I had shot and lost last year (holding his skull in the picture). The kicker is that he died only 25 yards from my property, within 10 feet of the river. Jimmy and I had searched for that buck also, but I guess I gave up the search too quickly (a lesson I will never forget).

So, was finding this buck good luck? Some would say so, but I honestly believe God helped us. I prayed many times that day for God's grace in this situation. I knew I had messed up the shot, but I asked God to help in spite of my mistakes. And he did - and he does.

A Fall Turkey

Well, I have some good news on the hunting front. After missing a pretty nice buck at 20 yards one evening last week (the buck ducked down when he heard the shot and the arrow flew right over his back - a first for me...) I heard several turkey flying up to the trees near the river to roost. So, the next morning I sat at the base of a nearby tree, set up a decoy, and did a little calling. Within about 30 minutes I see a group of hens making their way over toward me. Not sure if the decoy and calling made a difference or not, but they felt comfortable enough to wander in my direction. At about 15 yards the lead bird got spooked (pretty sure she saw me lining up the shot) and started walking away from me. But, since she was still only about 20 yards out it was an easy shot. It was a clean kill and I was back up into my stand deer hunting within the hour.

Another cool thing happened last week. It has been very warm here in Michigan, which is not good for hunting but very good for bringing out an 8-year old boy to sit in the stand for a couple of hours. Grant and I did an evening hunt last week - and it was a beautiful night. About an hour into the hunt I prayed "please Lord, at least let him see a deer". No lie, within 5 minutes I catch some movement down by the river. And sure enough, here comes a young buck heading right towards us. The buck stopped at about 50 yards and looked our way (did I mention that 8-year old boys have the wiggles?). At any rate, he veered off at about 40 yards and never presented a shot, which is a good thing - he was too young. But the point here is that Grant and I shared that experience, and it was pretty exciting. Can't wait to have him out with me for real.

Ready or not - here comes more soccer!

Well, here we are again! It's the start of another soccer season for our three kids. This year they are all playing USSF soccer (that's code for expensive uniforms, higher registration fees, longer drives, and more practices...) Actually, it's all going very well. Each of our kids has improved so much from last season. The coaches are doing a really good job and the kids all love it.

Thankfully we have some neighbors with a boy Grant's age and a girl Emily's age that play also - so we share rides all the time. This has been a huge help. The biggest challenge lately has been the weather. A week ago we were suffering in 90 degree heat, and yesterday I watched Megan play in 50 degree weather with blowing winds and rain (my muscles were actually contracting involuntarily, I'm such a wimp!)

Sandi and I figure that by the time our children get done with their sport's careers we will be 30 pounds heavier (McDonalds drive-through on the way to the big game) with rear ends much flatter and wider (all that sitting - all of those french fries...). So, here's to elastic pants and comfy chairs!