From the Michigan Outdoor News – Hunting & Fishing Features
Bowhunting on the ground: tactics that work
By Gary Clancy
The buck came to the sound of my clattering rattling antlers in the last light of what had been another very long day on stand. My eighth such dark-to-dark sit in a row. Despite the single-digit temperatures, I got warm fast when I caught a glimpse of dark hide ghosting through the brush.
When you sit all day and see only one deer, that one sighting perks you up. When the buck stepped out where I could get a good look at him, I just gave the antlers a quick glance. Long beams and lots of mass.
In less time than it will take you to read this sentence, I very quickly studied the rest of the deer. What struck me first was how deep the buck was through the chest. Because of that barrel chest, his front legs appeared stubby. His shoulders and neck were massive. And when he turned his head and gave me a side view, I could see that the head was big and blocky, the nose humped, or what is commonly called a Roman nose. I touched the trigger then and put the buck down. At 81/2 years of age, that buck is the oldest buck I’ve ever taken. If I’d studied that old boy a little longer, I’m sure I would have noticed that his belly had some sag to it and that his back was a little swayed. They always are on older deer. Looking back on that moment, I remember how the buck walked with a very stiff gait — a sign that arthritis had settled in the old boy’s joints. It commonly does in older deer. And if the light had been better, I would have noticed how gray the buck’s face had become, how the skin sagged on that face, and how that droopy, loose skin made his eyes look smaller. We old-timers can relate.
His rack, as it turned out, was unique. Heavy to be sure, but with several broken points and the end of one main beam snapped off. The rack would not score all that well, but as I said, I’m not into the numbers.
When I look at that rack hanging on my wall, what amazes me most is that an animal could be tough enough and smart enough to beat the odds for so long. And, that I would be privileged enough to have an opportunity to hunt such an animal.