Buffalo County Pre Rut Hunt 10.28.09

Well last night I made my second ever sit in the infamous Buffalo County. It just seems the only luck I have been having lately is bad luck. My camera man (my brother backs out on me in the morning), Brad lines up another camera man (buddy Rick), who when I get there is out helping one of his cows drop a calf. In my mad rush to leave work, I forgot to grab my camera stand. So no big deal, this is my first real sit and the first one for the next week or so I will be down there. So I figured I would just film myself. Filming yourself in a tree stand is real difficult and I would find out soon very frustrating.

I meet G and Brad down on our lease talk about where to sit etc. Brad ran through a couple of stand locations he thought I should sit. I selected the one him and I hung earlier in August. I get all settled in and you can just feel “it” in the air. There was just something magical about this place and perhaps this hunt which I would soon find out later why. The entire hill side floor below me was paved with gold from all the fallen leaves. The stand I was sitting on was a travel route and kind of a pinch point half way up the steep ridge or hill. I could shoot to midpoint of the hill or to the bottom. No one has hunted this stand or area for over a month, part of the reason I selected it. After getting all the camera gear in place, I found out it would not be real easy to film and shoot out of this stand. Some set ups are a little easier then others, but I found this one to be real difficult. Filming yourself is hard, but throw in being a lefty and it multiplies. After I get settled in I hit the True Talker and nothing. I hit Heavy Horns (rattling antlers), nothing. About 5 minutes after hitting the heavy horns I pick up a deer moving to the right of me and low at the bottom of the hill. He is slowly moving my direction as I get my bow in my hand and swing the camera around. Yep for those of you paying attention I said he. He continues to brows, but is climbing in elevation at the same time. It appears this buck is going to come right in front of me on the 20 yard trail. Being in the mad rush I was to get down there I also forgot my binocs so I could not really make this buck out until I was able to get him on my camera and zoom in. This did not really happen until he was within 40 yards. So with bow in one hand camera pan arm in the other I tried to capture this buck coming across in front of me. Ok footage, but should have been a lot better. However, under the circumstances of filming myself and not trying to get busted by moving and putting my bow down, I’ll take it.

Right about Sunset I capture movement from the same direction as the last buck came. Again not having my bioncs I could not get a good look at him, but could see horn and knew he had a pretty big body. However, this buck was going up the fence line and about 100 yards away. Being a hunter and not a camera guy thinking about filming, I grabbed the heavy horns and did about a 10 second sequence. I no longer stopped more then a second and I heard the rustling of the dry leaves form the hillside floor rustling as something was charging down the hill to the right of me. I quickly put down the Heavy Horns and I’m now torn. Do I grab my bow or do I grab the camera??? Being a hunter and not knowing exactly what was coming in, I grabbed my bow and turned just as the buck was getting close. I went to reach for the camera on the other side of the tree and this buck is closing the distance fast. With my left arm pinned behind me trying to swing the camera between me and the tree on the right side of me the buck comes to a screeching halt less then 25 yards away from my tree broad side in a shooting lane. He is frozen and looking for the bucks that were fighting. Unable to move, I just stand there, half bent over with my bow in my right hand and my left arm holding the camera behind me staring down this Buffalo County shooter. This very good 5×5 like many big bucks do just stood there motionless, complicating his next move in this chess match. After forever, I see the tell tale sign of his tail twitch and I knew he was about to move. He began to circle down wind and behind me. I see my opportunity to move and swing the camera back to the other side of the tree again. I finally get the camera on him as he comes to a stop behind to tree trunks. From the camera angle you can barely see his head between the little v in between the trees and his whole back half of his body. From the other side of the tree, where I can shoot him, I can easily see his vitals and I range him @ 36 yards, as he again is standing motionless looking for the two bucks that were fighting. Not having a good video footage of his headgear is the only thing holding me back form pulling the trigger on my release. As I sit there and continue the debate in my head that I have already ran a thousand times of; shoot or not shoot until I an get good footage of him? 36 Yards is no chip shot but anything inside 40 yards I’m very confident in, especially on a buck that is stopped and standing broadside with his head behind the tree.

The buck begins to move again, I swing the camera and catch small glimpses of his rack through the October golden leaves. He stops and circles back around again, I again readjust the camera to the other side of the tree and get some more quick footage of him and his head gear. I tell myself camera or no camera the next time I get a shot at this buck I’m taking it. It now appears he is now circling around up wind again at about 50 yards. If he is coming back around I have to again throw the camera on the other side of my body so I can get a shot in front of me. In doing so I had to take my eye of that buck and get the camera repositioned. Doing so I ended up losing the buck and never catching him on film again. Twice I caught him with my eye as he vanished into thin air in as quickly as he came in.

After the hunt, I meet Brad & G and we review the footage on the little camera screen and with only a few seconds of footage Brad and I disagree on the size of the buck. How big was he? My first initial thought that came out of my mouth on film was maybe 150”. After the encounter and sitting there and thinking about it I was thinking 140” but a shooter none the less. Brad with only a quick glance thought 135”, which actually made me feel a little bit better for passing him. However, after getting home and hooking into the big TV, I just about got sick. I was able to slow mo and pause the video during the part and seeing it on the big screen, I’m thinking he was closer to my original guess of 150”. Maybe not quite there but I would put him @ 147”. I only saw 2 deer last night but what an evening. A Hunt that I may be kicking myself for the rest of my life, but that is the chance you take when filming. Honestly, if I could do it all over again I would have shot that buck either @ 22-24 yards or when I had him @ 36 yards no matter if he was on film or not. As I said filming a hunt is hard enough, but add in doing it yourself and during the rut when they can just pop in out of nowhere, it is even tougher. Having tags in 4 states, I should have shot that buck and begged for forgiveness form Brad later for not getting it on film.

Well the big boys are on there feet during day light hours. Brad and G have been having ton of good encounters this last weekend and week. It is on like
“Donkey Kong” boys and girls. I’m heading back to our lease and hope to spend a good 4-5 days there starting this Friday. Well it is here, the time we all wait for. Good luck to everyone here at In Depth Outdoors and I hope to see some big’uns hit the ground when I return. Until next time, Lip is outie!

(Sorry for the lack of pics, but I was a little busy. )