My most favorite deer hunt was not from what I shot, but how we surprised this old buck. My brother had always been talking about floating this river with our canoe and bows. One rainy day, we decided that today was the day. We told dad to go up and still hunt on the road, which was about 200 yards from the river, in case we booted something out. This stretch of river is about 3 miles long, no more than 20 yards wide at the widest, and has a nice slow current going through it so all you have to do is steer the canoe.
Most of the way down the river, (my brother was steering and I in the front with my Hoyt) this old muskrat kept surfacing in front of us, splashing loudly, and I might add, scaring the crap ouot of me on more than one occasion! Well after about 2 3/4 miles down this river, I had had enough of this muskrat, when he surfaced, i came to full draw but didn't pull the trigger. I left off the bow and resumed my position, hoping to see a buck. As we rounded the very next corner, I heard a thundering crash in the brush. Up jumps this monster buck. He tries to run but his antlers get stuck in the scrub brush he was bedded by. I had come to full draw, the buck at no more than 10 yards now, and BROADSIDE. I settled my pin on him and released. All of a sudden, something slaps me on the face. It was my arrow. Evidently when I had let off the bow after drawing on the muskrat, the arrow hard partially come off the string. We watched the buck crash through the river bottom for nearly 100 yards.
My brother and I looked at each other with the biggest grins I think we have ever had on our faces. He asked me, " Are you mad?" I said, "No, that was the coolest thing I have ever seen!" We had him so figured out. Dad never saw him.
I don't know who was luckier that day, the old buck, or us for having the chance to live that experience.
