Good Luck Charm - Illinois
Robert & Steve with Robert's Illinois doe
Hunter: Robert North
Cameraman:
Steve North
Deer hunting the early season is tough for everyone. The crops are still up, it is hot, and don’t even get me started on the bugs. Well my dad and I headed up to our farm in Illinois with the anticipation to make the buck to doe ratio a little closer. It was the opening weekend of the season and we planned on sitting a stand that we had positioned in a narrow white oak patch that connected to a bean field. This was one of the only stands that were not surrounded by corn stalks, so we could see a good distance. The stand sat on a fence line on one side our farm, the other side of the fence was not our farm. Well the first evening five does and a spike came out behind us, fed for about fifteen minutes before leaving—a rather boring evening. We went back to camp and decided to hunt there again the following evening because of all the does that were previously there.
The morning sun rose and once again we sat waiting in a tree stand. No luck! Besides a curious raccoon and some turkeys, the morning was quiet. Well after positioning a few more stands in a different area we were back in our same stand that we sat the evening prior. The evening started with a flock of hens feeding in the bean field before they crossed over to the neighbor’s property. Now the neighbor’s property was grown up to about four foot high in weeds. I was scanning the grown up field with my Nikons when I caught a set of antlers walking our way. I said “Dad, good buck coming our way.” He got on him with the camera and followed him until he was in a drainage ditch. The buck was a good 10-pointer and seemed like he was going to work the drainage ditch up to the fence line. Because the deer had been slipping in behind us I told my dad that I would watch our bean field and he should watch the fence line for the buck. No sooner did I say that when the buck walks out of the drainage ditch, right down the fence line past us. He stopped at a trail and prepared to hop the fence. The trail came right by our stand at ten yards. I thought I was finally going to kill a really nice buck. The buck waited at the fence for at least ten minutes. Out of no where a turkey flew up to roost right behind us. It spooked the buck and he retreated into the closest timber. That was the end of our night and that weekend’s hunt.
My dad and I planned on hunting that same stand the following weekend because we knew that buck was there. After a week of work for Dad and college for me, we headed back up to see if we could close the deal with the 10-pointer. There was only one little difference, my mother came up to deer camp with us this time. She does not hunt, YET… but she does support my dad and me whole heartedly. We call her our “Good Luck Charm” because every time she has comes up with us we kill something. Anyway, my dad and I got our gear on and walked cautiously into the stand. This was completely pointless. There were so many nuts that it sounded like we were walking on corn flakes. We got to our stand, got the camera set up, and waited. WAITED LIKE 10 MINUTES when a doe and two yearlings came running up the fence line, hopped the fence on the trail that the buck stood on, and walked right to us. My dad says, “Yes.” I let the first yearling pass and waited for the mature doe to walk by. She walks by at ten yards, on the trail. I pick my spot, slowly draw my Hoyt Recurve, touch my anchor, and the arrow is gone. It really is amazing that with shooting a traditional bow, it is all about instincts. I remember starting to draw my bow and then the ‘Inner Hunter” takes over. The arrow hit my spot and she was gone. The only thing I could say is “Drilled Her!” I could barely see her under the thick foliage running sporadically. Then the white of her belly appeared and that was it! She had only gone 40 yards and was done. My dad already swung the camera on me because he could not see through the leaves. We celebrated together. It was the first deer that I have shot having him right there with me. We got down and approached her cautiously in case she was still alive. Fortunately she was not. I thanked God and my dad, and then we took her back to show my mom AKA our “Good Luck Charm”!!!