(https://i.imgur.com/p0jaOvU.jpg)
I took this past Friday off to hunt at my favorite place on earth, the farm that has been in my family since the 1850's. Nestled in the eastern part of the Missouri Ozarks, it is everything a feller could want in a hunting spot; steep hills, deep hollers, abundant hardwoods, and lots of game. Mine even comes with a grouchy old caretaker who keeps the coffee hot and makes me peanut butter cookies when I come to visit. Most people call him Stick but I just call him Dad.
Friday morning was what you hope for when planning on spending a day in the woods - clear, cool, and still. I drove my truck up an old logging road leading to the ridge behind our barn. On either side of that ridge are deep hollers and the descent into either is pretty much straight down. At the north end of the ridge is an old loading ground with a salt lick at the south edge of it. Thirty yards across the loading ground to the other end leads you to a big oak flat that deer and turkeys just love to travel through. With the wind in my face, I climbed a big black oak about 15 yards south of the salt lick well before daylight and got settled in. I could already hear deer moving about so I knew it was going to be an active morning.
Just after it got light enough to shoot, I heard a stampede coming down the holler on my left. I know it was at least one buck and doe but it sounded like a hundred! They circled around behind me but wouldn't come out of the brush. I grunted a couple of times to see if I could draw the buck out and was rewarded with a snort-wheeze response. That was the first time I had ever heard that in the wild! Thinking the dude was ready to scrap, I did my poor imitation of the same call but nobody came out to play. Eventually, I heard the deer trot back off in the direction from whence they came. Not a bad way to start a morning hunt, I thought.
Another 20 minutes went by and a little fork-horn walked right under me, oblivious to everything but the need to breed. He went on out to the oak flat and about 15 minutes later I heard him return but he had somehow grown another couple points and gotten a little bigger. This buck had his tongue out, nose to the ground, and trotted past me in the other direction like he was on a serious mission. Yeah, I remember being a teenager. His twin came by me a few minutes later and I wondered if all the grownups were sleeping in that morning. Later, I had two grown coyotes and a pup go by and then heard some turkeys calling softly across the holler on my right. I certainly was getting a show that morning.
At around 8:30, I saw a buck crossing the oak flat about 100 yards away. By his movements, I thought he was with a doe but I didn't see her. I grunted to him a couple of times but he paid me no mind. I watched him walk around the head of Tater Cave Holler on my right and we promptly forgot about each other. About 15 minutes after that, though, I heard the leaves boil in his general direction and here came the doe he was after. She quit her mad dash and started walking towards me, with him in tow. Hmmm, things just started to get interesting.
The doe came straight towards me, across the loading ground, and went to the salt lick in front of me. The buck hung back on the far side of the loading ground, trying to act cool and uninterested. I still hadn't looked him over properly but I knew he had a big body that would look great in my freezer. The doe was tense, and I think she saw my shadow, because she suddenly spooked and hopped off to my right about 10 yards. She started to go off down into Tater Cave Holler and I figured that it was all over now. The buck would follow directly after her and never come close to give me a shot. For some reason, though, he didn't. He came straight to me across the loading ground and was heading for the road on my right. I made a conscious effort not to look at him head on and waited for him to walk by. There is a small hickory on my right that I use as screen between me and the road there. When he went behind that tree, I drew my longbow. It would be about a 10-yard shot when he came on the other side and I remember thinking to aim low because I was way up in my tree.
I picked a spot behind his shoulder, let go of the string, and immediately saw that I got a pass-through. The buck wheeled behind me, ran about 25 yards, and then stopped on my left side. I could see the entry wound in his side and the blood pouring from his nose. He stumbled, ran another 10 yards, and then somersaulted down into a white oak. The sight of him dying, and knowing I was the cause, immediately filled me with sadness. But I was happy not to have to track him and I gave thanks to his spirit for what his body would provide me and my family.
(https://i.imgur.com/rrJApf4.jpg)
The rest, as you know, is just work. I climbed down the tree, gathered up all my gear, and then walked back to my truck. When I finally went to retrieve the deer, I was shocked at the sight. To be delicate, I will just say that I could not believe there was that much blood in a whitetail! He had managed to sling it six feet up the trunk of the tree he landed near. It was like a horror film! I used an entire package of wet wipes to clean him off enough for a PG-rated photo. I dragged him out, got him loaded in the truck, and headed back to Dad's. I found the other piece of my arrow still in his lungs when I field dressed him. Folks who doubt the lethality of stickbows and wood arrows need to see what I had just seen.
(https://i.imgur.com/eZOyUbi.jpg)
He is now cut up and stored in my freezer. We got a new pup, Daisy, this summer and this was her first deer butchering party at the Haverstick household. Needless to say, she is a fan and is ready to attend her next one.
(https://i.imgur.com/g2o9ASU.jpg)
Equipment notes: I used a Wild Horse Creek Destiny longbow and a homemade Douglas Fir arrow tipped with a 190 grain Meathead.
Darren
Excellent write up. Enjoyed the read. And congratulations on a fine Missouri buck. Sounds like you've got a little slice of heaven there to enjoy.
Congratulations sir! Thanks for sharing your hunt. Good write up and pics. That's a very cool quiver you have there too! :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
You could not have done it better... such a relief to see them drop and know you got a clean quick kill.
Nice!!! :jumper: :jumper: :jumper: :jumper: :jumper:
Great story! Congrats
Good job
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Well done!
CONGRATULATIONS, Darren!!!!!
:clapper: :clapper: :archer: :clapper: :clapper:
Amazing story, Darren! I feel like I'm right there with you! :clapper: :clapper:
Thanks for sharing.
Top stuff right there, well done
Good recount of your hunt, I really enjoyed it, thanks heaps
Best
Lex
That's the way to do it. Congrats. :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
Congrats Darren!!!!
Bisch
Congrats on a great harvest. Nice story and pics
Congratulations Darren! You know how to tell a story! I felt like I was up on that ridge with you. If you have extra tags, good luck with the rest of your season!
Bernie
Well done Darren.
Darren,
Congratulations,
You Done Good....Really Good.
Attaboy!! Well written!
Tim B
Great job, Darren! Wonderful story and buck.
--Mike
Love the story as always...tks for taking us along again!!! :thumbsup:
Congratulations and nice story telling.
Nice story,and nice big deer,good shooting!
No big deal,but ya got any more pictures of your farm,and maybe your dad?
Thanks, all! It was a fine day and I am very fortunate to have a place to hunt like I do.
Quote from: Alexander Traditional on November 02, 2022, 04:46:58 PM
Nice story,and nice big deer,good shooting!
No big deal,but ya got any more pictures of your farm,and maybe your dad?
Here are a few photos of my dad, Kenneth. He is 80 and is the toughest person I know. This photo probably encapsulates his essence better than any other. It was taken in 2013, the first year that atlatls were allowed into Missouri's archery season. Dad decided he would make a spear and use that instead. So he forged a spear head, made a shaft from a cut-down gig pole, and practiced all summer. We had a skiff of snow the 2nd week of December and Dad noticed this little buck eating grass poking through it in our barn lot. Dad would go out on the porch and the buck would run off, but then would come right back when Dad went inside. After the 3rd time of this happening, Dad grabbed his spear and decided to put a stop to it. So he climbed up in the barn loft, smoked a cigarette, and waited for the deer to return. After about 20 minutes, the buck came back out to feed. Dad said he waited until he got just the angle he wanted and then threw his spear. The buck ran about 40 yards before keeling over. When he relayed the story to me, I remarked that it must have been some sight to see that deer run off with that shaft sticking out of his side. Dad's reply was, "Son, he wasn't tracking too good when he left the barn lot." I guess I wouldn't either if I had a foot of steel shoved through my rib cage!
(https://i.imgur.com/6s0HTJY.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/8aXd9Vt.jpg)
This was taken a couple of years ago when my good friend, Cool Johnny, and I went to the farm to hunt squirrels and fish for smallmouth bass. All those bucks nailed to the house were taken off the farm.
(https://i.imgur.com/NgRA6xU.jpg)
I write and sell magazine articles every now and then and I bought Dad this 48" Bear K-Mag with one of my royalty checks. He loves those bows!
(https://i.imgur.com/Mh0vuXs.jpg)
Here are a few photos of my farm. This one was taken last year during the opening day of Missouri's firearm deer season. No shortage of targets!
(https://i.imgur.com/5nkSWvJ.jpg)
Dad and I call these the "Hard Times" deer. They come in above his house about every day. We never hunt them with guns and only hunt them with bows when times are hard. I really don't know why. After hunting these deer for 20+ years, I have never killed one and Dad has only killed a couple. For me, it seems like something always goes wrong just before I go to put tension on the string.
(https://i.imgur.com/z5WXbbB.jpg)
This is the deer hanging rack in front of the barn. In 2015, I killed both those deer on consecutive days with the same arrow, which was also the same arrow I used to kill my moose that year.
(https://i.imgur.com/8c1vAfQ.jpg)
Darren
That is a really nice place! That's pretty cool with the spear. My dad is about the same age,he's turning 81 in January.
Again those are some really nice pictures of that place!
Congrats Darren
Congratulations Darren. :thumbsup:
A great story and well told Sir.
Awesome!
Darren, you weave a really interesting tale. I always enjoy reading about your exploits. Kudos on buying your Dad the bow...that was a class act! :thumbsup:
Great story , pictorial , and Buck Darren !
Your leather work/crafting has always reminded me of Native work with an aboriginal feel . Beautiful and very distinctive .
Thanks for taking us along , and sharing a glimps of the family farm you hunt .
Congratulations with a fine animal , and a fine life my friend :clapper: enjoy the many gifts given........
Congratulations Darren! Nice storytelling as well.
Awesome!