Yeah, the ol fellas way better a shot than he leads on.  

Well that was good practice for what lay ahead. We decided to switch around some and I ended up sitting in the stand Allen Devore had been in and seen some good bucks in the prior hunts. I didn't know that at the time. Settled in, got my harness hooked up, was reaching for an arrow when they started milling around out 100-125 yards out. This was before 4 PM and the feeder going off. Several forkhorns and does. One doe was frisky and was doing wind sprints every now and then and continued that off and on between both periods of this hunt. After awhile they started filtering in. I had pretty much made up my mind to shoot a doe early on in a hunt if I got an opportunity because like most others I'm keyed on shooting a nice buck and thought maybe you might be able to shoot a doe and have bucks come in later. Its hard to think about shooting a doe when there's a 10 point milling about the other side of the feeder.

Well there was a mature doe, a smaller doe and a fawn type doe feeding off to my left where Robert had spread a little extra corn where I had a shooting avenue to the left of the feeder. I was lucky as the deer fed to places where the others were blocked by the limbs of my tree and I had a clear broadside shot at the medium (but small by any other standard) doe. 4:10 PM. Drew back, remembering the several deer I had missed previously at Solana, even at 10 yards that had dipped and turned leaving my arrow a pitifully sympathetic howl to the Gods of bowhunting.

This time I approached it from a foundation of failure and expected this deer to duck. Got a steady, slow draw, anchored and imagined the shot under the deer a foot or so. Hard to do, folks. Saw the arrow fly and it did exactly what I envisioned it doing before I released. Hit the deer right around the heart, I thought. Deer turned sprinted away from me snapping the arrow off immediately and I lost it after 40 yards.

Well I felt like I had really accomplished something. I knew it was a kill shot and it had gone right where I aimed and the deer didn't drop and turn so much that the arrow was grasping fur.

Sat back and reminisced about prior failures and how nice it was to have a successful shot and still had the afternoon hunt ahead!

And ahead it was! As soon as the feeder went off I had a number of deer come in, a bunch of fork horns, 6 pts, and a nice mature 7 point. As I watched about 12 deer off to my left including about 6 bucks I happened to glance to my right and my heart stopped...........

Below me feeding quietly was a mature 10-12 point heavy beamed buck and two does. Had this been a stand in the piney woods or pretty much anywhere else I could have simply quietly shifted, drawn and I would have shot this buck, but Solana is a different game.  I quited and had tension on my fingers waiting for the buck to offer me any contorted shot. But a few moments later the deer opposite the big buck looked up at something away from me and he and his 2 does took off. I watched him for a few minutes as he decided whether to return and he did not although his does returned gleefully to feed. Man this is frustrating but fun. The deer are the smartest dudes in the woods and we never know why they are self preserving, they just do.

QuoteOriginally posted by Bisch:
 

QuoteOriginally posted by gregg dudley:
I left half of my worldly possessions in the bunkhouse when I packed to go.  I packed in a hurry because I knew Conny had to drive all the way to Louisianna and I didn't want to hold him up.  One TBOF shirt is a small ransom to pay for the return of all the other stuff that you guys brought me at the airport.        :D    

Gregg,I still want to trade you a TBoT shirt for a TBoF shirt if you want.

Man, a guy goes off to his hunting lease for a few days and 10 pages get added to this thread! I just read every post to catch up. I even read about a few things I had not heard while we were in camp. Woods has got to be caught up on the cartoons by now!

Bisch

Bisch [/b]

Deal!  PM me your adress.

I just edited my video...  Need a highlights 2013 forum!

QuoteOriginally posted by gregg dudley:
I just edited my video...  Need a highlights 2013 forum!

yessir!  you got it!  

Okay, well, let's see where it started. It probably started when two trad people met up with another person from Trad Gang at Atlanta, Georgia. Then things started to really happen in Austin, TX when we hooked up with Mr. Gregg Dudley. When we all got together at the airport we watched a little bit of the Carolina/Michigan game. Mr.Gregg and Mr.Terry headed to Solana while Sunny Hill Archer and I were trying to get a car to rent for the hour ride there.      

P.S. I think Mr.Gregg is related to Vernon Dudley.  

I love this post!  Great stories guys!

Thanks, Rob!

Woods, Vernon is my father's cousin's mother's sister's grandfather's nephew.  There's a lot of talent in my family.

 

Shoot straight, Shinken

 

What kind bow hunting or magic.  

 Woods eagleeye and myself have been waiting on your story congrats

'Bout time the real killer of the trip gets going!

Congrats again little buddy      

had a great time.  got a pig and almost got a nice 4x4.  the arrow hit a twig on the way towards a 15 yd kill shot..... next year he'll be taller and i'll be wiser.

nice trip and nice team  !!!

First night at solana.

Here's what happened Mr.Tom, Mr.Roland, Dad, and I were going to our stands and blinds I was the 3rd one to be dropped off at my stand and I am sorry to say this but i did not like that stand.

Well I saw two small bucks and when they left i decided to fix the bag and bow to switch sides and put my bow to my left and my bag to my right.

Then when i turned around I saw five pigs that were staring right at me I'm praying that they would stay but no they left.

Saw nothing when they left and got picked up and had a delicious meal and went to bed at ten.

1st morning well Mr.David dropped me off at a tripod being the person who likes chairs I didn't put my harness up.

1st thing I hear were some turkeys then around 7:00 a.m. I see some pigs 2 sows and 8 piglets.

I decided to shoot the biggest one there was since the piglets would still have a momma so when i get the shot I shot at her and thought i did a bad shot so waited for another thing to shoot at.

Saw a half rack buck and then saw a small buck that left then got picked up.

When my dad and Mr.David came to pick me up I said I didn't think that I made a good shot then Mr.David said that here was blood and a piece of meat then about 50 yards we found my pig.

My dad will put up the pictures.

Woods, never say in public that you thought you made a bad shot. Keep it to yourself and then when you find the pig, say " the shot looked good and I knew the pig was on borrowed time"  You need to spend some more time with Marty.

Congrats again, Woods!  That was a great hog.  Can't wait to see the pics.

I've been waiting to hear how this went down!  Congrats on a fine hog Woods!    

Congrats again, Woods! I know there is still more to come, though.

Bisch