It’s Thanksgiving week of the gun season and that changes up the order of conversation starters. Weather is third in the power rankings; the Packers are second and the deer gun season tops the list. A typical conversation between strangers at the gas pump now starts with “Did you get your deer?” That leads me to today’s topic: Did I get my deer yet? The honest answer to that is: “Maybe.” You see, I am still in the woods and I’m not coming out until Thanksgiving dinner is on the table. I do, however, have a deer archery story to tide my editors and you over, buying me some more tree stand time.

This story is a long one so I will jump right into the action, starting with an average Tuesday night, that is, until a nice eight pointer with a brow tine sticker point showed up. He was in my field but a long ways away. It was early and there were does around, so it was easy to stay both patient and optimistic. At some point he was going to come my way or at least I hoped he would. I may have even thrown out a silent shoutout to St. Hubert for help.

It took a while, but the buck eventually came my way. It was go time and it came down to the buck either taking a right turn or a left turn when he got to me. If he went to my right, I would have been helpless to get turned for a shot. I would have been forced to let him pass and hope for a better chance on another day. If he went to my left all I had to do was let him pass by me. I would already be in a great position to draw my bow and if I remained undetected, I would also have a great quartering away shot. 

It was the moment of truth. The buck turned to my left. He eased past me without knowing I was there. I pulled my bow back and got into position. The buck seemed to sense something because he stopped, allowing me to center him in my bow sights. The arrow seemed to hit exactly where I wanted and the buck raced off.

I made a mental note of where the buck cut into the woods and I waited 20 minutes. During the entire time I replayed in my mind’s eye what had just happened and it all seemed to be perfect. When I did sneak over for a peek I found a few drops of blood. I knew that I had I hit the buck there but it’s always reassuring when you find confirmation.  

At this point I was very optimistic, but I still left the woods and came back an hour or so later to pick up the trail. I followed the sign for about 100 yards but everything I was seeing wasn’t as encouraging as I had hoped. The old adage “when in doubt back out” was playing louder and louder in my head so that’s what I did. I marked the last spot and back tracked out of the woods. I was prepared to wait until morning to resume the search.

I got home and called my friend Ted for backup. After I told him the entire story, he planted a seed in my brain that didn’t take long to germinate. He asked if I was interested in a drone recovery. 

To be continued… 

Didn’t get enough Dave this week? Visit “Outdoor Trails and Tales with Dave Beck” on Facebook for photos and video of Dave’s adventures. You can share your own photos and video with him there as well, or by emailing him at dave@piercecountyjournal.news Also, check out OTT content on Instagram @thepiercecountyjournal