Although our articles should be informative and impersonal and leave the reader with something learned, some demand that the story behind the lesson be told in order to fully understand how the conclusions were drawn.  This is one such article.  I could think of no way to better illustrate what was happening and why without you, the reader, sharing the experience that led to these conclusions.  While I have no pictures of the actual hunt to share, I hope that I will be able to describe the situation adequately so that you will be able to see, with your mind’s eye, what was going on in the woods around me.                                      

We’ve all read many articles and watched endless shows that deal with the Whitetail rut.  Most deal with what the bucks are doing during this magical time of the season, and very little time is devoted to explaining what is going on with the rest of the Whitetail population while Mr. Big is chasing that hot doe.  In my years of hunting, I’ve had the opportunity to witness bucks hot on the trail of estrus does, bucks fighting over does and ‘the chase’ as they both ran by or slowly plodded  along past my stand.  In November of 2008 I happened to be in just the right place at just the right time to witness the rest of the story.  It was an eye opening experience that brought all the pieces of the puzzle together, but it was only when the hunt was over that I was able to see the big picture and realize what had been happening right before my eyes.  What I’m about to relate may come as no surprise to some of you, but to others, it may be an, ‘Aha!’ moment like it was for me.

While at the Buckmasters Expo in 2008, my friend Jon and I purchased a three day hunt at Big Bend Spurs and Whitetails in northern Kentucky.  The hunt was to be for the end of the rut in the second week of gun season, November 21^st, 22^nd, and 23^rd.  Mr. Allen Hicks leased the land in the Big Bend area just south of the Ohio River and was there at the Expo to fill some vacant slots for the upcoming season.  The hunt was to be unguided and there was no lodge to stay in, but Mr. Hicks was kind enough to arrange for us to stay at a local Super 8 Motel while we were there.  The motel was close enough to the hunting land that we could get to the woods in about half an hour and was conveniently located near several restaurants.  Mr. Hicks had told Jon and I that if we came early on the day before our hunt was to begin, we could hunt that evening for free.  We assured him that, if at all possible, we would be there early.

On the drive up we had covered all the bases.  Kentucky was a sleeper state for big bucks.  We would be hunting in an ancient river bed where the Ohio once ran eons ago, so the soil would be rich and the racks would be big.  We couldn’t wait to get on stand.  There had even been some talk of the possibility of killing a bobcat, a true Kentucky Wildcat, as I had recently seen a bobcat while hunting around home but didn’t take the shot.  To say we were excited would have been an extreme understatement.  This was to be my first hunt outside Alabama, and I was beside myself.

At around noon on the 20^th of November we arrived at the Super 8 in Brandenburg, Kentucky.  We had been in contact with Mr. Hicks, and he was there to meet us.  In the back of his truck was a huge, nine point buck with one unusually long tine on one side.  This G2 was probably 14 inches long and sticking above the tailgate of his truck like a beacon to two Alabama boys who had just driven seven hours in hopes of seeing exactly what was in front of them.  We got settled in and then were told that we could follow Mr. Hicks through the area that we would be hunting while he filled feeders and freshened bait piles.  This would allow us to see some of the stand locations and then hunt that evening.  As we followed his truck through the winding hills and across creeks, we were wide eyed and chattering on about what would be our best choice of stands and where we thought the deer might be moving to and from.  When he had finished putting out the corn he had brought, Mr. Hicks explained what part of the property we were allotted and then left us to choose our stands and get started.

It had started to spit snow that evening, and the wind had picked up.  I had brought my climbing stand, but I decided to hunt from one of the many log piles that had been left from the selective cutting that had been done on this property during the previous year.  That first evening I saw two does come up out of a hollow and pass by my hiding place.  I watched intently for the giant buck I was sure would be following them, but the two does were the only deer I saw that day besides the brute in the back of Mr. Hicks’ truck.

The next morning we went in well before daylight, and I chose to let Jon drop me off in the bottom of a hollow where I knew the stand was just about 150 yards from the road that wound through the property.  I chose this stand only because I remembered exactly where it was, and I wouldn’t have to go tromping around looking for it.  Jon drove on to the back of the property so there was no vehicle or anyone near me once he dropped me off.  He told me that he would be back to pick me up around lunchtime.  I would have preferred to sit all day, but Jon wanted to go get some lunch so I agreed.

The ladder stand was in the bottom of this narrow hollow next to a dry creek bed with a cedar thicket atop a small hill to my right.  To my left was a steep hillside fairly open at the bottom but thick with sumac or some other undergrowth starting about halfway up.  The bottom I was in was open hardwood with some cedar scattered among them.  Mr. Hicks had freshened a bait-pile about 40 yards from my stand.  I would have liked to have had that a little further from me as I was soon to learn.

Just a little while after sunrise, I caught movement to my right and saw two yearling does headed my way.  I once again hoped that a big buck would be following and once again was disappointed.   The two does came straight to the bait pile and began to feed.  With nothing between me and the does but air and anticipation, I was very nervous about being busted.  I was afraid to move a muscle, just knowing they would blow and run, warning anything else in the area of the intruder in the tree.  As it turned out though, they were young and dumb, and I was able to get away with keeping my head on a swivel without too much unwanted attention.  Oh, they played the head-bobbing game with me constantly and would even move off for a bit, but then would return to the bait and continue to feed. 

After a while, we got used to each other and settled down, and that’s when the action began.  The does looked up the hill to my right at the same time I heard the crashing coming from that direction.  When I looked up, I saw a large doe come running down the hill with a very good buck hot on her heals grunting with every leap.  The two stopped in the bottom for just a moment at about 70 yards.  The buck was broadside and breathing heavily with steam coming from his nose and mouth.  He looked exhausted.  I raised my gun and started to take the shot, but then I hesitated, thinking of the bigger buck I had seen in the back of Mr. Hicks’ truck and telling myself that this was just the first day.  They only paused a moment and then were off again, across the dry creek and up the other side and into the cedar thicket.  I didn’t feel disappointed, only eager for the bigger buck that I was sure would come along after them.  A bit later a spike burst from the cedar thicket and ran away from me, further up the hollow.  I guessed that the buck I saw had run him out.  Shortly after that, leaves crunched from the direction that the buck and doe had come from, and two decent bucks walked off the hillside surely following the scent of the hot doe and made their way to the thicket as well.  They were both fine bucks, but not as good as the first one I had seen.  In the time I sat there till Jon came to pick me up, three more bucks came by, all smaller than the last two I had seen but nonetheless, I had just witnessed seven bucks come by my stand and was about to have to get down.  During all of this activity, the two yearling does had continued to feed at the bait pile.  In a little while they moved off into the woods, and I heard Jon’s truck and climbed down to go and meet him at the road.  I told him what had happened and that I didn’t want to mess this stand up so I would not hunt it that evening but would come back to it the next morning. 

That evening I went to another stand, further in on the property and saw one doe.  The entire evening I was kicking myself for not returning to the stand I had been in that morning. 

The next day was the opening day of bobcat season.  A tag could be bought over the counter for $10 at the local country store, so I bought one, just in case.  I went back to the stand I had been in the previous morning and was once again joined by the two yearlings, which by this time it seemed were getting to know me on a personal basis.  There was no action all morning except the two does munching corn and me slowly scanning from side to side, waiting for the opportunity it seemed I had already failed to take advantage of. At lunch, I heard Jon’s truck coming way down the road and climbed down, spooking the yearlings and started toward the road to meet him.  About halfway between the road and my stand was another one of the large brush piles I mentioned earlier. I climbed up into the middle of the log pile to hide and wait for my ride. As I sat and waited, movement from my left suddenly caught my eye.  A large bobcat was coming up over the top of the brush pile toward me.  He had obviously heard the truck too, and had no idea I was around.  I shot him at ten feet.  I couldn’t believe it, we had talked about this on a whim, and I had bought the tag that morning.  Maybe my luck was going to hold out after all.  When I got to the truck carrying the bobcat, Jon just burst out laughing.  He couldn’t believe it either.

After lunch, I decided to just stick with that same stand, hoping to catch the buck coming back through again.  There was no action for most of the evening.  Just my two new best friends, the yearling does, and me.  One lone buck did come in later.  He was a nice three and a half year old, but I was holding out for something better.  The young buck came in behind me and ambled up into the cedar thicket I mentioned earlier.  Near dark the two does who had head-bobbed with me all evening seemed to grow a little nervous, and even though I heard some rustling behind me, I was afraid to move, as the does kept looking right at me.  When I finally couldn’t stand it any longer, and light was fading fast, I turned to look behind me, expecting squirrels.  What I saw was the big buck chasing the doe with the smaller buck from earlier in the day following right behind.  They were headed straight away from me and the big buck was no more than a silhouette of body and horns.  The trio proceeded to the area behind the large brush pile where I had shot the bobcat that morning.  I could hear the chase going on, but I could only catch glimpses of the deer as they ran back and forth and then they were gone.  When Jon picked me up, well after dark, I was singing the blues over another missed opportunity.

The next morning, we decided to get in the woods as early as possible and come back to check out of the motel at lunch.  Jon dropped me off at the same stand and said that he would be back at 10:30 to pick me up so that we could get our gear and be checked out of our rooms on time.  It was a pretty uneventful morning.  The two does were back, of course, and so we played peek-a-boo for a while and I had all but given up hope of seeing the big buck again.  At about 10:25, I heard Jon’s truck from way back in the hollow as he was on his way to pick me up.  The does looked up, but not in the direction of the noise from the truck, they were looking up the hill to my left.  I quickly looked up that way and saw horns coming through the brush.  The undergrowth was so thick that when I looked through my scope all I could see was a tangle of limbs and leaves.  When I looked with the naked eye, I could make out the outline of the same buck I had saw chasing the doe the first day.  I was thinking, “Oh no! Jon’s never on time. Not now!”  The buck was angling my way and if he came down the hill 30 or 40 more yards he would be mine.  I had my gun up and was just waiting on him to step into a clear spot.  Any spot would do, if he would just clear that brush.  I could hear the truck getting closer and knew this window of opportunity was closing fast.  When Jon stopped down on the road to wait on me, the buck threw his head up and looked down that way then wheeled around and was gone.  When I got to the truck, I related what had happened to Jon and he felt terrible about it.  I told him it wasn’t his fault; we had stuck to the plan, but unfortunately the timing was completely wrong. 

We went back into town and checked out of the motel and headed back for the evening hunt grabbing a bite to eat on the way.  I figured I might as well stick with the same stand, after all, I had seen the buck from there twice already.  When I got back on stand it didn’t take long for the two yearlings to return and they kept me company for most of the evening.  I knew my chances of seeing the buck again were slim, but just maybe it could happen one more time.  A bit later, I heard a bleat from near the cedar thicket and turned to see a mature doe looking down my way.  In an instant, the two yearlings left the bait pile and sprinted to the doe and immediately began nursing.  Several minutes passed and the doe and the two yearlings began to make their way down toward me and the bait pile.  I figured my hunt was just about over and Mr. Hicks had encouraged us to take a doe if we had the chance, so as they made their way to me, I stood and turned with the tree between me and the mature doe preparing to take the shot.  She caught movement and was having none of it.  She blew and turned with the yearlings hot on her tail and didn’t stop till she was deep inside the thicket and out of sight.

This was a very frustrating but also very educational hunt.  Though we left there without a deer to show for our efforts, the Whitetail 101 education I received was priceless.   I had witnessed, in the past, the chase of a doe by a determined buck.  I have seen scraping activity as well as rubbing.  I’ve heard does bleat and saw the young uneducated deer wandering about.  This hunt filled in some gaps in my hunter education and showed me a bigger picture of just what is going on besides the chasing and scraping and rubbing.  If I read this scenario right, the mature doe had left her fawns near a bedding area where she thought they would be safe while she was being pursued by suitors.  While she was being pursued, she came back and forth through the area to check on the fawns.  When she was bred and was no longer being dogged by bucks, she came back and collected her fawns from this safe haven.  I assume the buck was making another trip through the area in search of another receptive doe when he was spooked by the truck.

There are some valuable lessons to be learned here;

1)      Even if it is the first day of your hunt, if you have a shot at a good buck, take it.  If I had done that, this would have been a much shorter story of how I killed a good Kentucky buck on my first day.  Never pass on a buck on the first day of the hunt that you would love to take on the last day.

2)      If there are cheap tags available for other game animals in the area, buy one.  You never know what opportunity might arise.

3)      Never set up too close to bait (where it is legal, of course).  You’ll be better off at a distance from which you can observe without being observed.

4)      Always check out the noise behind you, it might not be another squirrel.

5)      If you can change locations within the same area to better your set-up, (such as utilizing the climber I had with me but didn’t use), do it.

6)      Never assume that your hunting buddy will be late.

7)      ALWAYS check out of the motel or hotel where you are staying the morning of your last day.  In some, you can do an early check-out the night before.  You may find yourself in a position in which you don’t want to leave the stand.

8)      Learn something from every hunt.

This was a great hunt and an experience that taught me some things that I won’t soon forget.  I made mistakes that cost me a good buck.  In doing so, and in relating them to you, I hope that you and I can avoid these errors in judgment on future hunts.  Happy hunting and stay safe.

By Miscellaneous Authors

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