Living in northern Wisconsin I have always been an avid hunter. I picked up bowhunting when I was 16 because it was the "in" thing to do. The main reason I wanted to bowhunt was because every year on christmas eve the whole family would get together and talk about the bucks they have taken with their bows, I always got crap because I didn't have any stories, I'll show them.
One summer day I popped the question to my dad: "Could I use one of your bows so I could hunt in the upcoming fall?". Sure enough he brings out an ancient bear bow, it was good enough for who its for I suppose. I guess you could say I was a natural in this sport, the whole month of shooting at the target I only lost three arrows and broke one, this is also where I learned you shouldn't use broadheads for constant practice.
Bow season finally rolls around and I am 100% STOKED. I found a bunch of old camo clothes I could wear and I was ready to hunt in my cousins stand opening morning. The next morning was a beautiful morning, but there were no deer to be seen all day. In fact, there were no deer to be seen for weeks. Discouraged as I was, I needed to come up with a strategy to see deer.
That weekend I went out to my stand with a few apples, tossed them on the ground and waited. Nothing. After repeating this process for a week I was about ready to hang it up for good, until one day at about dark I heard somthing. Leaves were being pushed around and it was coming closer! Could it be a deer?! Almost too dark to see a black shape appeared over the hill. Oh no, I was certain it was a bear, but as it drew closer I saw it was a small doe. Having a complete lift in spirit I went out the following day, but every time I went out the deer seemed to be seeing me up in the tree. Every time a deer came around for the apples it would look up to the stand, and it would simply just walk away. I had to counter it.
Invisible to sight, sound, and ear I snuck to my stand with another stand. I set the other stand across the small clearing from my usual stand and tossed the apples in their usual location. As daybreak drew near I drifted off into sleep. Waking up to a stick break I looked to my left and there stood a fork buck whom I have seen before. Sure enough he took a look up into my old tree and started walking tward the clearing. Buck fever set in. The buck drew closer and closer to the clearing, then he just turned around and walked the other way. "Dang." was the only thing I could say to myself. I fell back asleep.
Again I woke up to a stick breaking, I looked to my left and saw nothing. Looking streight ahead he was coming in to eat, and I was sitting down with my bow hanging beside me. He got up to the apples and started eating, maybe when he turned to leave I could get a chance to grab my bow and shoot. Shaking like a hairless cat in the cold I couldn't belive how fast that buck just turned around and started walking the other way. There is just now way that just happend. Again he has escaped me.
Almost broken down to tears after failing twice I remembered that I brought my dad's rattling antlers out. Why not give them a try? Not having a clue what I was doing I was slapping the antlers together and the sound was ringing throughout the woods. Just as I was about to get out of the stand, I noticed the fork buck trotting toward me, this time I had my bow. He was 40 yards away, angling at me, turning to a slow walk. I took the shot and stuck him somewhere, and away he went.
My dad and I looked for blood for hours upon hours, but we found only a little spec of blood on a pine needle. This still leaves me with the question Dude, where's my buck?