The 8 Second Rodeo Ride In Hunting
September 7, 2011 by Cindy Carpenter
Filed under Bow Hunting, Cindy Carpenter, Deer Hunting
We spend all year preparing for bow season. We’re planning our hunts, scouting for deer and talking about that big buck we’ve seen every year and wondering if he’s still around. We have all arranged our schedules so that nothing conflicts with opening day and the days to follow.
Well opening day is here and we are up at 3 am getting our gear ready and heading out the door. We have showered in and washed our hunting clothing in our Dead Down Wind Scent Prevent. We have a plan and with anticipation we head out for the day’s hunt. Parked at the top of the hill so we don’t disturb the deer we all watch through our binoculars and discuss the plan of attack. I’m included this year in the planning portion, I guess that means I’ve graduated.
This portion of the country is farm land and big sagebrush, sometimes seven feet tall and thick. We hunt primarily Mule Deer and it is a stalk and shoot hunt. For this hunt we are on public Free To Hunt land and fortunately not everyone has figured out how fun bow hunting is. Yes it’s tough hunting and requires lots of patience but the thrill of being face to face with a deer, well there’s nothing better.
We’re about 800 yards from where these bucks are bedding down in the safebrush for the day. It took us 2 hours to put them to bed and some additional time to make sure they did’nt get up and move around again. We have about 400 yards of corn we have to maneuver through and trying to time it just right so the circles don’t water you as you go. We know where we are entering the corn at but imagine trying to make sure you come out the other end at just the right place. The corn is close to harvest so there’s no seeing over the top. That’s what makes it so much fun. The inner compass is amazing!
Well after 2 hours of watching and an hour of stalking we finally get within 35 yards of the deer. They are right where we thought they’d be. We make our plan of attack, pull our bows back and it was over. The deer saw us and they were up and gone within 8 seconds. I laugh as it reminds me of the Top Gun scene in the locker room where one of the pilots says “We went this way, they went that way and it was over”. It was a disappointment and a huge thrill at the same time. Our hearts were pounding and we immediately started talking about the next stalk which would be tomorrow.
This is hunting and we will gladly do it day after day until we are rewarded with the success of harvesting our deer. Thus the 8 second rodeo ride in hunting lol.
