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November 7,
2005
Decided to take a little R&R this past weekend and go deer hunting in TN for muzzleloader season. It is always beautiful this time of year in the Hatchie River bottoms with the leaves changing color. Muzzleload season is my favorite because the woods are virtually untouched by hunters since it begins before the gun season opens. I showed this to be true on Sunday when I arose at 4:30 am and marched deep into the Hatchie swamp leaving all of the men asleep at the cabin. The weather forecast was for strong winds, so the boys decided not to get up early.
Having a hard time finding my
stand after a two year absence, I was quite relieved when it
appeared in the early morning light. I climbed up and eased the
cap onto my muzzleloader ready to watch the sunrise. As I sat
back and relaxed, I noticed that the wind had calmed and was
barely noticeable! Ha.. too bad the boys didn't get up!
Saw a dark shadowy figure go by
before shooting light as I had so many hunts before and wondered
if I would see any more. Sure thing.... another figure became
visible in the early morning light. It was a small, lighter
figure which appeared to be the little one I saw the day before
with its mom. She too appeared, and they proceeded to munch away
on the many swamp chestnuts that carpeted the woods. I relaxed
again and continued to scan the horizon.
All at once the little one
began a mad dash through the woods and swung back through like a
wild Indian. After almost 3 laps around the woods the little
one disappeared, and a 4 point walked up to investigate the doe.
She teasingly walked away as he followed a distance behind. With
the doe gaining distance from her suitor and circling around in
front of me, she was obviously not interested in her pursuer.
Frustrated, the small buck thrashed a small bush with his
antlers and then pawed the ground to make a scrape. I laughed as
he walked away with half of the bush hanging from his head!
The sun was very close to
breaking the horizon, and I imagined how beautiful it would be
when the first rays start through the trees. The colors would be
amazing, and the bucks would be easy to spot since their antlers
stand out so in the sun. It is easy to stay so long in these
woods!
But wait .... where did the
little buck go? And then a very large deer appear from behind a
tree....oh my... I could see his rack and immediately knew this
was a very large buck. "O.K. click the hair trigger quickly,
quietly" I said to myself. He walked behind a scraggly bush as I
first looked through my scope. "Not yet! Wait...wait.....now
there he is. One, two, three, four points on one side! Yes,
that's the one!"
Yes, he was the one. He walked
by at 7:00 a.m. and was a beautiful 10 point buck and 165 lbs
field dressed. Yes, a beautiful morning!
( I want to thank Tom Anderson for keeping the Hatchie bottoms so pristine! It is such a beautiful place, and I appreciate very much that he allows us to enjoy it. Tom Anderson owns the beautiful property adjoining the Hatchie River in Tennessee. His generosity over the years to special friends is greatly appreciated.) |
