WOW What a hunt!!!

Hey folks got back at 4 AM Monday from a fantastic 14 day hunt in AZ. Seeing lots of deer every day. No real monsters since they quit watering the hayfield where we had been seeing the big ones.

I reported so much water in Sept. that I thought maybe the 10 year drought was over. Alas no rain in the winter rainy season so far in southeast AZ.

Now let me set the 1st evenings hunt up. This hayfield is 880 yards in diameter. The deer mostly come in from the south and west. That gives us a 1760 yard perimeter to pick our evening sitting spot on.

Most nights we just watch as deer come to the edge of the field and quickly make their way into the center where they feel safe. "Dog gone it!! I knew I should have sat that blind tonight" is our usual mantra.

This year they are mostly coming in in 2 bunches, one from the west down the center road where there is an open gate in the fence they don't have to jump. The other bunch comes in anywhere on the south fence that they fancy for that evening.

AZhunter (my best friend Eddie) has a pit and pallet blind set up 35 yards from the western gate. He's had a few close calls but not connected yet in that spot. Now with him sitting that blind it rules out setting up in the west for me as I don't want to bugger up what he has so carefully set up. I start the hunt by picking out a few old standby blind sites on the south fence for the group coming in there.

This first evening there, I set up, but I guess I am not really into the hunting mode yet. I can't keep still and when I stand to look in the brush behind me there they are and they have me pegged. A nice tall 3x3 that Eddie has been seeing is giving me the eye. Oh well at least I got to see one of the 2 nice ones that are coming out regularly. I stare at them until all light disappears.

While this staring contest is going on I hear a lot of commotion going on to the west of me and look and see cows coming thru the fence onto the hay. "Now that's weird" I think "there's supposed to be a fence there" I thought. I didn't know it then but these cows were going to play a big role in my successful stalk later in the week.

Tuesday, Wednesday,Thursday and Friday is spent hunting other areas during the day and coming back to sit the hayfield in the evening. I start to notice a pattern that when the cows come on, some times the deer are coming in thru the same spot a little behind them. One night they will come on around 5 pm giving us a 30-40 minute show, then the next night nothing shows up till the last 10 minutes of legal light.

Saturday night I decide to setup about 30 yds below (east) of the hole in the fence that the cows and sometimes deer are coming thru. I can't see anything behind me so its going to be a stay absolutely still and survive all the does coming in and passing me before the bucks will show up if this is going to work kind of evening.

5:00 Nothing coming in yet guess its going to be a late night tonight. 5:05,5:10 5:15,5:20 nothing. 5:25 I hear the cows coming.I take a look over at Eddie's spot and there's the 3x3 that's been trying to commit suicide with him coming in to the gate from the south. Now I have seen his spot and don't think he knows that the buck is coming (he can only see a little west and east to the gate). This buck is coming in on a wire right down the fence line and going to come up behind Eddie and be within 15 yards before he sees him. I wonder if I should give him a little buzz in the radio but decide that will probably do more harm than good.

The cows are thru. Da%% it! They have me spotted right away. I've got my bow in my lap and the binos looking at whets developing over at Eddies spot. The bucks 30 yards away from him and starting to act nervous. The cows are bawling 35 yards away from me and another buck hops the fence 150 yards above (west) me. Oh well looks like its going to be Eddies night tonight. My buck come on and makes his way out to a group of does that have materialized at the 3rd wheel of the pivot. Eddies buck has started back to wards the gate.

I can see that the 3x3 is right beside Eddie. uh oh he's got him busted. He runs off a little to the west and look back in Eddie's direction but it's not going to happen tonight.

I'm sitting there 440 yards from the nearest deer with a bunch of cows bawling and pacing around me. I look out there and see the buck that jumped the fence above me. He's kind of nice, especially for a last day of the year deer. But he's 440 away and going to wards the center pivot away from the does. the stubble on the field is about 6" high. Not a bit of cover.

I'm thinking..........." what was that I read on the web about a guy crawling out to deer on a field?" Hey it is worth a shot right, your not going to get anything sitting here looking at him. I get up crouched over..... and the cows start to really bawl. And move between me and the buck. Hmmmm I wonder... I stand up and start to slowly push the cows out onto the field. every once in a while they get really loud and the deer all start to look over my way at what all the commotion is about. I can see them thinking... "whets up with those stupid cows" .... and return to feeding.

I'm now 200 yards closer to the buck and herding these 15-20 cows right to him. This is working!!! 250.....300...I'm now 137 yards from the buck..... And the cows have had enough. 60 yards between wheels on this pivot and the does are at the 3rd wheel. The bucks at the center. the cows go to wards the does.

What now Jeff?? the cows are gone and the bucks looking at you. I'm hunched over,I don't look at him and kind of shuffle around, inching closer with each shuffle. Good he put his nose in the little bit of alfalfa left on this field and starts feeding again. 120...110...100...92 heads up and He's lookin at me again. Shuffle, shuffle, shuffle..... Back to feeding. 85...80...75...70 heads back up at looking at me again. Shuffle, shuffle, heads down again. 1 step, 2, 3 ..heads up... shuffle, shuffle kneel heads down. range finder out... 67 yards.

Head down feeding ,perfectly broadside I draw back.... I hold... and I let down. " Jeff you can make this shot. you shoot 9 arrows at a Vegas 3 spot and put 6 in the yellow and the other 3 in the blue. You can make this shot. If you hit him bad theres only about 5 minutes of legal light left, but he's in the middle of the field. He'll lay down before going 440 yards and all you'll have to do is back off and let him lay. range him again....67 yards...and he takes a half step offering a perfect quartering away shot. range him... 67 yds.

Draw. put that wire on his far front shoulder....2nd to last rib on this side...hold for both lungs...the shot is off..WHUMP.. He's running 10,20,30,40,50,he's stumbleing.... 60,70,80 He's DOWN. Glasses up. He's down for good. I'm trembling. Thank You Lord for the help. Get the radio out " Did you see that??" " Yeah He's down" is the reply " I got him, I got him. What do I do now? Should I walk up to him? I got him EDDIE!!!!!!" " I'm headed for the 4 wheeler, you calm down" is his reply. I can't stand up. Look over at him and he's not moved. Here come the does. I get up and walk to my buck. as I'm walking there, here comes Eddies 3x3 at 35 yards. These deer are confused. And mine is dead.

I hear the 4 wheeler and Eddie asks me "where are you?" I light a smoke and hold up the lighter "I got you" he says. "Great shot" he says. "I was holding here 3" higher but I'll take it"I say. Tag him. Load him on the back of the machine and off to retrieve my gear. Take the first picture. Off to the house 600 yards north east of the field.

Out to the desert to field dress him. I learned a lot watching a master friend of ours on the elk hunt in September. This is a lot easier that the last one. I reach into the rib cage to grab the windpipe and feel the heart. I pull it out without cutting anything else. The MUZZY entered from the rear and cut off every artery off the top of the heart.

I know that a lot of you will consider this too long of a shot. I'm confident that it was a carefully considered and ethical shot. I practiced for it. I knew I could make a killing shot. I ranged it carefully. I considered it. I knew I could make it. I did make it. I agree it was a maximum range shot but out west here longer shots are required.

I want to thank,

Thank you Lord

Eddie and Arlean , you guys are the greatest
PSE for my STL
Muzzy for an awesome broad-head
Pro strings. Shel your strings are the BEST
Spot Hogg. Without the wire I don't think I would have been able to consider this shot
The Primos guys for the inspiration to get back into this awesome sport
All my friends here on this sight, you guy's are GREAT

Thanks

Jeff