Post by missionary on Dec 1, 2021 15:15:37 GMT -7
Soon after we arrived in ILL-Nois mid June I headed down to the river bottoms areas I hunt and looked over the 3 tree stands I use down there for bow hunting. Looked good as there was "Corn Cruncher highways" and large tracks coming and going down two routes that pass within 6 yards of two of the stands. The 3rd older stand sees little use until the first snow.
Then medical conditions with my in laws took fast downhill spirals. My MIL who for a couple years was showing signs of old age brain functions took a nose dive in August. My wife started being with her to help almost daily. In September my FIL had 3 strokes and lost function of his right side so I became the outside labor and driver.
October and the opening of bow season came and went. We still had supporting churches to report to and had to start packing, hauling to storage and get ready to return here to Peru.
November arrived and with tickets to fly out on the 16th all my gear got packed up to storage.
The last Thursday early afternoon before we flew I took down one tree stand as the chain was growing into the tree. Later that afternoon I took two hours off and went and sat in a crow blind I had built in July along a hay field. With our .25 caliber pellet gun in hand I hoped maybe a ground hog or racoon would come by.
About 20 minutes before sunset two does stepped out into the field at a corner about 40 yards west of my blind. 5 minutes later a big 10 point buck stepped out near the same corner on a trail that comes up from the bottoms where my just removed blind was overlooking. That made me smile ! He turned to the south and followed the two does into the next hay field where he took to chasing the does about.
Some 5 minutes later a young fork buck left that southern field and moved into the west side of the field I was at and walked to the head of the trail looking down into the bottoms where the 10 point buck had come up from. Fork stood looking for a good two minutes then baked up fully into the field, turned towards where the two does had originally exited and went into that corner woods.
When I looked back to where fork was standing out came the 10 point again up into the field looking in my direction but it seemed not at me I turned my head slowly towards my rear and 30 yards behind was a beefy cow inside the electric fence keeping it from entering the hay field. Possibly 10 point could only see his head but 10 point started walking my way along the field edge watching carefully the beefy. He would walk about 5 yards, stop and sniff, grunt and come along another 5 yards. Wind was from the west so 10 point could not smell me or the beefy. On he came. I watched him carefully not moving until he was 25 yards away when I thought why not at least raise the pellet rifle and simulate a little. So next set of steps slowly up came the .25 with me looking over the front sight at his lower legs.
On he came. After two more stops ending up about 8 yards away looking past me, lightly grunting at the beefy. I lowered the .25 and said "Thank you Father. This was very kind of you".
10 point then turned around and slowly walked back to his trail that led down into the bottoms and disappeared.
I soon packed up and headed home.
Then medical conditions with my in laws took fast downhill spirals. My MIL who for a couple years was showing signs of old age brain functions took a nose dive in August. My wife started being with her to help almost daily. In September my FIL had 3 strokes and lost function of his right side so I became the outside labor and driver.
October and the opening of bow season came and went. We still had supporting churches to report to and had to start packing, hauling to storage and get ready to return here to Peru.
November arrived and with tickets to fly out on the 16th all my gear got packed up to storage.
The last Thursday early afternoon before we flew I took down one tree stand as the chain was growing into the tree. Later that afternoon I took two hours off and went and sat in a crow blind I had built in July along a hay field. With our .25 caliber pellet gun in hand I hoped maybe a ground hog or racoon would come by.
About 20 minutes before sunset two does stepped out into the field at a corner about 40 yards west of my blind. 5 minutes later a big 10 point buck stepped out near the same corner on a trail that comes up from the bottoms where my just removed blind was overlooking. That made me smile ! He turned to the south and followed the two does into the next hay field where he took to chasing the does about.
Some 5 minutes later a young fork buck left that southern field and moved into the west side of the field I was at and walked to the head of the trail looking down into the bottoms where the 10 point buck had come up from. Fork stood looking for a good two minutes then baked up fully into the field, turned towards where the two does had originally exited and went into that corner woods.
When I looked back to where fork was standing out came the 10 point again up into the field looking in my direction but it seemed not at me I turned my head slowly towards my rear and 30 yards behind was a beefy cow inside the electric fence keeping it from entering the hay field. Possibly 10 point could only see his head but 10 point started walking my way along the field edge watching carefully the beefy. He would walk about 5 yards, stop and sniff, grunt and come along another 5 yards. Wind was from the west so 10 point could not smell me or the beefy. On he came. I watched him carefully not moving until he was 25 yards away when I thought why not at least raise the pellet rifle and simulate a little. So next set of steps slowly up came the .25 with me looking over the front sight at his lower legs.
On he came. After two more stops ending up about 8 yards away looking past me, lightly grunting at the beefy. I lowered the .25 and said "Thank you Father. This was very kind of you".
10 point then turned around and slowly walked back to his trail that led down into the bottoms and disappeared.
I soon packed up and headed home.
