Big Buck Ridge: A Short Story

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Well, I didn’t get out yesterday evening, it was just too nasty and the wind was blowing 20 and gusting to 28. I decided since I wanted to make my way back to “big buck ridge” and I hadn’t been in there this season I would sleep in and get back there in the afternoon so I could look around and more importantly slip in undetected.

Well, the wind was wrong for “big buck ridge” “BBR” so I decided to ease into an area where the wind was a little better. It was where I shot my 7 pointer with a shotgun last season and I knew there were lots of acorns.

The wind was still blowing with a little shower here and there but it wasn’t too bad. I got settled in by 2 PM and at 3:30 I noticed the squirrels were up and about then 6 turkeys worked their way …show more content…

I was almost too focused on the direction of the oak tree, but I did scan the area around me occasionally to make sure nothing sneaked in. During one of these quick scans, I saw a deer coming from behind me and I saw bone on his head and I turned to unhang my bow as the buck stopped within 20 yards of my tree. I froze thinking he would see me if I moved and I wasn’t sure why he was spooked so I hoped he was just running in for dinner or to check out the deer eating the acorns on the ridge above me. The buck took off running again and I came around with my bow as he stopped again at about 35 yards. I still only got a glimpse of his rack because I was hooking up my release and then he was gone.

Not sure what spooked that buck. Was it my scent swirling in the low spot he was in? Was it a bigger buck running him out of the thicket behind me? I will never know but the deer on the hill eating acorns continued until dark. This was verified when I got in my Jon boat and a bunch of deer took off from underneath that big oak tree. It was too dark to see any of the deer but it sounded like a tank going through the woods. Hopefully since it was a boat the deer will be OK and return to the oak for more acorns tomorrow