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Jesse's Hunting > Hunting Articles > Hunting Articles Archives > D11 Success Comes Close to Home
D11 Success Comes Close to Home
Dave Blake - JHO ProStaff
- L.A., CA
November 22, 2005
My favorite way to hunt is with bow and arrow. Even the act of harvesting an animal with a bow is quiet and peaceful in its own way. So it was that my bow and I sat in an old twisted live oak tree that I had climbed into before sunrise, waiting for some deer to pass by on a cool Sunday morning.
This particular oak tree is in California deer zone D11, a medium-sized zone with some of the steepest country a hunter could choose to hunt in. Since most of my D11 spots are within an hour of my house in Los Angeles, it is also my home zone.
The walk in to the treestand was cold and damp from the fog that had hung low all night. This put me in good spirits since I knew that the deer would stay out a little longer. Ironically, I was sweating like it was already 90 degrees and had to peel some layers off once I was in the treestand.
D11 Rut Prize
The D11 rut brought this nice buck into range of the author's arrow. .. another case of looking for love in all the wrong places. |
October and November are rut months in zone D11. Bucks with raging hormones chase does around looking for a little “love”. It was these raging hormones I was counting on to bring a lusting buck near my treestand.
After an hour and a half I caught movement to my left and saw a doe moving into the clear about 20 yards away. Seconds later another deer followed and I started counting antler points… one... two... three… four. There were four points on the side facing me! I'm not sure which was louder… my breathing or my heart beat.
Almost a year ago, I lost a chance on a nice buck from a sudden case of “buck fever.” All I could think of was the sight of that buck's rear end bounding down the hill as I tried to gain my composure for a shot at this one.
The buck moved behind some brush giving me an opportunity to move into position for a good balanced shot. I drew the bow as he moved out of the brush, and then released. The arrow made a “thwack” sound as it hit the body cavity and the deer took off.
That “thwack” sound began the longest hour of my life as I gave the deer time to settle down and die. While waiting, I heard the deer thrash in a clump of trees down hill from me and after a short tracking job that was where I found him. He was a decent-sized 4x3 with tiny eyeguards.
Having the privilege to hunt in as many wonderful places as we do is one of the perks that come with living in the United States. Having a hunt come together close to home is the best privilege of all.
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