Day 6

Even though Brian shot a nice buck on day 5, we didn’t see much deer movement. After a couple of hours of discussion, Virgil and I decided we wanted to try some still-hunting the following morning. So, at daylight, we picked a different ridge on Brian’s place and slowly crept along. An hour or so after dawn, I heard the report of a rifle, and it was close enough that I knew it had to be Virgil. A few minutes later, I got the text we all love to get, “Buck down.” Virgil and Brian said they had it under control, so I continued hunting for a few more hours, only seeing a couple does. Around 10 a.m. I decided to work back toward the truck to see the guys and Virgil’s buck. The buck wasn’t huge by any means, but he was a handsome 2.5-year-old 8-point and a great first whitetail.

That evening, I headed back to the bowhunting-only area to sit the pinch point along the river I had found. However, when I reached the parking spot, two guys had the same idea, so I backtracked and headed up the drainage where Brian had shot his buck the day before.

As I worked up the old grown-in-two track, I spotted a couple of does and jumped some others. It soon became apparent that some deer were moving and that my traipsing around wouldn’t be productive, so I found a nice spot at the junction of two major trails and spent the evening. My deer movement theory was a bust, and no deer came along.

Day 7

The following morning, I still hunted down the ridge Virgil had taken his buck the previous day. I focused on being slow and methodical, which isn’t easy for a Western hunter who likes to cover ground. Still, I enjoyed this type of hunting and really liked how it connects you to nature and your surroundings. I walked slowly, glassed, listened, and sat in likely spots until midday, but didn’t turn up any deer.

That evening, I sat at Brian’s place in one of the stands. An hour before dark, a few does and a small 8 point fed out in the small food plot in front of me. When I first saw antlers, I got excited, but after closer inspection, I decided to pass on the buck, hoping for something larger. I spent the evening watching the buck and doe feed and mess around before me, but nothing bigger showed up.

Day 8

I spent the morning still hunting the next ridge but only saw one small doe. There were a few new scrapes in the area, but it was obvious that the activity was happening at night, and daytime movement was minimal.

That evening, I was back in the stand where I had passed the smaller buck the previous evening, but not a single deer showed up. As much as I had enjoyed the hunt, I just got the feeling it wouldn’t happen for me. We had hunted hard for eight full days, and deer activity was really slow for the most part. Brian and Virgil had both taken bucks, but overall, we felt pretty fortunate that had happened, considering the lack of deer movement. Missing that buck the first evening proved to be my only good opportunity at a shooter buck, and that’s ok.

Long ago, I quit measuring the success of my hunt for a kill. It’s more about adventure and those I get to share it with. Spending the week with Virgil and Brian hunting was worth the trip. Even more worth the trip was being spoiled all week by Brian’s wife, Anne, who treated us better than we deserved. As much as it pains me, I will have to return to Missouri next year to try and get my buck and hopefully some more homemade cinnamon rolls.

Gigging for Fish

On the last evening of our trip, Brian and his brother Kreg took us out gigging for fish. I have bow fished plenty, but this was an all-new experience. They motored around for several hours while Virg and I floundered around the front of the boat, trying to figure out this style of fishing. After getting a couple right off, Virg and I missed far more fish than I would like to admit. Finally, Virgil caught on and started putting a bunch of fish in the boat, and finally, I got a few more myself. Hopefully, our skills won’t take so long to hone next time.