Today is the Day in the Deer Woods

by LOU MARULLO | TF&G Hunting Editor

 

 

THE ALARM SOUNDED OFF off and I jumped out of bed. Why not?  I couldn’t sleep anyway. After a hot shower with scent away soap, I dressed in my camo and headed to my friend Tom’s house. He was just as excited as I was. “Today is the day.” At least that is what I told Tom just like I did every time we headed to the deer woods! 

It was the end of October, and a cold front was predicted for later that evening. I just knew that the whitetails would be out feeding throughout the day. I had made up my mind that I was going to be in a tree stand with a bow in my hand. 

Under a blanket of darkness, we both headed to our pre-determined stands. Tom decided to hunt in what we call the “waterhole stand” that basically funneled deer to a stream bed. I chose to hunt along the edge of a swale field. A swamp was to my back and this particular field had a path cut all around the edges. Not only was it a good bedding area, but it also was close to that swamp where big boys like to hide. 

The light wind carried my scent across the field and directly where I expected the deer to come from, but I was not worried at all. I had the Ozonics 600 machine with me and it is with me every time I go hunting. Once the Ozonics 600 is in place, you become invisible to the whitetails. I have put it to the test so many times before that I was absolutely sure  I would go undetected. 

Dawn seemed to take forever to finally peek over the horizon. But peek it did, and the promise of a beautiful sunny day began. I texted Tom every hour to see if he had been seeing anything. Suddenly, I caught movement coming out of the swamp. The four point came out to the field and stood there for what seemed to be an hour! I guess it was only a few long minutes. Finally, he started to make his way towards me. I eased my phone up and hit the video button. He was only 5 yards from me when he walked by none the wiser. I loved it and the smile on my face was still there when I sent Tom the video! 

Three hours had passed and both Tom and I hadn’t seen another deer. I was beginning to think that maybe “This was not the day”! Slowly my head would turn, and my eyes would focus on the woods. After a few minutes, I turned my head in the other direction and there he was! The majestic eight pointer came through the hedgerow across from me and was standing in the sunlight. The buck looked so beautiful, I wanted to take a picture of him with my phone, but he was only 50 yards from me and the only movement I wanted to make was with my bow.  

He stood still and just lifted his nose in the air to survey the field in search of any danger. With the Ozonics 600 aiming directly towards him, he never caught a whiff of my human scent. I really can’t say enough about the Ozonics 600. It completely hides human scent, and the new longer battery life is a huge plus when you hunt for hours. It is the ONLY thing available to hunters that actually works at completely hiding your odor from wildlife. As far as I am concerned, it will always be in my backpack whenever I go hunting and the first thing I set up once I am safely secure with my safety harness. 

As luck would have it, the buck decided to slowly walk towards the security of the swamp where he was going to find a spot to bed down for the day. At 45 yards and closing, I watched him put his head down to feed on something. This was my opportunity to ease my bow off the bow hanger and prepare for a good humane shot. At full draw, I anxiously waited…and waited…. And waited for him to take those last few steps that would bring him out of the thick swale offering me a clear 35-yard shot. Finally, I released my arrow and it found it’s mark just behind the shoulder of that beautiful whitetail buck. 

I immediately texted Tom to let him know a wounded buck was heading right for him and after 15 minutes had passed, he texted back letting me know that the buck never made it to him. I was convinced the whitetail was down somewhere between us. After 45 minutes, I climbed down from my perch and looked for first blood. Shortly after that, I found my arrow, a clean pass through told me that the buck would not be far. 

Soon I heard Tom on his 4-wheeler coming to help with the blood trail. On his way to meet me he found the buck and called me over. The 8 point was heading right to Tom’s stand but never made it. However, he did manage to find his way to my freezer! “Today was the day!”

From Autumn Bucks to Springtime toms 

Once in a while things just fall into place and this hunt was one of those times. These are the types of hunts that stay locked in your memory for years to come. I only hope that this turkey season brings me the result I am looking for. It is always nice to bring home a bird that you hunted for, but really, at the end of the day, it is the good memory of a great hunt. It matters not if you are successful bringing home your turkey. There is so much more to experience while out hunting… but let’s be honest… a turkey dinner sure sounds good! 

Have fun and hunt safe.

 

Email Lou Marullo at ContactUs@fishgame.com