A good night

[horst]

This morning I watched a fenceline with a spotting scope.id seen a very high racked 8 pointer go down it after a doe.Got the scope zoomed in and couldnt believe it, the whole fenceline was full of antlers.The high racked 8 ponter, a wide heavy ten point, and 5 other smaller bucks were all running around up there on some terraces.As I sat and watched it looked like a parade, more and more bucks and does kept streaming in outta the cornfield and joing the ones on the terraces in the fenceline.Before i left at least a dozen bucks including three I woulda gladly killed were standing around up there.I go around the corner and see what at first I mistake for a cow coming across the next section, with his head down.I actually stopped to see if i could figure out whos farm it belonged to so I could tell them.It lifted its head and there stood a huge 8 pointer, at least a 24 inch spread, tines over a foot long only thing was he wasnt really heavy.But he was a dandy buck.I watched him lie down in my buddies femnceline, up on top of a little hill, so I came back to town got dad and went back out.Figured he would head for the slough at the other end of the fenceline, I snuck way around behind him and se up in the corner of the fences about 1/4 mile or better downwind of him.Dad was gonna walk in and see if he could move him towards me.Worked out good except I told dad the buck was on the hill and while I was gone he had moved to the dip in the ground below it.Dad walked out without a bow, walked right up to the deer about 15 ft from it and it headed cross country He woulda killed him in his bed if he had took his bow along, he actually had to stamp hios foot to get the deer to even look over at him

The rest of the day I thought about the fenceline full of bucks Id watched.I had permission already for one side of the fenceline, but the deer were all running the other side of it.Everyone I talked to said the family that owned it wouldnt let anyone in.I actually left to goto a different stand, but at the last second drove out to the guys house, I figured the worst hed do was say no.He wasnt home, his wife was very nice, told me he was at his parents house 2 miles over and to go check there.I stopped and found him, visited for a minute and told him about all the deer Id seen on his place, he asked if I was hunting, I said yeah, we talked and he told me to go ahead and hunt anytrhing i wanted, just stop at the house and clear it with his folks, and make sure no one else was hunting it.I stopped, his mom answered the door and she was very nice also, I visited with her for about 15 minutes after recieving her permission and she wished me luck, and told me if that doesnt pan out I can hunt thier home place as well, shes seen a great big one running does out there all week

Anyway, by this time its getting late, sunsets about 1 1/2 hrs away and I havent even looked the place over.So I drive back over, park, and start down the fenceline, my plan was to get into a low spot out there where I could see everything below me real good and stay hidden, kinda scout t out tonight and have a better idea where to sit the next night.Im only about 70 yrds from the truck when a little 4 poi8nter stands up about 40 yrds down the fence from me, I drop down to one knee and watch him for a minute, he has no idea Im there so I crawl under the fence and get behind the weedline hoping it will hide me.I wait about 20 minutes, peek over the top of the weeds and cant see him, I scoot another 20 yrds down the fence and hes out on the terrace feeding.Im stuck there so I just make the best of it and watch him.A few minutes go by and I realize theres a small hill blocking my view of the field beside me so i scoot up to a little higher spot.Im watching the hilltop and something dont look right, the cornstalks are moving kinda funny and it dawns on me its a big rack.The wide heavy ten pointers directly over the hill from me about 40 yrds away, all i can see is his rack and an occasional ear.Im getting excited now and start looking real hard for a hole to shoot through, I can hear him stepping on corn stalks and I cant find a hole in the fence big enough to squeeze a shot through if he comes that way.I crawl another 10 yrds forward and the fence is down. I can see the buck now but hes chasing a doe the other direction, the little one picked up a buddy and they were still feeding right down the fence from me and everything looked good, I was in the middle of the herd and nothing knew I was there.The smaller bucks were looking away and I sat up, just in time to see the high racked 8 pointer jogging towards me through the field, closer and closer, finally hes behind the little hill and I can see his head coming over the top, I start to draw back and t dawns on me Id heard footsteps behind me, but its to late, the 8 pointers girlfriend snuck up behind me and was only standing about 20 yrds away when I began to draw.She spooked, and took the 8 pointer back out the way he had come.I was cussing myself but they only ran a short ways and started feeding, I dont know if she saw me or was running from him but everythings calm again for the moment.20 minutes go by, I look behind me and heres another buck, a small 6 pointer and hes coming right towards me.I freeze in postion, he sees me but doesnt know what i am.He stares for a minute and jogs closer, looks me over, and starts feeding in circles anywhere from 10 to 40 yrds away.he does this for several minutes, runs over to the fene and studies me again, notices the other deer out feeding and walks off to join them.Now its real close to dark, The deer are feeding all around across the fence so I slowly crawl back towards my truck, I get about halfway there stand up and walk out.Get the binovcs and the whole herds still feeding peacfully totally unaware I was ever in the fenceline with them.It was one of the neatest experiences Ive had, by the end of the night I had around 2 dozen deer, the majority of them bucks, standing within 100 yrds of me and even though no shots were fired my heart was pounding the whole time I was in there.I cant wait to get out there tommorrow night, I been studying on it and think I might have to come in a different way but the family that owns the place just made the top of my Xmas card list.The mom who has to be close to 80 yrs old said Im the only bowhunter she can ever remember stopping to ask permission, and she thanked me for helping keep deer numbers down Think Ill drop her off a nice deer roast to