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By Dan Infalt
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The buck approaches. Could this finally be an end to my Iowa curse?
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I headed down the long road from Wisconsin to Iowa with memories of my
last trip when bad luck and missed opportunities plagued me. I was hoping
we could beat the Iowa spell that was still haunting me. I had blown 3
opportunities on that 1st trip at bucks over 140 class. One of the bucks
was a huge typical 12 pointer that would have easily scored over 180 class.
My hunting partner's truck also broke down out there leaving us stranded
in a cemetery. Although we had seen the best concentration of huge bucks
either of us had ever seen, I came home empty handed. After that 1st trip
we headed back in January for a long weekend to give it one more try before
our 2003 tags expired. We ran into poachers, coyote hounds, and I managed
to get attacked by 5 angry rottweilers on a dirt road in pitch blackness
as I waited for my partner who was hunting a different farm. Somehow, I
had managed to get home alive (and buck-less) and still had a craving to
go back...go figure?
It took two years of waiting till we had finally drew archery tags once
again. We finally arrived and I immediately got into deer on my 1st set
up. I had a 125+ Pope & young, 8 point go by the 1st evening along
with a bunch of smaller bucks. That sure was pleasant next to seeing next
to nothing in Wisconsin all season. Barry South came along to be my camera
man and his help was much appreciated. After giving the 1st spot another
try we headed to a huge cornfield with a big block of timber behind it.
It was full of huge tracks but it was hard to determine just where exactly
the bucks were coming from. I was going to set up conservatively on the
down wind side but I got a call on the radio from Jarrod (One of my hunting
partners) who told me that he just ran into a hunter heading back by me
who said him and a friend and two other hunters from another state were
hunting the area hard all week. So I decided to go for broke and make one
good hunt of it and move on to one of the other farms we had permission
on. I found where the majority of trails that had big tracks and sign came
out and followed them into the timber about 40 yards till I hit the cross
trail you always find paralleling the field where bucks check all the doe
trails heading into the field for the ones entering estrous. My set up
covered the situation quite well and we were rewarded for it. Right at
sunset a couple does came out and immediately busted us. I have to wonder
if they were bedded near by and watched us set up. Barry and I, stood motionless
waiting for them to give up on the stare-down. Barry was filming there
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My arrow had found its mark as it disappeared into the chest.
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reaction,
when a branch braking up the paralleling trail caught my attention. I turned
and saw a nice racked buck out about 60 yards heading right for us. I tapped
Barry on the shoulder and pointed. He zoomed in with the camera and whispered
its a good one. As it closed the distance to within shooting range I just
waited for him to turn and offer me a shot as he kept getting closer. He
got directly downwind of the does and I thought, this is it he will turn.
Nope. Just kept coming. He got out to about 3 or 4 yards from the base
of the tree and started getting nervous, he was definitely picking up some
of Barry's funk. ( I don't stink) He was standing quartering towards me
and I thought, I can make this shot if he lets me pull back. The buck had
about 14 points and looked to be about a 160 class. He looked back and
I got the bow back. I settled the pin and.... Shot right over his back.
I just can't seem to beat this Iowa bad luck spell. That was a gimmie shot.
Barry was even more upset than me.
At that point I tried to get past it. Am I really cursed in Iowa? It did
not help that the butt heads I chose for hunting partners got all over
my case about missing the shot on film, and would not let me get past it
the whole time I was hunting.
Me and Barry decided to go shinning ( A legal practice in Iowa, as long
as there are no weapons in the vehicle) and find another one to go after
the next morning.
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Maybe, just maybe, I have beaten the curse of Iowa
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We drove the 15 mile trip to the area we were hunting and as soon as I
lit up the spot light the trucks electrical power died.... On a dirt road
in the middle of no where. When will this curse end? Barry tried calling
the guys at the cabin, but apparently they were mad at me for missing a
shot on film and would not answer the phones. Barry did not like pushing
while I steered, (and was not very fast) so we ended up walking to a house
and paying some old guy to drive us back to camp. Next morning I dropped
Lee off at his spot and headed to another farm with his truck to hunt for
a couple hours before heading to town to see a mechanic. We went to a different
farm that we seen a lot of bucks on last time we hunted the area. There
was an awesome funnel where the timber a river with vertical cliff like
edges and an open pasture met. The bucks that were out cruising for does
would have to go though that funnel to get to another doe bedding area.
And... The day before we saw a 160 class buck cruise through that funnel
from the road. We kicked a few deer out going in, got set up in the blackness
of pre-morning and just waited. Deer started filtering in from everywhere.
1st the does came in and filled the bedding areas. Then the small 1 1/2
and 2 1/2 year old bucks came thru cruising. Then, a couple hours after
daylight a 1 1/2 year old comes walking down the "cruise trail" looking
for girlies with his buddy a 3 1/2 year old mid 120s class 8 point. They
came out and stood ten yards out from the tree and Barry gave me the old "thumb's
up" I waited about 3 or 4 minutes while they began to get nervous
from sniffing Barry's funk. I talked my self into it. It was a Pope and
Young and the camera was locked on him. WHACK!! ...right through the boiler
room. We got real good footage of the buck crashing down the bank into
the river just making it up the other bank out of the ravine and sliding
to a halt right where we could back up to him with the truck. Maybe, just
maybe, I have beaten the curse of Iowa.
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Comments
thats a fine antalope, way to follow your heart!
Posted by: teddy bear on December 26, 2005 11:34 PM
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