An Hour to Spare
By Ed Waite
Ohio’s 2016 deer season didn’t get off to a particularly good start for Adam Wells. Because of the hotter-than-usual weather, he rarely ventured outdoors except to monitor trail cameras.
Collecting photos is Adam’s favorite way of keeping tabs on the whitetails roaming the farm he’s hunted for many years. But the act itself is sometimes more rewarding than discovering a ghost-like image among hundreds on a memory card.
“While walking into a favorite thicket one day to move a camera, I busted a really big buck out of its bed,” Adam said. “After it rose at my approach, I caught several glimpses of it as it quietly retreated.
“Rather than continue forward, I decided to leave,” he added.
Man and buck crossed paths again in November, when Adam’s brother, Kyle, drove up from South Carolina to spend a long weekend bowhunting the rut.
They arrived at their stands well before dawn on the first day.
“Just about the time it got light, the whole area was bustling with deer activity,” Adam said. “I counted five different bucks chasing does in the first half-hour.
“About 45 minutes later, I saw another deer sneaking along the edge of the tree line. When it suddenly burst into the open, I saw that it was a huge buck, perhaps the one I’d seen earlier. It ran off all the smaller bucks, asserting its dominance.
“This went on from shortly after daylight until about 1:00 in the afternoon. The big one never came closer than 400 yards,” he continued.
“I watched in frustration through my binoculars. The buck was massive, its rack the largest I think I have ever seen on a deer on the hoof,” Adam said.
“When we were back at the truck, my brother and I exchanged stories of what we’d seen. It was a good morning, despite our not getting opportunities to fill our tags.”
Same story the next couple of days, and the long weekend was gone.
“I had to sit through a class from 8 ’til 5 the next four days, while the weather was perfect for hunting,” Adam said. “I was stuck in a meeting room, thinking about that one special buck I was sure was hiding out there in the thicket. My employer was paying for the class, so I couldn’t miss it.”
Adam’s family had set aside Saturday, Nov. 12, as a field day for accomplishing many chores at the farm, after which they’d have a big picnic dinner.
“We do the things that need doing,” he said. “It’s an all-day event that was supposed to start about 8:30.”
That left Adam an hour of prime time.
“It was getting down to the last hours of the rut, and the weather was going to be perfect. I decided that if I got up early and got in the woods well before daylight, I could hunt until 8:00 before I would have to head for the farm,” Adam said.
He wound up going to the one stand suitable for an east wind.
“I was in that stand well before sunrise Saturday, strapped in and ready with my bow close at hand,” Adam said. “Just as it started to get daylight, several coyotes in the field next to me just went nuts. They sounded like they were right on top of me, but I couldn’t see them.
“I even grabbed my binoculars and stood, trying to pinpoint where they were and why they were howling out of control,” he continued. “I was so preoccupied with the coyotes that I hadn’t clipped on my release.
“I never discovered the cause of the commotion that died down after another 10 minutes. I figured my hunt was doomed, but decided to remain in the tree anyway,” he said.
“I was watching a long narrow field we called the Bowling Alley. Under the right conditions, it could be a very busy place. Other times, there would be nothing.
“I was sitting and watching something along the edge of the alley,” Adam continued. “I wasn’t sure what it was, at first.
“I eventually realized it was the huge buck I had seen the previous Saturday,” he said. “I watched closely as it came straight toward me. My heart was already pounding in my chest when I suddenly realized my release was still in my pocket.
“I floundered around, trying to get it on and secured, while watching the buck close the distance. Two trees were between us, and the deer would have to pass behind both if it kept coming.
“I was a mess. My bow was still in the hanger, and my fingers were all thumbs!
“Finally, the release was on and the buck was inside 50 yards. When it stopped to survey the area, I was able to grab my bow,” Adam said.
“The two big trees were still in the deer’s path. I hoped to be able to stand when it passed the first at 35 yards. As soon as its head was behind the tree, I rose, and my stand gave out a terrible groan.
“I am sure I did, too,” he added.
The buck stood motionless for about two minutes, staring in every direction. Adam was frozen in place, too, aware that if he moved, the deer would be gone forever.
“Did I say two minutes? It was more like an hour,” Adam corrected. “I thought for sure the buck was going to go back the way it had come.
“It didn’t, but it did change directions slightly and started to cross broadside to me. When its head passed behind the second tree at 18 yards, I drew. As the seconds ticked by, I was able to release when the deer was about 15 yards.
“It kicked and ran after the shot. The way it powered off, I thought I must have connected with the shoulder blade and didn’t get the penetration I wanted. The deer barreled away at warp speed, but it stopped suddenly at between 75 and 80 yards before falling. I almost fell as well.
“I watched the buck for several minutes before I decided it was no longer moving,” Adam said. “Then I gathered my gear, lowered it to the ground, followed it down, and then called some family members.”
In a matter of minutes, about 20 people converged on Adam’s location, and he led the procession to his trophy.