Nov 07, 2008 - 09:17:56 CST
The biggest buck I have ever taken was kind of an accident. It came several years ago as I was hunting with my two brothers.We were walking an area when off to my right I heard my younger brother yell out my name. I looked over in that direction and all I saw was a nice 5x5 rack coming through the buck brush.
I got down on one knee and waited. When I thought the time was right, I got to my feet and there he was -- barreling down right at me.
I didn't have time to get my usual case of buck fever. It was more like a self-defense reaction. "Hey!" I yelled.
To this day, I believe if I hadn't, he would have plowed right over the top of me.
The buck's head came up, he quartered away from me and one shot later, he tipped over right in the middle of the trail. Pretty convenient, huh?
That was two buck tags ago. This year, I'm hunting horns again, as is my older brother. And we'll have a couple first-time hunters in camp in between football games.
One of the things I look forward to when I'm lucky enough to draw horns is being able to sit down in a spot and use the ratting horns and grunt tube.
I've been able to draw a few bucks in over the years, but to this point, nothing worth taking. Not that I'm a trophy hunter by any means, but it would be nice at some point to get a wall-hanger.
The thing about deer hunting is that there are a lot of traditions. Traditions change over the years but the one tradition when it comes to hunting that should never change is to make safety first.
It's a lot of fun getting out with younger hunters, especially those who have recently completed a hunter education course.
Old guys like me can use a refresher course once in a while, and safety is the one thing you can always put on your list when you're making your preparations.
The one thing with kids is if you start them early on something, it becomes second nature. Like seat belts -- most of the time my youngest is buckled up before I even get the car started. It's habit, he doesn't even give it thought because it's how he learned.
The same can be said for hunting safely. Take time beforehand to go over the basics. If you talk about it enough, it becomes habit.
Being safe is no accident, like my buck.
Go out, enjoy the North Dakota outdoors and make it a safe deer gun season -- and every season, for that matter.
Just a little extra info in the event your dog -- or you -- have the misfortune of encountering a skunk.
There's nothing like a two-hour drive back home with Fido stinking to the high heavens in the back of your SUV.
It happened to me once, and trust me, it's a road you don't want to go down.
Skunk deodorizer recipe
-- 1 quart 3 percent hydrogen peroxide
-- 1/4 cup baking soda
-- 1 tsp. liquid soap
(Reach reporter Brian Gehring at 250-8254 or brian.gehring@
bismarcktribune.com.)
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