Arkie John
Active member
This season I splurged a bit and bought me a spankin' new set of camoflauge to go with my new tree stand. Now this is not 'just' camo, but a rather new design, if I do say so myself, is quite effective on deer and wild turkey. It is called Predator Deception. You can google it up or go to predator.com or predatorcamo.com and see for yourself. It's different because it does not 'fill in' after being 20 yard away. Most camo looks good up close--to humans. But good camo needs to keep the human form 'broken up' even from a distance...and that's what it does. Anyway...
I first heard of this stuff when I ordered a Double Bull pop-up blind, about four or five years ago. No brushing in, just pop it up and let the chips fall where they may.
Eleven turkeys later, I am impressed with this stuff and ordered it, just in time for this season.
So....Wednesday afternoon, it was windy and made for a good few hours of just sneakin' around the woods and scouting. I had Lil' Brother's GPS and commenced to findin' scrapes and rubs of our local deer, to try to establish a pattern of sorts.
After a couple of hours, I found myself in the back-40 of a neighbor's 200 acre pasture. It was a beautiful place, complete with a nice creek. The place was clear of underbrush but had nice white and red oaks spaced just close enough to provide some needed shade.
I kept watching two quarter horses in the middle of the pasture as I settled down next to a well-used deer trail and fresh scrape. I thought I'd just sit there for a spell and--who knows what might happen.
The peace and quiet were soon interrupted by the stud as he made his way over to an overhanging tree about 40 yards from me. He got up under that tree and began to rub his ole' back. He really enjoyed it but it was makin' quite a racket. Then he spotted a 'something' that he knew should not be there. Now, I am in FULL camo, sittin' on a turned-up five-gallon plastic bucket...facemask, gloves--the whole works. I had not made a move in 15 minutes so I KNOW he didn't see movement. The wind was in my favor--it's just that he couldn't quite figure out what it was over there that had not been there before.
His curiosity finally got the best of him and here he came. Now folks, I'm tryin' to DEER hunt here, not horse hunt. But here he came. He got within 25 or so yards of me and just stared. But then he began pawing the ground and (what I call) prawning--moving his ole' head up and down the full movement his neck would allow.
I figured he was 16 or 17 hands--and a beautiful animal he is, but...he was acting like a jackass and every deer in the county was fast heading south. I never moved until...
...he got within about 10 or 12 yards of me. He pawed the ground. That's it! I suddenly stood up and 'blew' at him, flailing my arms only part way--and BOY! I saw the WHITES of his eyes! He snorted, turned a 180, on a DIME and charged out to open pasture FULL TILT, running FLAT OVER sapplings that were an inch or two through at 6' from the ground. He didn't stop until he got to the mare, some 200 yards or so, by now, from me.
I couldn't hold it. I belly-laughed out loud after I figured the horse was OK. As he bulldozed those sapplings I was hoping I wouldn't have to explain any injuries to the owner.
That stud came back in after a little while, but kept his distant to a hundred yards. He never figured out where the horse-eatin' bush had come from or where it had gone.
It was the most exciting thing that happened all day. Thus ends the tale of the horse-eatin' bush! Thanks for comin' along. <><
aj
I first heard of this stuff when I ordered a Double Bull pop-up blind, about four or five years ago. No brushing in, just pop it up and let the chips fall where they may.
Eleven turkeys later, I am impressed with this stuff and ordered it, just in time for this season.
So....Wednesday afternoon, it was windy and made for a good few hours of just sneakin' around the woods and scouting. I had Lil' Brother's GPS and commenced to findin' scrapes and rubs of our local deer, to try to establish a pattern of sorts.
After a couple of hours, I found myself in the back-40 of a neighbor's 200 acre pasture. It was a beautiful place, complete with a nice creek. The place was clear of underbrush but had nice white and red oaks spaced just close enough to provide some needed shade.
I kept watching two quarter horses in the middle of the pasture as I settled down next to a well-used deer trail and fresh scrape. I thought I'd just sit there for a spell and--who knows what might happen.
The peace and quiet were soon interrupted by the stud as he made his way over to an overhanging tree about 40 yards from me. He got up under that tree and began to rub his ole' back. He really enjoyed it but it was makin' quite a racket. Then he spotted a 'something' that he knew should not be there. Now, I am in FULL camo, sittin' on a turned-up five-gallon plastic bucket...facemask, gloves--the whole works. I had not made a move in 15 minutes so I KNOW he didn't see movement. The wind was in my favor--it's just that he couldn't quite figure out what it was over there that had not been there before.
His curiosity finally got the best of him and here he came. Now folks, I'm tryin' to DEER hunt here, not horse hunt. But here he came. He got within 25 or so yards of me and just stared. But then he began pawing the ground and (what I call) prawning--moving his ole' head up and down the full movement his neck would allow.
I figured he was 16 or 17 hands--and a beautiful animal he is, but...he was acting like a jackass and every deer in the county was fast heading south. I never moved until...
...he got within about 10 or 12 yards of me. He pawed the ground. That's it! I suddenly stood up and 'blew' at him, flailing my arms only part way--and BOY! I saw the WHITES of his eyes! He snorted, turned a 180, on a DIME and charged out to open pasture FULL TILT, running FLAT OVER sapplings that were an inch or two through at 6' from the ground. He didn't stop until he got to the mare, some 200 yards or so, by now, from me.
I couldn't hold it. I belly-laughed out loud after I figured the horse was OK. As he bulldozed those sapplings I was hoping I wouldn't have to explain any injuries to the owner.
That stud came back in after a little while, but kept his distant to a hundred yards. He never figured out where the horse-eatin' bush had come from or where it had gone.
It was the most exciting thing that happened all day. Thus ends the tale of the horse-eatin' bush! Thanks for comin' along. <><
aj
It could have been a bad day for Arkie John
