Tougher hunting makes one appreciate journey

My friend Tim hasn’t killed a deer with a firearm in two years, but he said he’s enjoying deer hunting more than ever.

This is a mild surprise, considering that he usually killed at least one exceptional buck a year as a lifelong member in his former hunting club. The atmosphere changed when his stepfather died a few years ago.

Tim’s stepdad introduced him to deer hunting, and they were inseparable hunting companions. As head of the hunting club, the stepdad was also the buffer for the internal politics and drama that are inevitable in groups like these. He’d grown up with those folks, and he had an easy way of smoothing hurt feelings and resolving conflicts.

With the alpha lion gone, so to speak, Tim was soon at odds with factions to which he was not a blood relation. The whole scene became an endless hassle, and he said hunting was no fun anymore.

Tim quit the club and bought a place in far southwest Arkansas near the lower White River National Wildlife Refuge and Trusten Holder WMA.

Gone are the days when he could walk to a box stand and count on his corn feeder attracting several good “shooter” bucks a season. Now he has to scout and keep current on deer feeding and movement patterns. He has to know where acorns are falling, and he has to look for fresh scrape lines and rubs. He has to pay attention to the wind, and he usually has to walk a long way to get away from other hunters.

In other words, Tim is actually hunting, and he said he finally understands what he missed all those years. He said he loves hunting more than he realized.

Tim and a few of his buds drew highly coveted permits for the controlled muzzleloader deer hunt at Trusten Holder WMA this season. He described the spot they chose as a clearcut deep within the area that required a long, brutal walk through the thickest, most tangled cover imaginable. Rolling a game cart through it was out of the question. Anyone who killed a deer would have to drag it out, and that would require assistance.

A legal buck at Trusten Holder must have an inside antler spread at least 15 inches wide, or at least one antler measuring at least 18 inches long. That’s a nice buck, but not nice enough for that much work.

“We agreed beforehand that we would only shoot an honest-to- goodness trophy buck,” Tim said. “We actually shook on it. If we were going to put each other through the ordeal of getting it out, it was going to have to be special.

“We didn’t specify what that actually means. It’s just, if we’re going to put each other through that, it better be worth it.”

At sunrise, a legal buck passed beneath Tim’s stand and chased does across the clearcut. Most of the time it was within 50 yards and gave Tim ample opportunities for a killing shot.

“I wouldn’t have hesitated to shoot that deer at the club,” Tim said. “It was a dandy, but it was probably a thee-yearold buck and still had plenty of potential. I let it walk, and I didn’t regret it for one minute.”

At least, he didn’t regret it at that minute. Tim has yet to see another legal buck, and he sometimes questions his selectivity.

“With each passing day I’m second-guessing that one more and more,” he said. “My consolation is that he’s probably still out there, and he’ll be even bigger next year.”

Regret is peculiar tormentor. I missed a buck with my crossbow in early November. It was a decent buck, bigger than most I’ve seen on my lease in Grant County, but its rack gets a little wider and a little taller every time I think about it. And I think about it at least three times a day.

It’s part of what keeps us coming back. For Tim, it’s the promise of success tomorrow, and enjoying the fellowship of friends that share similar values and expectations.

A hunter is said to go through five stages. The beginning, or “shooter” stage revolves around success. The second stage is about getting your limit, and from there your priority becomes killing trophies. Stage four involves mastering the actual art of hunting. Stage five is a reflective, introspective stage.

A hunter at this stage has taken his share and has nothing to prove. Hunting, and the friendship of like-minded hunters, is paramount, and its rewards are spiritual.

Tim, though still young, is well into the progression.