I have cousins that live in the San Fransisco area of California, but they have kids elsewhere in the U.S.A.  Each year during the hunting season Mike Campus likes to go hunting with his son, Marcus, out in Illinois (I think that is the state) and of course Mike likes to roam around during his hunt.

Marcus will tell his dad, “Now Dad, you go sit right over there and stay put.  The deer will funnel past that stand and you will get a shot”.

Of course Dad knows more than his son about deer hunting and about how compass bearings work and all that woodsy stuff.  So, Mike heads off in the direction Marcus has pointed, but as he is looking for his favorite fallen tree stump to sit by and wait for it to get light enough to see a deer, he is disoriented a bit and can’t seem to find the tree stump.  Now this tree stump has not moved in 50 years and Mike has sat by it almost every year since Marcus moved to Illinois, but this particular day, Mike can’t locate it.  But he tries.

Soon, Mike finds himself back at the truck.  He has come full circle and it’s beginning to get light enough to see.  Mike heads back out to find that tree stump.  As he approaches a deep ravine, he sees movement across the way.  A very big buck is standing there.  A buck bigger than life itself and bigger than any buck Mike has ever seen in all his days of hunting.  He raises his rifle and takes a shot.  BOOOMMM!

The deer kicks and disappears into the ravine.  Mike is sure he hit the animal in a vital spot and that the deer will be laying right down near the bottom of the ravine only a short walk from where Mike is standing.  Mike sits down and waits as he knows Marcus will be coming along very soon.  Marcus is like that.  When he hears a shot from his dads position he will come running to find him and help him with his animal.

It doesn’t take long for Marcus to show up and he is all upset that his dad is NOT where he is supposed to be sitting.  Mike tells him about the big buck and the two of them proceed to go look for it.  Sure enough there is blood where the buck was standing and a good trail for them to follow.  It is a short tracking job to find the animal and both of them are very much surprised by the size of it.

This took place back in 2011, last year.  And here is a picture of the buck as it hangs on the wall in California somewhere.

Very nice Mike!  Congratulations!

Bears Butt

Oct. 20, 2012