The 2005 Season was probably the most up and down season the Highbanks Hunting Club has ever experienced. The emotional roller coaster ride started on the first evening hunt of the season and didn't end until December 31st when Pedro and Paco tracked down Pedro's big doe across the frozen Mudbrook. For some club members, like Paco, Poison, and Barnacle, it was a season of heartbreak and close encounters gone bad. For others, such as Odie and Pedro, it was a season of surprises and sweet success. Following is a summary of the 2005 season for each club member.
Odie
This little dude is Barnacle's son who turned 12 years old in 2004 and was finally able to hunt deer with the Mudbrook Boys. All the club members have known him since he was a baby so he was anything but a stranger in camp for opening weekend. What was not expected, however, is that "the kid" had ice water in his veins (like his "old man") and could make a shot when he needed to. He got his feet wet on opening night when a doe and small buck approached just before dark. Odie became a little over anxious and released his arrow towards the doe a moment too early...just before she cleared a patch a thick brush. His arrow deflected off the wirey bush and scared the doe away. After that first experience Odie was "money in the bank" for the rest of the season. On September 24th he arrowed his first buck (and first deer) ever...a fine looking spike while hunting from the Taint stand (pictured above). Then on October 26th he struck again, this time downing a very nice size doe from the Hwy. 10 stand. He also had good luck with his rifle by shooting 3 additional doe's. Needless to say, the "veteran" club members were feeling the pressure to keep up with the kid and not let him show them up. Odie, on the other hand, was loving every minute of it and even had high hopes of taking home the annual "Big Buck Award" with his spike...which he almost did! All in all it was fun having a young hunter in camp and especially a fine young man like Odie. He will surely be heard from in years to come.
2004 Season Results
Barnacle's Son Odie Made The First Kill Of 2004 When He Downed This Spike Buck...His First Ever!!
Poison
Poison took part in his second season as a member of the Highbanks Hunting Club and took major strides towards harvesting his first deer with a bow. He actually got himself outfitted with a new bow during the off-season but then didn't practice enough with it and got burned as a result. For two saturday mornings in a row during early November Poison sat himself in the Airstrip stand...and two saturday mornings in a row during early November Poison missed the same 7 point buck from the Airstrip stand (at close range). To hear Poison's account of this debacle is even more hilarious than the mere thought of some poor soul having the same buck come in close two weeks in a row only to miss it badly both times. The first time he encountered the "wary" beast it stood broadside at 15 yards with only an old tree trunk standing between them. Yep, you guessed it, Poison's shot went way wrong and he buried his broadhead into the tree trunk about 10 feet above the ground...which was not even in the same zip code as that buck! The following weeks shot was just about as bad but didn't result in Poison pushing an old tree over to retrieve his arrow shaft. Maybe next year Poison!
Barnacle
What can you say about Barnacle? Even though he sacrificed most of his season to hunt with Odie, he still managed to provide a little excitement of his own. On October 23rd Barnacle was sitting in a steady down pour of rain at the Loop Road stand when a doe and spike buck arrived. Barnacle, as he always does, flung an arrow in the direction of the doe and made the hit. He also immediately found blood. After gathering up Lefty and Pedro the search was on...in the rain! As any hunter knows, a hard rain makes quick work of just abount any blood trail and this was one of those times as Barnacle's doe was never found. Later in the season, on the evening of November 5th, Barnacle found himself sitting in the Hwy. 10 stand listenening to the splash of deer hooves coming through the swamp behind him. They were heading for the corn field by which he was positioned. The herd of deer included 7 does and one very nice 9 point buck. Amidst the stress and chaos of watching 7 does pass by before getting a shot opportunity at the buck, Barnacle was spotted by one of the does. The buck was within range and he somehow managed to release an arrow that hit the big bruiser and sent him crashing back through the swamp towards George Riley's Island. Barnacle went back to camp and waited for a few hours before taking up the blood trail with the other boys. The blood was very heavy for the first 200 yards and things looked very promising...but then it took a turn for the worse. The buck had not bedded down and took an escape route through the wettest part of the swamp which made the fading blood trail that much harder to follow. Barnacle decided to push onward with hopes of finding his trophy but once the bucks trail hit George Riley's Island any sign of blood had vanished. Barnacle was heartbroken but also knew that he had hit the buck high in his back just below the spine...which isn't a very lethal hit. One week later Pedro's Uncle Pablo videotaped the dandy 9 pointer running across a nearby field with a visible wound just below his spine. The buck seemed to be doing fine...much to Barnacle's relief. You'll get him next year Barnacle!
Paco
The 2004 bowhunting season for Paco was no where near as exciting as 2003...which was probably a blessing to the poor boy. If you read about Paco's 2003 season you will know that he struggled terribly bad to make shots on deer. In 2004, however, Paco had very few shot opportunities and didn't really see the large number of deer he has become accustomed to. On the evening of October 21st Paco hunted from the Skyscraper stand and blasted a big doe. She ran only 30 yards before expiring at the base of Rabbit Hill. Despite hunting hard during the rut Paco saw only a couple of small bucks...then the late season rolled around. On December 23rd Paco decided to try an evening hunt at the Larson Field where there was an uncut soybean crop still standing. The weather was clear and bitterly cold...down around 10 below zero. That freezing weather had the deer moving towards food because Paco saw over 20 deer and 3 shooter bucks in that field before dark. He took a shot at one nice 8 pointer but must have only grazed it because the blood trail was very light and disappeared after a short track job. Paco thought he had shot low on the buck and all evidence of the blood trail seemed to back that up. Paco hunted a few more times before season's end but saw very few deer and had no more shot opportunities. He did, however, prove his worth as a fine hunting partner when he trudged through snow and a jungle of tagalders to help Pedro find his doe on December 31st. Thanks Paco!
Lefty
Lefty's 2004 season was very different than the previous four in that he actually flung an arrow this year. Yes, that's right, after years of futility and waiting for the perfect shot Lefty launched an arrow at a deer. It was an early October evening that saw Lefty taking up hunting residence in the Loop Road stand. Well before dark a very nice size doe walked out into the hidden little food plot that had been planted directly in front of the stand. It didn't take long for the deer to present Lefty with a standing broadside shot at just fifteen yards. Lefty's arrow hit it's mark and the doe expired quickly. It was the first deer Lefty had shot at, and killed, in a very long time. The rest of the club members were quite shocked to hear the news...and provided Lefty with plenty of good hearted ribbing. The rest of Lefty's season did not prove as eventful. He was unable to experience any big buck encounters and had no more shot opportunities. Lefty is certainly looking forward to getting back in the "killed buck" category in 2005.
Pedro
Ahhh...the sweet taste of bowhunting success! 2004 was a year when Pedro was rewarded by the deer hunting god's for his relentless pursuit of Mudbrook Valley's wary whitetails. Although he started his season off with an opening night ricochet shot that shattered his arrow, things steadily improved after that. An evening hunt in late September resulted in the harvest a mature doe. The rut provided Pedro with some exciting moments. Most notable was the experience of having two bucks bed within 20 yards of his stand for over 2 hours. One of the bucks was an 8 pointer that walked directly under Pedro's tree after it rose from it's resting position. Pedro chose not to shoot at the buck in hopes of tagging a larger buck later in the season. As luck would have it, that decision paid off big time when Pedro encountered a good 8 Pointer on December 29th. Pedro was able to put a hit on the buck and, with the help of Poison & Tybone, tracked the beast down the next day. It had a nice rack with an inside spread of 17 1/2". Then, on December 30th, Pedro struck again when he connected on a monstrous old doe. Talk about ending the season with a bang. It was a memorable season for sure and not just because of the deer Pedro was able to harvest...more importantly, it was another season of great friendship, many good times, and tons of laughter. That's what it's all about.
Pedro with the first of his 3 bow kills in 2004...this one a doe
Pedro was able to down this nice 8 pointer late in the season.
