By Larry Weishuhn
“What did you learn?” asked my Dad of his 12-year old son in a stern, demanding manner.
I know what you’re thinking! No, I had not gotten in trouble at school, had not forgotten to feed the horses or milk the cow, or even gotten in fight.
I kicked the ground and relived what had happened three hours earlier. Sitting in the old leaning oak deer stand, I had shot at and missed two bucks, a big 6-point and an 8-point using my Dad’s Winchester Model 94 .30-30. The bucks had come in together and I had missed both.
“Daddy, I know I messed up! I shot too fast to make a good shot. If I had taken more time, I could have killed one of them, which I should have!” I sighed deeply, “It started when I tried to look through the scope (a Weaver K4). It was fogged and I could hardly see the deer. That’s where I screwed up, because I could have switched to the iron sights, which I should have done, but didn’t.” I continued, “I couldn’t really see the 6-point through the scope. He was bigger and had bigger horns than the 8-point. I got excited, but then also got greedy thinking I could possibly shoot both bucks. I didn’t take a good aim, like I should have before pulling the trigger. When I could not see the buck through the scope I should have switched to the open sights and shot him. But that’s not what I did. I have no idea where my bullet went, but it didn’t hit the deer. After the shot they started running and I still tried find a buck in the scope, but couldn’t.”
“When they disappeared I was sick. I knew I had blown my best chance ever at a big buck or an eight-point!” I added, “After they left I crawled down and spent nearly two hours looking for blood, but found none. Then I got on their tracks and followed them for a half mile. No sign either one was hit. I missed!”
“Sounds like you learned a couple of things. Hopefully you won’t do those same things in the future! Good thing is, I guess, you still have two buck tags left and about three weeks left before the deer season closes. It happens, sometimes you just miss, but usually there’s a reason you do. Learn from the things you did wrong.” Said he. “Next time you get a chance at a buck, don’t shoot while you’re overly excited or shaking. And don’t just shoot at deer. Pick a spot on the shoulder our right behind the shoulder where you want the bullet to go. Then, take a couple of deep breaths. And…if the rifle you’re using has a scope and it is fogged, and you can use open sights, forget about the scope and use the sights. I know you shoot open-sights pretty good and had you taken an open-sight shot you may have taken one of those bucks! Don’t shoot until the sights are exactly and calmly where you want the bullet to go.”
Lessons learned, but it certainly did not make dealing with what had happened any easier! And what had happened was really not a lesson I wanted to learn, at least not on big whitetail buck!
What I just described happened back during the 1959 Texas whitetail season. I know a long time ago! But a hard lesson learned that has stuck with me, well at least most of the time!
Many things have changed since back in that time. These days, scopes seldom “fog up” on the inside as they once did. And, most conventional firearms these days have the scope mounted on top of the action, rather than on the side as had been the case with my Dad’s top-ejection .30-30, but which also allowed for the use open sights.
The one thing that thankfully has not changed; I still get excited about and when hunting and getting ready to take a shot. That excitement or “feeling” is what the older hunters I used to hunt with called “Buck Ague” or “Buck Fever”. Mostly it’s the release of a large dose of adrenaline into one’s system which can manifest itself by causing “the shakes” and sometimes “acting” before one is really ready to do that action.
Even today I occasionally get an unexpected case of “Buck Ague”, and it does not only happen when a big buck appears and particularly and older buck I really want to take.
For instance, this past hunting season… I had recently been introduced to a new deer attractant (during the 2023 hunting season); a combination of ground grape skins, rice bran and cracked corn, Vineyard Max, which came with what the manufacturer described as “The Aroma of Success”! The aroma comes primarily from the ground grape skins, a byproduct of the wine industry. The “truly good for deer” comes from the rice bran, which is a high energy food, so very important for healthy deer.
I was hunting on my western Texas lease near Sterling City. I had several Managed Land Deer Permit tags I wanted, nay needed, to fill, mostly does but also some bucks. Primarily older 8-points were my objective next to taking several does.
To truly test Vineyard Max
put it out in areas which previously had not been “baited”. Frankly I was a bit skeptical about using it because deer can be extremely finicky when it comes to what they eat. Introduce a new “smell” to an area and they might simply leave and relocate elsewhere. I poured small piles of Vineyard Max along trails leading to one of our limited available water sources, troughs and a couple of “spill-over” ponds established specifically for the property’s wildlife.
Shortly after putting out Vineyard Max I built a natural ground blind where I could see two trails heading to water. I settled in for the afternoon hunt. I had been sitting for just shy of an hour when the first deer appeared, a doe headed toward water. I suspected she had had buck fawns which were driven away when she approached estrus earlier in the fall. She was in really good body condition, and looked perfect for my freezer.
I was shooting a Rossi Model 95 .30-30 Win, open-sight, loaded with Hornady LEVERevolution ammo. I knew from shooting it earlier at the bench I could easily put three shots within a 3-inch circle at 100-yards and a tighter group at 50-yards which was about how far away the doe was.
As she came down the trail, the wind was blowing in her face, and carrying with it the aroma of Vineyard Max. I notice she raised high her nose as soon as she could smell it. I fully expected her to stop, turn and run. I was wrong! It was like her nose was on a string attached to the Vineyard Max. She walked to where I had poured the first small pile and immediately started licking it. Once she finished that pile she walked to the next and did the same.
To say I was surprise, would have been an understatement. I had fully expected her to turn tail and run as soon as she smelled the Vineyard Max. I knew there were no grapes of any kind in that county shy of in a grocery store or in a bottle of wine! Grapes were not something she had eaten before.
I watched her until she stopped at the third pile. Then I positioned the .30-30 in her direction. As I did, I started shaking. It was a doe, not a monstrously antlered buck, and I was shaking. I silently laughed at myself. I had hunted throughout the world, had taken four of Africa’s Big Five, lacking only the taking, or darting of a rhino (neither of which is of interest to me). I had shot Boone & Crockett whitetail, Coues deer and Alaskan brown bear. And, I was shaking getting ready to shoot a whitetail doe.
My thoughts drifted back to the two bucks I described at the beginning of this story. This time rather than shooting before the sights were solidly on the deer’s shoulder, I took several deep breaths, calmed my nerves, cocked the hammer and then gently tugged the trigger.
The doe bolted, but piled up dead less than ten steps from where she stood when I shot her.
Walking to her side I was extremely pleased! For one thing I realized what a great bait Vineyard Max (www.vineyardmax.net) was and that I had taken one of my does with the open-sight Rossi Model 95 .30-30 Win, doing it “old school”. Too I was really pleased about the delicious meals the doe would provide for my wife, me and our family.
After taking care of the doe and hanging the skinned carcass in the ranch’s cool unit, I again headed “into the brush” with another bag of Vineyard Max. I wanted to scatter it in an area I had long wanted to hunt, far away from any feeders, existing deer stands and pasture roads. I had found such an area earlier in the fall while walking and rattling, a relatively small opening where two drainages converged.
Once there, I scattered half the bag of 4-pound bag of Vineyard Max in small piles throughout the opening, then headed to another area where I did the same. This one downwind from the first. I emptied the Vineyard Max bag there and then slowly still-hunted back to where I had put out the first half of the bag. My intention was to find a place where I could build a natural ground blind to watch the baited area.
As I neared the initially baited area, I spotted what appeared to be an older 8-point. His nose was on the ground. I cautiously eased forward a few more yards. There I sat down where I could get a solid rest across a log. The buck was feeding, facing away, where I had scattered the Vineyard Max. I spotted movement to his left and right, two young bucks. They too, had their nose on the ground, apparently licking Vineyard Max.
Hmmm! Maybe there really was something to this nutritional deer bait, Luke Clayton with whom I do a weekly radio show/podcast and the weekly “A Sportsman’s Life” digital TV show on CarbonTV.com, had introduced me to.
I was less than 50-yards from the old 8-point. It was easy to see his hocks. Even though the rut was over, they were darkly stained, indicative of a mature buck. His face and body too, indicated maturity, possibly post-maturity. He was certainly a buck that fit all my requirements as a management buck. Although early in my hunting career, this buck would have been the trophy of a lifetime! In many ways it still was!
The buck turned broadside. I cocked the Rossi’s hammer, took a fine bead on the buck’s shoulder, then squeezed the trigger. The buck lurched forward and fell dead.
Well, it happened almost that way. Soon as I cocked the hammer I could feel the approach of a case of “buck fever”. Quickly, I mentally ran through a check-list of things to do when this happened. I took two very deep breaths, held both inside for a couple of long moments, released them, and after the second, deep breath when all air was exhaled from my lungs, the sights settled on an exact spot I wanted to place the bullet, I tugged gently at the trigger.
Even though I have learned much since my first days of hunting and continue doing so, it is best to remember and execute using the basics. That said, I learned several things on that particular hunt. Vineyard Max deer attractant really works, a Rossi lever action .30-30 Win using Hornady ammo is deadly on doe and buck whitetail deer, and, when buck fever starts setting in remember to go back to the basics.