"Man From Snowy River"

"I thought it would work just as it did in previous times. "

Terry and I were about 500 yards apart. We were trying to get in on some deer in a ravine between us. Some deer had gone out, without us getting set up on them. If there were deer still in the ravine, I would push them east theoretically toward Terry. As I walked toward the edge, suddenly five or six deer came into view, moving east. I made contact with Terry, and he would go east into the next draw, and get set up for an ambush. He had to get ready quickly, though, as the deer seemed anxious to go out east, but low.

When Terry reported that he was ready (he thought), I quickly backed out, moved lower, and came around, to try and drive them up. As I came into their view, my line was good, they started moving up and east, right toward the ravine Terry would be in. But, then they started angling too far up, so I angled up, and they turned down, back again straight toward Terry. Over the next several minutes, I was able to direct the group of deer, about 8 total, straight toward Terry. I felt like the Man from Snowy River. Maybe I could take up ranching, and drive cattle (if this hunting thing doesn't work out). As they rounded the ridge toward Terry, I radioed the position of the bucks. "Fourth deer through is a nice buck… sixth one even nicer." Silence.

Then another group of deer came out of the draw. They went high … I went high. They saw all the commotion in the ravine Terry was in, and followed the first group in. I radioed … "Last of five is the buck." It appeared he would be surrounded. Silence.  Dust. Deer coming out the other side of the ravine. Silence.

Then radio contact… "I'm down to three arrows."

As it turned out, he had indeed been surrounded, shot, but missed… 15 and 25 yard shots. Terry never misses - even on miracle shots. I thought it would work just as in previous times. It did, but he missed. I didn't feel so bad (about the many misses on my part).

When we linked up… " If it's any consolation, at least you didn't have three people watching."

In the end, at least two more groups of deer came out of that little obscure ravine.