New book Passionate Quest!! find out more on this page

 

Feb.1 2012: I apologize that it has taken so long to get Quest to those of you who requested a copy. The work just started after it was written. It takes more time than I ever realized to get a book ready to be printed. I know that my customers want it to be the best it can possible be before they get it, as do I. It has also been quite a job to find a printer with a price that I think is reasonable. This has all been taken care of and I now have a finished copy of Quest  -  and it looks great. I can now get them printed. From what my printer says I should have them in a few weeks weeks. The regular edd. price is $79.95 + $6.00 S&H.

Because of a posting on a hunting chat site I feel the need to defend myself and set the record straight.

          For the most part, the hunting community is very supportive of me, and I greatly appreciate their support.  However, I, like most people who through sacrifice and hard work achieve recognition, am sometimes a victim of jealousy.  A hunter has commented on a hunting chat site that I am “full of myself” because I go through so much work to kill big bucks?  Right - I can see where he gets that. Hunters have also commented on the same chat site that I am a nut because I work so hard to achieve success and because I do not smile in trophy photos. Can you believe that? I like to work hard, I like to shoot big deer, and I don’t like to flash a prideful, smile in photos when it doesn’t turn out natural. I jokingly said in one of my articles that I did not smile in photos because I am mad. I guess for some people that is all it takes. Gee - can’t they take a joke? It takes no effort for a person to hide behind a computer screen and foolishly critics someone who they don’t even know. It takes a lot of effort to be successful. And I even tell my boys if they want to be successful, they must work hard. (Shame on me for trying to make them “full of themselves”.) If not smiling and working hard is the best these jealous individuals can come up with they should talk to me or my wife; believe me, I have many faults just like everyone else does.

         There is also a comment that I hunt where big deer are, Illinois and “Tennessee.” Right! That makes sense also. Some also seem upset that hunting is my job and I don’t have a 40 hour a week job like they do. Now that really makes sense considering I work and have always worked a regular 40 hour a week job plus part time at another job just to make ends meet. I am not a professional hunter. No one has ever paid me a penny to hunt. I guess they just can not figure out how I shoot so many big bucks if I work for a living. Maybe it is because of all that hard work they put me down for. These individuals may not realize it and/or won’t admit it to themselves, but their feelings are motivated strictly by their soul-destroying jealousy. I do not have the time or the inclination to start a dialog on this. I will not comment again on such postings. I just felt a need to defend myself and set the record straight. I am to busy trying to  make a living for my family to correct every falsehood put out by a handful of jealous hunters who have no idea what they are talking about.

         Small-minded, lazy, jealous individuals will always endeavor to rise above others. But they will not attempt to accomplish this by personal sacrifice and hard work. Instead, they will use ridicule and lies to try to pull all those around them down lower than they are. The only way to achieve the type of true success that will give them deserved recognition above the norm is through a tremendous amount of drive, self-sacrifice and hard work.  

         It is not possible for everyone to like you, especially if you’re successful.  A highly acclaimed British cabinet officer’s wife kept this motto on her living room wall: “To Escape Criticism, Say Nothing, Do Nothing, Be Nothing.”

         The more successful a person is, the more he will be ridiculed by others. Addison said; “There is no defense against reproach except obscurity.” Jonathan Swift also commented, “Censure is the tax a man pays for being eminent.” It is often said, “You can’t please everybody.”  I think it is harder than that.  I don’t think you can please anybody most of the time.  So the best we can do is to live a life that pleases ourselves; regrettably, most do not. To my many, many supports, thank you.

                                                                                                                                                                                                          Bobby Worthington

Rattlesnake

A 7 ½ year old Tennessee Buck. Gross 173 and net 166 inches. Bow Killed Oct 1, 2011

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

         Greetings my fellow deer hunters.  Have I got a story to tell you.  No kidding, I do have a story.  This story is about a 7 ½ year old Tennessee buck I call Rattlesnake.  I have been keeping track of this deer since he was 3 ½ year old.  Check out the story at the end of this page. I believe you will enjoy it.    

         I still have approximately 50 limited edition copies available out of the 250 I am offering.  I apologize again for taking so long to get my new book out.  However, if it had came out any earlier, it would not be the book it now is.  I have worked hard on it for the past year.  And I believe you will be more than pleased with the results.  If you could compare it to what it would have been a year, or even six months ago, I believe you would realize it has been worth the wait.  Of course, the Rattlesnake story will add a lot to it.  I also have another deer story in Quest. It is about a buck I called Dagger.  The story is about “the big one that got away and the lessons he taught me.”

         You can E-Mail me at bworthington@bledsoe.net. The limited edition copies will be $135.00 each + $6.00 S&H.  You may order by mailing a check to Bobby Worthington PO Box 461 Pikeville, Tennessee 37367.  I’m not trying to make a lot of money on this book.  That was never my intention.  You can read an updated version of the first few pages from Quest on this page. You can also view some examples of the nearly 120 color photos in this 326 page book. Thank you for your patience in for being a fellow deer hunter.  Bobby

        P.S.    For those of you who are interested, I am starting to write again for North American Whitetail Magazine and other publications.  You can expect articles in the coming months.

 

PASSIONATE

Quest

 For

Phantoms of the Forest

 

 

 

The Science, Art and Philosophy of Trophy Whitetail Bowhunting

           ü “My nature must be the spirit of a hunter. What else would prompt me to so readily take to the bow and to the woods in pursuit of a cunning old buck?  If I could help myself surely I would have engaged in an endeavor wherein more often I would have indulged in the delight of success!”  Bobby Worthington 

       “My friends, there is not a more difficult or rewarding feat in the outdoor world than to target and then arrow an older age-class buck (a phantom of the forest).  This - and this alone, is what hunting has become to me. And this is what “Quest” is centered around; read, learn, enjoy.”                                                            Bobby Worthington

Editor

Wilson Buton

 

Photographs

By

 

Clayton Michael [Clay] Worthington

 

Arlis James [A.J.] Worthington

 

Bobby Clay Worthington

 

 

 

 

 

 

PASSIONATE

 

       Webster says passion is zeal that implies energetic and unflagging pursuit of an aim or devotion to a cause.  I submit to you - it is only through passion that we can find the zeal and energy needed to succeed in our quest of older-age-class bucks.

 

Quest

           Quest: the act of seeking or pursuing. In medieval romance usage it involved “an adventurous journey.”  This definition may best describe the quest we who are passionate about hunting mature bucks have undertaken.

 

For

For: A preposition which in this context indicates the object of the quest.

 

Phantoms of the Forest

            Phantoms of the forest – the object of our quest: What are phantoms of the forest?  Well, I’ll tell you.  In the context of this book it’s those very rare bucks that have been hunted by the human predator and survived to reach the age of 5½ years old and older.  The 3½ and 4½ year old bucks are tough to get.  This age-class is plenty tough enough to challenge any hunter.  They are mostly nocturnal, have learned to work the wind and have finely honed survival instincts.  But, I’m telling you, once a buck makes it to 5½ he is sure enough a remarkable animal.  It takes a buck with superior intelligence and cunning to reach this age-class.  Unlike a 4½ year old or younger buck, you can not pattern a 5½ year old at all, because there is no pattern to his movement.  He does not move a lot compared to the movement of a 3½ or 4½ year old and when he does move he is a wide-ranging, reclusive nomad.  A high percentage of older age-class bucks will die of natural causes. They are 98 percent nocturnal, and they know how to play the game of survival and win against all odds. Old bucks dwell in the shadows of the forest and in the twilight of our minds. They have won the game of life by living long enough to become THE PHANTOMS OF THE FOREST.

             

                      Arlis Clay Worthington,   February. 12, 1928 - April. 30, 1999

 

 Dedication

This book is dedicated to my late father, Arlis Clay Worthington.

I can still remember five little boys standing at the kitchen table.  We were watching our father sitting on an empty upside-down lard can (we could not afford store-bought chairs) practicing writing his name over and over with large steady hands. I can still remember Dad desperately trying to spell out the simplest four-letter words on road signs in an attempt to learn to read while he drove down a dusty country road. I can also remember throughout my life how people marveled at the things he could draw, build, and fix with those same steady hands.  Most of all, I remember a man who loved his sons very much.

This was the man who instilled in me a love for the outdoors. He made my first bow, a hickory recurve, when I was 10 years old. My father was always ready and willing to take me hunting every time I wanted to go. For the many, many hunts I had with him I will always be thankful. I would gladly give all I have and know to go on just one more hunt with him. In this thought lies the most profound lesson in this work. If you don't learn anything else from this book - learn this!

Contents      

Foreward

Acknowledgment       

Introduction                

               Part I  The Archery Section.     Introduction   

                                                               

Chapter I              Setting Up The Bow:  The mechanical side of archery     

Chapter II            The Archery Shot:  The human side of archery     

Chapter III           Recruitment:  Introducing a newcomer to archery      

                Part II   Shot Preparation Section:  Introduction  

                                                      

Chapter IV           Mechanical Preparation:  A close look at sight pin setting    

Chapter V            Mental Preparation:  Point of aim and shot placement    

                Part III The Hunting Section.  Introduction  

Chapter VI           Stand Selection:  Looking for a productive stand location  

Chapter VII          Hunting The Rut:   Hunt when mature bucks are moving 

Chapter VIII         Persistence:  Nothing means as much as time in the woods 

Chapter IX           High-tech Information:  Using cameras to locate core areas 

Chapter X            Concealment:   Points on scent control and camouflage    

Chapter XI           Buck sign:  An in-depth look at scrapes and rubs  

Chapter XII          The Buck Growl: Amazing deer vocalization   

Chapter XIII         Stand Hunting:    Fine points on deer movement and hunting  

Chapter XIV         The Phantom That Lived Between Two Roads   

Chapter XV          The Tennessee Monarch  

Chapter XVI         It Was Fate

Chapter XVII       The Mountain Mike Story                                

Chapter XVIII      There’s a Rattlesnake                                          

Chapter IXX         Dagger’s Diary

                            Part IV   Reflections.  Introduction   

Chapter XX          My Greatest Trophy:  How do you measure a trophy  

Chapter XXI        The Game Poacher:   Selfishness and greed drives them

Chapter XXII       The Changing Face Of Hunting:  Hunting is changing  

Chapter XXIII      The Future of Hunting:  The days of Andy and Mayberry are gone  

Chapter XXIV      A Human Interest Story:  A personal memorable event

 

 

Foreword

by

Gene Wensel

         “I wouldn’t usually write something about a book that I haven’t even had a chance to finish reading. As I pen this, Bobby’s new book is in  the final stages of publication. Normally I would hesitate before encouraging any reader, but in this case, I know Bobby Worthington. He has been a friend of mine for many years. I know how he thinks and how he feels about things. In a world full of instant xperts, Bobby is what many, myself included, would call “the real deal.” A finely tuned woodsman extraordinaire and a very unique human being.  Before bowhunting sadly became an industry, before the act of deer hunting was somehow transformed from an instinct to that of competition, before sponsored, egotistical, celebrity bow-hunters traveled in tour buses, long before reality hunting shows came to television, before people misunderstood the differences between love and lust in the outdoors, there was Bobby Worthington, quietly pursuing his passion. That he lives and does much of his hunting in Tennessee, a state not noted as the best place to hunt big deer, adds even more to his credibility.

            Bobby is what I call a “gentleman predator.” In a world of fast food, Bobby is apple pie made from scratch. Like I said, I know how he thinks; I know how he feels; I know how he hunts. I’ve also watched and listened to him interact with his family. I’ve noted how he routinely unravels clues to singular mature buck movement. I’ve seen how he handles and trains guard dogs, how he deals with confrontations from jealous people, how methodical he is with his hunting equipment, how he relates to things spiritual.

Bobby Worthington’s ways and means have always impressed me as those of a rare but unique breed of human being who learned a whole lot more outdoors than indoors. I’ve never asked him, but I would venture to guess a lot of his knowledge was self-taught. I doubt he has very many diplomas on the wall, but I feel safe in saying he’s already earned a masters degree in life. Although his personality is “down home,” his wisdom has always been far beyond his years.

In reading this book, you might not agree with everything Bobby says. That’s one of the pitfalls of learning from someone who has not only put a lot of time and effort into their journey, but also did a lot of reasoning along the trail. In my opinion, the finest teachers are always philosophers of sorts. Bobby is not only a meat and potatoes woodsman, but he’s also a philosopher. I know if I were a big buck, I wouldn’t want him hunting me!

I can’t believe anyone, no matter how experienced, will finish this book without learning a great many secrets concerning mature whitetail deer and how to hunt them. But more than that, I think you will acquire a lot more of the gift many define as wisdom.”

Gene Wensel

Libertyville, Iowa  www.brothersofthebow.com

 

Foreword

by

Roger Rothhaar

      “It is a sad fact that there is presently a growing number of unthinking clientele that are being victimized by the hunting “Industry” promoting for cash sale “Quick and Easy” ways to kill game animals.  Fortunately there are still a few folks around who understand that the “real” satisfaction of hunting success results from the hunter’s use of his knowledge of the game animal hunted as well as its environment along with his time and determination spent patiently waiting that reward of opportunity.  Bobby Worthington is one of those rare individuals who has come to realize that the enjoyment derived of the “journey” will assure the satisfaction  of reaching the “destination.”  This printed compilation of his hunting philosophies and strategies are an expression of his exceptional understanding of whitetail deer and their world and are certain to make any hunter more successful.”

Roger Rothhaar

 

Foreword

by

Scott Goldman

 

“Have you ever met a whitetail bow-hunter who is entirely self sufficient? A hunter who can do everything that it takes to harvest big, mature whitetail bucks with archery equipment and do it well.  This individual has few peers in all aspects of trophy whitetail bowhunting from setting up and shooting a bow, to finding, patterning and killing mature bucks. He knows how to find big, mature whitetail bucks wherever he hunts. He has the uncanny ability to figure out the big bucks that he locates and hang the perfect tree stands in the perfect locations. He consistently harvests mature bucks even on public land. Furthermore, this bow-hunter has never hunted with an outfitter or been on a hunting lease. He is self-taught and has learned how to bowhunt big bucks through his own experiences by trial and error. This bow-hunter is truly at a level of hunting that very few bow-hunters will reach in a lifetime. He is a coach, a mentor, a great role model, and a true best friend. Bobby Worthington is one such bow-hunter.

Bobby is willing to share his bowhunting knowledge with other ethical bow-hunters and he enjoys seeing other ethical hunters succeed. He is so finely tuned to bowhunting big mature bucks, that every time you have a conversation with him about the subject you will walk away having gained a wealth of knowledge. He limits himself each season by targeting one particular mature buck. He has the discipline to hunt all season long for that one buck, even if it means passing on other mature bucks.

He is also a well known, master woodsman. Every time I go into the woods with him I learn something new.  I have been on many scouting trips with Bobby Worthington.  It is an amazing thing to enter the woods with him and watch him interpret sign and unravel deer movement.  After we have walked on a new piece of property for a while, Bobby will say, “I see what is going on here.”  He will begin to point out where the individual family groups of deer are bedding and how they move across the terrain.  If a mature buck is in the area, Bobby will soon know it and methodically unravel his travel pattern.  Bobby will narrow his scouting down to a smaller and smaller area, many times asking me to stand over here, and then over there, as he walks around me.  Finally he will say, “That tree. That is the only tree on this property I would hunt from.”  And believe me, if you are going to hunt that piece of property, you would be well advised not to second guess him and hunt from another tree; not even one 10 yards away.

 Bobby is also an outstanding archer who is known for his ability to make great shots with a bow. I have seen him make some unbelievable shots, especially on moving game. He can shoot rabbits running in front of beagles, shoot quail on the rise, hit clay pigeons flying 35 yards away, and strike matches with an arrow.

He has shot in four NFAA, Tennessee State Indoor Championships and has placed first in each one. In one of these tournaments, he set an all-time state high record score which still stands today. Bobby also won the only National Sectional Indoor that he ever participated in and placed second in his class in the only IBO World Championship he ever attended.

Bobby has had more bucks featured in North American Whitetail Magazine than anyone else hunting with gun or bow. To date, he has arrowed six bucks large enough to be featured in this magazine. These six bucks gross 1,024 inches of bone. Even more remarkable, four of these were taken in Tennessee and four were shot on public ground. Bobby has accomplished this while working two or more jobs.

I met Bobby Worthington in 2001 through my work as an agriculture extension agent. I was attending a 4-H shooting sports camp in Middle Tennessee. Bobby and one of his sons, A.J., also attended the camp. Bobby was there to help teach archery to a group of kids. I was just starting to get back into bowhunting and I quickly realized that I had just met someone who could teach me a lot about bowhunting big bucks.

During camp, I asked Bobby every question that I could think of about bowhunting big, mature bucks. I became a sponge and absorbed all of the information I could from this extraordinary source of bowhunting knowledge. I must say, I learned more about bowhunting big bucks during that week than I had learned in the previous fifteen years of my deer hunting career.

As Bobby and I exchanged contact information on the last day of the camp, we realized that we lived only about an hour and a half from each other. Bobby invited me to his home the following weekend to shoot bows and I took him up on his offer. We have been best friends ever since that camp.

Bobby Worthington may not be as well known as some of the “hunting actors” that are often talked about today. However, he will go down in bowhunting history as one of the great legendary whitetail bowhunters of all time.

Above all else, Bobby is the kind of man who says what he means and means what he says. There is no in between with Bobby Worthington. What you see is what you get. I am truly grateful that Bobby Worthington is my friend.

 In his new book, “Quest for Phantoms of the Forest,” Bobby discusses in detail some of the techniques that he uses to locate and shoot big, mature bucks in the “real world”. He discusses topics such as bow tuning, shot placement, scouting, tree stand placement, deer movement, scent control, and many other topics related to bowhunting mature bucks. Along with these topics, Bobby also shares the stories of some of the biggest bucks he has harvested.  These are some of the greatest whitetail hunting stories ever told.

Quest is so profound, it is timeless. It will be the book other deer hunting books are judged by for ages to come!” 

 

 Scott Goldman 

Cleveland, Tennessee     

 

    

Acknowledgments

  First, I want to thank my wife Karen for her unwavering support. Without the help and encouragement of your spouse, it is very difficult to accomplish anything in life. This work is a direct result of her encouragement.

          I want to also acknowledge my four brothers, Glen, Wendell, Ronny, and Allan, who were brought up, like many of our generation, in a rural area with many of life’s hardships.  Although our father did his best, he struggled to provide the necessities of life.  Dad worked jobs such as farming, carrying cross-ties in a lumberyard, building bridges for the county bridge crew, and carpentry. 

          I want to also acknowledge my poor, aged and worn down mother who, with few provisions, did her best to raise five boys (basically a year apart in age) while at the same time trying to deal with a husband who fought alcoholism most of his life. (Thankfully, before the end, Dad won the battle against his addiction and “walked the straight and narrow.”) The struggles of life have been extremely difficult on my mother, Iris June (Agee) Worthington.

          I also want to acknowledge my friends and family who have supported and continue to stand behind me.  Most people do not realize the importance of support in any endeavor. When, because of hard work and dedication, you begin to get recognized, there will be jealous and petty individuals standing in line to diminish you and your efforts.  It takes a lot of support to overcome the negativity that will be thrown at you. 

         My immediate family has always stood by me. So have many good friends, too numerous to mention.  However, I do want to mention my two closest friends and constant hunting partners, my sons, Clayton Michael Worthington and Arlis James Worthington, two outstanding young, Christian men, of whom I am very proud to know. I also want to acknowledge my oldest son, Bobby Ray Worthington, an outstanding deer hunter in his own right.

          In the event that a few hunters will hopefully learn something from this book, I would like to throw my chest out, smile and take full credit for Quest.  However, this would give a false impression that I came up with all this knowledge on my own.  I would be remiss and think it most inappropriate not to acknowledge the pioneers and true great soldiers of the art of bowhunting trophy whitetail.  Roger Rothhaar and Gene and Barry Wensel come to mind first. The early writings of these bowhunting icons, along with their success; inspired me, placed me on and guided me down the path that led to my accomplishments and ultimately to the writing of this book.They are as strong wanasi as any saldu living today. I salute these great thinkers of our sport! It is an honor to call these true “whitetail men” my friends.

          To acknowledge and appreciate bowhuning as we should, we must look to great men in the past.  I believe along with learning how to bowhunt, students of the art should be taught about the history of bowhunting. They should learn about Ishi, Dr. Saxton Pope II and Art Young Jr.; Will “Chief” Compton, Glenn St. Charles, Howard Hill and Fred Bear.  These great pioneers passed down the legacy which evolved into present day bowhunting.

         Next, I would like to acknowledge the poor ladies who were unfortunate enough to have me as an English student in high school (there were many). Yes! Miss Swafford, it was I who killed your pretty potted plants with chewing tobacco juice in freshman English class - please forgive me!

         I also apologize to my other English teachers for my antics which for fear of legal action, I won’t go into here. (I understand some crimes are so bad there is no statute of limitations on them.) I know this is no excuse, but when you cannot comprehend the subject matter you will find ways to entertain yourself.

         It took me eight courses of high school English to graduate.  I had to repeat English every year of high school after my freshman year.  Carrying the burden of two English classes plus a summer school course each year of this dreaded subject was very hard on me - I still have not fully recovered.

         I am sorry to say, all that English did no good at all. I can barely spell my last name. My feeling is that once I reached high school, I had already been educated beyond my intelligence. I was full - no room left.  I was fearful that if they forced any more of that English in my head it might push something useful out, such as my name or where I lived.  Many of my other teachers realized I had fulfilled my majority and passed me on to simply get rid of me. I don’t know why my English teachers could not understand this. (I guess all that English had an effect on their minds also.) I know they realize it now; they should have given up on me.

         After I wrote my first book, I ran into one of my former English teachers in the grocery store.  With the thought of letting her know that all of her efforts trying to teach English to me did not fall by the wayside, I decided to tell her I had written a book.  She is quite elderly and it took a few minutes for her to recognize me.  Once she realized who I was, I told her I had written a book.  She became very excited and wanted to know what the subject was, how many pages were in it and how long it took me.  As we discussed my book, I came to realize that she thought I said - I had read a book! I answered her questions and left it at that.

           

          I also want to acknowledge the real hero of all trophy whitetail hunts, an animal I truly love, “the mature whitetail buck.” My life has been interwoven with the whitetails’ for 42 years now and I am still in awe of these fascinating creatures.  Whenever I am lucky enough to harvest a mature buck, I am not the actor in the narrative who deserves the credit; it is the buck.  He is the animal that has the instinct and cunning to reach maturity against unbelievable odds.

         The lifetime of a man, even a long-lived man, is barely enough time to learn how to consistently succeed in the quest of 4 ½ year olds, let alone old bucks.  The whitetail is without a doubt, one of the most magnificent specimens of the created world.  It is on bending knees that I give homage to the great whitetail deer.

He is the creature that fuels our passion. Remove him from the hunt and most of our lives would change drastically, I fear - for the worst.

         Most of all, I want to acknowledge the Creator of all things, the GOD of the Bible for giving me the physical and mental abilities I have, and the drive to apply my abilities.  “For in Him we live, and move and have our being....” (Acts 17:28)

         Lastly, I want to acknowledge those lazy, selfish, do-nothing people who, because of petty jealousy, ridicule and spreads outrageous lies to diminish the hard works and sacrifices others put forth  to achieve success. Do they not understand - what a successful person does has absolutely nothing to do with them. When my kind-hearted boys came of age I hated to inform them this cold, hard fact about human nature: If you work hard and long enough to become successful some individuals will absolute despise you; especially those in you field of expertise.

It is evident by the fact that you purchased this book; you are not jealous.  A jealous person will not admit someone knows more than he does about a certain subject.  Therefore, he would not purchase a how-to book such as this one.  Those who do not mine the precious ore of written knowledge from those who have acquired such, will always be shallow and mediocre in their endeavors throughout life.  I know I am preaching to the choir here because of your effort to purchase and/or read this work; however these thoughts may help you when you occasionally become the victim of jealousy.

         Jealousy from others is a side-effect of being somewhat successful in my chosen sport that I never fathomed when I started.  I have always heard that love is the strongest emotion.  The older I get, the more I doubt this is the case.  I believe jealousy is the emotion that rules most people’s lives and robs their chances for happiness.  Jealousy is a very powerful, destructive thing.  It has the ability to make life almost unbearable for those who hold onto it, and they in turn will try to make those closest to them miserable. There is no doubt that misery truly does love company.

          For the most part, the hunting community is very supportive of me, and I greatly appreciate their support.  However, I, like most people who through sacrifice and hard work achieve recognition, am sometimes a victim of jealousy.  There are hunters who just do not like me, even though they don’t know me and cannot express any reason for their dislike.  They may not realize it and/or won’t admit it to themselves, but many with such feelings are motivated strictly by their soul-destroying jealousy.

            One thing about hunting chat sites that until recently I was naïve about (I just do not have the time to indulge) is that some among us use them to cast contempt toward successful hunters. (Are the antis not doing a good enough job?) This they do as a means to try and vindicate their lack of skill. Have you ever noticed that almost without exception the naysayers have not accomplished what those they are ridiculing have? This should leave no reservations in your mind to the reason for such actions. 

         Without exception, the poachers who live in my area dislike me.  Recently someone felt it necessary to roll the entrance to my driveway with several rolls of toilet paper. They finished off the décor with a dead fawn.  My family and I often watched the doe and her two young ones hanging around our driveway.  For several days after the fawn was killed we ran the mother off the carcass of her baby as we drove out the road. It’s not my strong stance against the poacher’s illegal acts that fuels their contempt toward me as much as it is their jealousy over my success and recognition.  I have not yet cleaned my driveway.  I left the “face of jealousy” there for anyone who passes by to see.

           Jealousy is the motive that causes poachers to cheat.  They are so entirely jealous they cannot stand the thought of someone else getting credit for killing a big buck (more on this in Chapter 19). I honesty believe there are individuals living in my county who would poach the last deer on earth for fear that someone else might shoot it and get the credit.

          I am glad these types of individuals dislike me.  If poachers liked me, and if I in return liked them, that would put me in the same boat they are in.  If I hear a person with low morals who commits unethical and illegal acts talking good about a person, the person whom they are talking about is suspect in my mind.  So, don’t let it bother you if a sorry-type person dislikes you and talks bad about you.  If you have high ethics and moral standards, your lifestyle is an indictment on them and by default they will not like you.

         Small-minded, lazy, jealous individuals will always endeavor to rise above others. But they will not attempt to accomplish this by personal sacrifice and hard work. Instead, they will use ridicule and lies to try to pull all those around them down lower than they are. The only passion they posses is belittling those who are successful. A man’s passion is his fate.  These individuals are trying to fill a black hole that cannot be filled. The only way to achieve the type of true success that will give them deserved recognition above the norm is through a tremendous amount of drive, self-sacrifice and hard work. 

         It is not possible for everyone to like you, especially if you’re successful.  A highly acclaimed British cabinet officer’s wife kept this motto on her living room wall: “To Escape Criticism, Say Nothing, Do Nothing, Be Nothing.”

         The more successful a person is, the more he will be ridiculed by others.  Addison said; “There is no defense against reproach except obscurity.” Jonathan Swift also commented, “Censure is the tax a man pays for being eminent.” It is often said, “You can’t please everybody.”  I think it is harder than that.  I don’t think you can please anybody most of the time.  So the best we can do is to live a life that pleases ourselves, regrettably, most do not. 

 

ü “The longer I live the more I come to believe that jealousy, not love, is the strongest emotion to obsess the human mind.  Jealousy victimizes in more ways than one.–It recently occurred to me, one thing worse -- much worse, than to be the recipient of malice conceived in the bosom of covetousness would be to live such a non-sacrificial and mediocre life that I would be envious of the accomplishments of others! As the character Dr. Lecter so correctly set forth as the underlying theme of Silence of the Lambs; what does the miserable, villain Buffalo Bill do?   –  He covets!”                                                           Bobby Worthington

 

            I guess this would be a good place to answer a question that I am often asked.  People wonder why I do not smile in photographs.  Quite frankly, I do not look natural when I must smile in front of a camera on cue.  My family, friends, and acquaintances can tell you that I am an upbeat person and always cracking jokes.  However, unless it is a candid moment my smiles do not look natural; therefore, I quit trying to force myself to smile because it too often does not turn out so well. 

 

            Allow me to set another record straight: I am not a professional hunter. No one pays me a penny to hunt. I work a regular job 40 hour a week job plus part time at another job to make ends meet.

 

 

 

Introduction

   I guess the writing of this, my second hunting book, sure enough makes it official - my role as a bow-hunter has changed.  Although I'm not certain when this transition took place, I do know when it was conceived. My passion for bowhunting was fueled in the late '60s as I watched Fred Bear bowhunting on The American Sportsman TV Show. In those early years of bowhunting, I devoured every word of books such as The Archer‘s Bible and The Bow Hunter Digest, learning from every page. A short few years later, I found myself reading, just hoping to find one or two tidbits of knowledge. As time passed, I read primarily to travel with the writer on an enjoyable and exciting hunt. Then, one day it dawned on me that a large number of the phone calls coming into my home were from strangers telling me how much they enjoyed reading my writings in outdoor magazines. It has been a lifetime romance which has established my intimacy with the flight of the arrow and the chase of monster bucks. Sometime during that courtship my role changed. When? - I cannot say for certain. 

          You should not know my name, that is, if you live outside my area of residence. You should not be reading this book because, as you already know after reading the acknowledgments, I am not supposed to have written one book, let alone two.  And because I am a working man who lives from paycheck to paycheck, neither should I have had the finances to print a book (North American Whitetail Magazine had my first book printed) but, somehow, by the grace of God, since you are reading this - I guess it happened.

Quest is not only a how-to book, it is a narrative spanning over 40 years of my hunting career; and since I have been an avid bow-hunter all of my adult life, this book is of sorts an autobiography.

         I started out intending to write volume two of my first book, Bowhunting Trophy Whitetails.  However, even though it has much of my first book in it, this book has turned into a work of its own and will no doubt, be the last book I ever write - at least on this subject.

         Looking back at my life, I guess I would do things somewhat differently if I could.  I would have dedicated myself more to useful and beneficial endeavors such as helping those who are in need, especially children. Serving and helping those in need makes a person more useful than being famous - it makes him important. There are many little ones stricken by misfortune and health problems who need help.  Many children are in need of something as simple as a few kind and loving words. The precious and innocent of our society should not have to endure hardship.  There are enough disappointments and sadness waiting on them when they reach adulthood. They should be shown love and kindness while they are young. As Plato well said, “Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.”

         If I could start over, I would as Mary of Bethany (whom we read about in the Bible) in the long ago did, “choose the good part” to dedicate my life to. 

         Do not misunderstand me; we all need recreation and pastime activities.  If I could start over, bowhunting mature bucks would still be the pastime I would choose. It is in my blood; a bow-hunter is what I am.  The legendary Sioux leader, Sitting Bull once said, “When there is no buffalo we will hunt mice for we are hunters and want our freedom.” That is my sentiment, as I am certain it is many of my readers.

         Likewise, I would have written about bowhunting if I could do it all over. Hopefully, by doing so, I will pass down some of what I have learned to future generations.  Bowhunting will teach patience, discipline and diligence. It will teach how to handle disappointments as well as achievements.  Bowhunting puts a person to the test and it brings out the greatest levels of both good and bad in them. The ups and downs of bowhunting will teach those involved as much about life as it does hunting. 

         I am an opinionated traditionalist, a hard-core bow-hunter who is passionate about bowhunting. To me bowhunting is about something much greater than I.  Until you understand this, you can not truly grasp the deep passion from which this book was written. Nothing great has ever been accomplished without passion. This book was not written to accrue monetary gain; it is primarily about teaching and preserving the rich, American, cultural heritage of bowhunting for future generations. You cannot do this by marketing and advertising the “kill” more than the “hunt” as many “commercial hunters” do. 

         Along these lines, I want to speak on Chapter 23 first. I believe this is the most vital and needed chapter in this book.  In Chapter 23, I go in-depth into the future of hunting by addressing animal rights activism, atheism, the liberal media, and the state of our country, evolution and the existence of God. The teaching of evolution is affecting our right to hunt more than any other one thing.  In my opinion, sport hunting will be over if society, as a whole, comes to believe the lie that we are merely an evolved animal.  I make this statement because if we are nothing but an evolved animal then a good point could be made that it is just as wrong to kill 30 cockroaches as it would be to walk into a school and shoot 30 students.  When hunters, through media outlets, such as television and print, make comments (such as I occasionally see) about certain animal evolving through millions of years, they are promoting the godless theory of evolution that is detrimental to our sport.  I hope the information I have compiled in chapter 23 will aid in deterring this.

          When I decided to place this chapter in my book, I was looking beyond today at the big and important picture.  I would rather convince one of our children that atheism is a lie than to teach thousands of you how to kill a big buck; because the future of hunting is more important than this generation’s hunting ability. 

          If I had not made the decision to write Chapter 23 most of you, my readers, would not have this vital information available to read.  Most hunters and average Americans simply don’t have or take the time to research this subject.  Most Americans only get one side of the origin issue in school classrooms and from the liberal, mainstream media.  With the liberal media challenging our beliefs at every corner, we believers sometimes need to reassure ourselves that what we have believed all our lives about creation is true.  And most importantly, we need this information because many of us have children who are entering high school and college. Please, parents, listen to me - if you do not have the knowledge to teach your young’uns the truth about creation, they will be consumed by the evolutionists.  It is not enough these days just to tell them there is a God, because lies and fabricated evidence will be forced on them everywhere they turn. 

         I have spent a lot of time to put this research together and include it in my book. Please, do not criticize me for writing it because it does not deal directly with hunting techniques until you read it (not just read over it). When you have completely read Chapter 23,   I believe you will find it is the most needed, informative, and useful part of this work.  

         In information the first few pages of Chapter 23, will show, to any reasonable thinking person, that all pure animal activists are atheists.  It will show why you can not believe the Bible and be an anti-hunter, (although you may choose to be a non-hunter). 

         In the remaining part of Chapter 23, the information which I have put together will show that evolution is mathematically and scientifically impossible.  I am not trying to convert or influence anyone to be religious in this chapter.  What I am doing is revealing information on the other side of the evolution issue; information other than what most people hear.  The only way we can know the truth about the creation/evolution issue is by examining both sides of the evidence.  Any time we have two opposing points (or in any human endeavor for that matter) there are basic rules that should govern the thought process.  The philosophical law of rationality states that a person should draw only conclusions substantiated by adequate evidence.  In other words, there is no way a person can know the truth about the evolution issue without adequate evidence.  Emotions and hunches are not adequate evidence.  Neither are the half truths, complete lies and the one-sided picture that have been force-fed to Americans.

          In Chapter 23, I will tell you why I believe (and give you the information to make up your own mind) that evolution is the greatest hoax to ever be hoisted upon the human mind.  It is destructive to the future of hunting and to the future of our society.  This chapter is my “good part” that I give to all who choose to read it.

          Now about the rest of my book: Trophy whitetail bowhunting is a vast subject. I will not pretend to cover everything about this subject within this work. However, my goal is to reveal some points that you might not have read or considered before. Hopefully, this information will give you a fresh look at trophy whitetail bowhunting, thereby enabling you to become more successful in your quest for phantoms of the forest with archery equipment.

           Quest takes you beyond the basics. While the beginner can gain a wealth of knowledge from reading this book, it was not written to be a primer for the beginning bow-hunter. This book goes beyond that stage. It was written to enable the average bow-hunter to take his/her hunting to the next level.

           Quest reveals advanced hunting techniques which, hopefully, will help you arrow an animal very few hunters have had the privilege to see - let alone harvest. That animal is the mature whitetail buck.  He truly is the phantom of the forest.

 

     Although Quest is somewhat advanced, the information is still practical. I believe a great deal of material written on this subject is neither practical nor useful and sometimes adds confusion and mystery to the sport. However, as I see it, there is no mystery to trophy bowhunting. Mystery simply fills the void created by the absence of practical knowledge. I realize it is easy to get lost in all of the technical and scientific information which many writers put into the mix.  Therefore, my intent is to strip trophy bowhunting of the cosmetic modifiers and to simplify it where the average hunter can understand it. 

          Sometimes I wonder what separates successful mature buck hunters from those who are not.  It is my strong belief that first, and foremost, all great trophy hunters have a passionate desire about hunting mature bucks.  There is no way a person can sacrifice everything that he must to be successful without passion. As Struthers Burt so well put it “Men are failures, not because they are stupid, but because they are not sufficiently impassioned.” It is not passion for the kill that drives successful trophy hunters but passion for the quest – and passion for the greatest game animal of them all.

ü   “My thirst for knowledge, zeal for learning and passion for the whitetail has brought me to the door where I now stand.”    Bobby Worthington 

 

 

           .

         While it is essential, you must reach beyond passion. Passion may live within you, but advanced skills must be obtained and practiced. These advance skills while conceived by passion must be nourished and cultivated by knowledge. All successful trophy hunters are knowledgeable naturalists and woodsmen. They are dedicated, life-long students of the whitetails’ life style.  I guess to some degree, successful hunters have begun to understand how deer think.  It is impossible to know what deer are thinking, but perhaps they understand what senses they used to govern their thought process as it relates to their desires, priorities, comfort zone, survival, movement and fears.

        When these “woods savvy” hunters walk outdoors, nothing goes unnoticed because they are sticklers for detail. They see the landscape differently than unskilled hunters.

         Sometimes success has a lot to do with the location hunted. There is nothing a hunter can do to improve his odds more on mature bucks than to hunt in an area where deer have reached maturity while becoming accustom to non-threatening human presence.  Whether you hunt in this situation or not (most of us do not), I believe the information in this book, and the specific techniques outlined in the hunting section, will improve your odds.

          However, keep in mind, no technique will work outside forced movement (which is not the way I choose to hunt) when deer are not moving.  There are periods consisting of days and sometimes weeks when the majority of deer just simply do not move.  A lot of people will blame their lack of success on their stand location or their hunting knowledge when this is not always the case. Many times deer simply are not on their feet moving day or night.  If this happens to coincide with the particular time you are hunting, it would be easy to misunderstand why you are not seeing deer.  I do not think we will ever be able to unlock all the mysteries that surround whitetail movement as it pertains to their lifestyle.  However, in Chapter 13 we will, among other things, take a very in-depth look at the subject of whitetail movement.  I personally believe this will be the most detailed discussion put forth on this subject to date.

         We will, in the four parts of this book, cover a broad range of study. I believe by reading this work you can go from having a basic knowledge of bowhunting, to becoming a hunter who has a better than average chance of harvesting a mature buck - if - you will put forth the effort to apply this information.

         I realize everyone will not agree with everything I have written in this work.  If everyone did, there would be something too vague and generic about my writings. Also, some of these principles may not apply to your particular area or style of hunting. However, when we are discussing a mature whitetail buck, we are talking about the same cunning animal no matter where he lives or how you are hunting him. In this book, I will reveal some major points that have put the odds in my favor on mature whitetails throughout the years.

        This work is a culmination of a lifetime spent in the deer woods as well put to paper as the laboring pen of my illiterate soul and untrained hand is able.  I pray it is easier read than written. 

                                                                                                                            Bobby Worthington    

 Some examples of photos that are in Quest.

                                                                 There’s a Rattlesnake

There is more than one kind of Rattlesnake in the hills of East Tennessee

 

      “Me and Clay didn’t catch us a deer, but Bobby he caught him one.” Well, I guess there’s different ways to say things.  After our Saturday evening hunt, this is how Clay‘s girl friend Krystal disclosed to her facebook friends that I had killed a 7 ½ year old patriarch that I had been keeping tabs on for years.

 

Discovering a young 10 point

      “Dad, we got a photograph of a nice, 3½ year old, 10 point,” Clay said as he stopped scrolling to examine a photo on the viewer.  The date was Aug 18, 2007. My camera was overlooking a mineral lick on top of a 50 foot mountain bluff in southeastern Tennessee. “I don’t think I know this deer but he is really even,” Clay continued. 

        I told Clay it did not surprise me that he did not recognize the buck if he was just 3½ years old.  I explained that most bucks are usually 3½ before they get distinguishable enough to recognize from one year to the next.

         As I examined the buck’s rack, I realized he was nothing spectacular even though he matched well from one side to the other.  This young 10 point’s main beams turned in considerably.  This characteristic is typically known as a “basket rack.”  I felt like it would take at least two more years before he reached trophy status.  His rack was compact, his main beams were short and he was narrow on the inside.  His strongest point was that he was almost perfectly symmetrical.  I estimated that he would score between 135 and 140 inches. This is about average for a 3½ year old, Tennessee 10 point.  Many Tennessee 8 points never get out of the 140s.  Most Tennessee 10 points never exceed 150.  I was looking forward to watching him mature if he managed to stay alive, which is always a big if in a heavily hunted area.

      We continued to get the 10 point’s photos on the mineral lick for the next few weeks.  As we looked over his pictures, we began to notice when there were other deer present, he approached the licks with his ears pinned back. Other bucks, even older ones, would give way to him as he approached.  We decided that this 3½ year old was an aggressive buck and if and when I decided to hunt him I believed rattling and calling could be affective.

      In the early fall, about 400 yards from the mineral lick, I discovered a velvet shedding rub.  White oak acorns were dropping in the area and I believed the young 10 point could have been the buck which used the sapling to strip his velvet while he was in the area feeding on acorns. We placed a camera in a funnel made by a downed tree close to the white oaks. After a couple of weeks we began to get photographs of the young 10 point.

 

 

This is the first photograph we captured of the young 3 ½ year old buck which would later become known as Rattlesnake.

 

The Snake Bit

       On the third Friday in September, my son Clay and I decided to check the trail camera to see if we had captured any more photos of the 3½ year old.  Clay was wearing knee length shorts on this warm, fall evening.  Even though Clay wanted to go to the camera with me to look at the photographs first, he thought better of it.  Clay is extremely allergic to poison ivy, and the woods around the camera were covered with it; therefore, he stayed about 50 yards back on an old dim road.

      When I approached the camera, I noticed a timber rattler on the ground in some ivy.  As I checked the camera, I yelled and told Clay that a pretty rattlesnake was close to me.  He said he would like to see it but he did not want to wade through the poison ivy to get to me.  I told him that after I pulled the camera card, I would catch the snake and carry it out so he could look at it.

        It is not uncommon for me to catch venomous snakes.    Starting back in my teenage years, I have often caught rattlesnakes and copperheads around my East Tennessee home.  A few years back, my brother Ronny got careless with a big timber rattler I had caught and was bitten.  The big snake hit him with one fang in the index finger.  Quite a bit of time lapsed before we got him out of the rural area where we lived and to the hospital in Crossville, Tennessee.  He had a rough go of it, spending four days in intensive care.  His hand and arm swelled to about three times its normal size and turned black.  Ronny eventually recovered. From that time on, I have not turned snakes loose in my home.

         I came walking up to Clay with the rattler in one hand and a camera card in the other.  After Clay looked the snake over, he put the card into the viewer.  As we were looking over the photographs of the 3½ year old 10 point, I got careless and relaxed my grip on the rattler’s neck.  He got his head around and sank a fang into my left thumb.  Because he was a young snake and had only hit me with one fang, I was not overly concerned.  However, by the time I returned the flash card to the camera, my hand had begun to swell.  After checking the remainder of the cameras in the area, I drove to the hospital in Pikeville. 

         The doctor on duty said the procedure was to admit a venomous snakebite victim for 12 hours and give him anti-venom through an I V.  Since bow season opened the following morning and I had my heart set on taking my boys hunting, I told the doctor that it was not possible for me to stay overnight.  After some discussion, I agreed to stay for a couple of hours to be monitored.  The swelling never extended past my hand and wrist and I was able to leave the hospital that same evening.

        While lying in the hospital bed, I told Clay I had come up with a name for the 3 ½ year old, 10 point.  (We were already trying to think of a name that reflected his aggressive nature.) I told Clay I believed “Rattlesnake” fit him pretty well considering his nature and the fact that I was bitten while looking at his photographs.  Clay said he liked the name also and that is when we started calling the young 10 point, “Rattlesnake.”

       We were occasionally able to get Rattlesnake’s photograph through the fall and winter in funnels.  I made a mental or otherwise note of every photograph location just in case Rattlesnake later became what I considered a trophy.  It is helpful to watch a buck mature and develop a travel pattern if you are going to hunt him at a later date.  By the end of the year, it became apparent that he was a homebody and did not stray far from his core area, even during the rut.

       In March, on a ridge in his core area, Clay found the left side of Rattlesnake’s rack.  From the measurements on the shed, I estimated he would have scored about 143 inches.

 

Rattlesnake at 4½ Years Old

       The following summer, on a mineral lick in his core area, Rattlesnake showed up again.  At 4½ years old, he had grown considerably and his rack still appeared to be nearly perfectly symmetrical. (From the age of 3½ to 4½ is when a buck normally makes his largest jump in rack size.) If he had an average body size for his age, it was my guess he would score in the high 140s. His net and gross score was about the same because he was quite symmetrical.

       Rattlesnake needed at least one more year to become what I considered a trophy. All during the fall and winter we occasionally got his photograph.  As he had the year previous, he stayed in a fairly small area.  To my knowledge, no one saw Rattlesnake during the 2008/2009 deer season even though several hunters were hunting the woods where he lived. We again found the left side of his shed the following spring.  He scored about 153 as a 4½ year old. 

 

 

 

Rattlesnake had grown considerably from the age of 3½ to 4 ½ years old.

 

 

Rattlesnake Matures

         The following summer (2009), when Rattlesnake was 5½ years old, we once again started getting his photos on the same mineral lick.  His main frame did not appear to be much larger than it was the year previous.  However, he had put on a sixth point on his right side.  He was now a 6 by 5.  I still did not target him because I believed, at best, he would gross about 160 inches and I had my sights on another 5½ year old buck I called Dagger.  I was curious to see what Rattlesnake would become when he reached the age of 6½.

 

 

                                             At the age of 5 ½ years old, Rattlesnake was a 160 class 11 point.

 

 

 

 

           I got photos of Rattlesnake in his core area tending a doe very early in November.  He showed up in quite a number of locations where he had not been seen or photographed the prior year.  I noted all of these locations for future references.  I saw him a couple of times during the rut while I was hunting Dagger.  The last time I saw him, Rattlesnake was as poor as a whippoorwill, and gore marks were present on his shoulders.  It was obvious that he was rutting hard. One frosty November morning, my son A.J. saw him as well. A.J. did not get a shot opportunity even though Rattlesnake was 7 yards away. In early 2010 we captured photos of Rattlesnake up until he cast his rack. He was in great shape by the end of the year in 2009.

 

 

 

 

 

Rattlesnake was in great shape by the end of the year in 2009.

 

 

 

 

 

        I knew the chances were low, but I hoped he would grow a sixth point on his left side in 2010 when he got to the age of 6½ years old.  If he grew into a 6 by 6, Rattlesnake would be one of the all time best typical Tennessee bucks.  Although A.J., Clay and I searched diligently, we did not find either side of Rattlesnake’s cast in the spring of 2010.

        The following year, in late July, I placed several cameras on mineral licks in Rattlesnake’s core area.  A couple of weeks later, I got a photograph of him.  His main frame had increased noticeably.  His brow tines were approximately 5 inches in length.  His G-2s and G-3s appeared to be 11 and 12 inches long respectively.  And his G-4s were longer than average for a 10 point.  I believed they were 7 or 8 inches long; this really increased his score.  Rattlesnake dropped the sixth point on his right side; however, he grew a sticker on the right G-2 that appeared to be around 5 inches long.  Of course, rack size is relative to body size. If he was an average 6½ year old, Tennessee, big woods buck that would field-dress between 170 and 190 pounds in his prime fall weight, he would score around170 inches!

 

 

At 6 ½ year old Rattlesnake was a 5 by 5 with a sticker.

 

 

 

 

          I continued to capture photos of Rattlesnake throughout the fall.  I even got a few daylight photos in late September after bow season had opened.  He has never been a totally nocturnal buck outside of the rut.  This is the kind of information that is beneficial to collect as you watch a buck mature.

          During the first week of October I got a photograph of Rattlesnake and his left G-4 was broken off close to the base.  I felt like it was too early for mature bucks to be fighting.  I pondered for quite some time over what could have broken his tine.  A few weeks later, the mystery was solved when I heard that someone in the area had been bragging about shooting a large buck’s point off one night with a .17 caliber rifle.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rattlesnake’s left G-4 was shot off by a poacher the first week of October, 2010. He had a tendency to move around during daylight in late September and early October as he was here while visiting one of my mock scrapes laced with Grave Digger by Code Blue.

 

 

 

 

In The Presence Of Two Monarchs

           In 2010 I had an extremely tight schedule because I was working toward opening a restaurant for my boys. I had pretty much given up on hunting that season because of my schedule.  However, on October 21, which was unseasonably cool, I had an opportunity to go out for a morning hunt.  My target was Dagger. I knew from trail photos that Dagger and Rattlesnake were still running together.

         About 15 minutes before legal shooting light, I heard deer approaching the ditch funnel I was overlooking.  From their cadence it was apparent that two bucks were coming in at a steady pace – It was Rattlesnake and Dagger!  They circled down wind of the funnel I was hunting. I had set up to one side enough that my scent stream would pass their location.  After they scent checked the funnel, the two old monarchs cautiously approach my location.

          In the dim light I could see the two huge bucks.  It was a humbling experience to be in the presence of two 6½ year old phantoms at one time. There was no hot doe or other deer in the area to distract them.  The bucks were extremely cautious and hyper-sensitive. They seemed to devour all the energy around them. I could feel their alertness, their presence, and their sixth sense in the air about me.  It was one of the most intense situations I have ever been in. Their demeanor was what one would have expected from creatures of their status.   I slowly leaned forward and took in their air.  I tasted their sharp senses; this I did to understand them, to own them, to become them.  But their wild nature overpowered and consumed me.

         I sat like a concrete statue and watched in humble awe. Rattlesnake was in the lead as they passed underneath my stand at a distance of 5 yards. He made a scrape 10 yards away while Dagger stood just behind him in the shadows.  I was amazed at how large Rattlesnake was.  His head looked like it belonged to a young Hereford bull.  I now knew he was one of those rare 200 + pound (field-dressed) Tennessee bucks.  As it approached legal shooting light, I kept glancing at my watch as if it would help to move the minute hand faster.  Although it was light enough to shoot, I refuse to reach for my bow until legal shooting time.

         As it got closer to shooting time, I realized Dagger was not going to follow Rattlesnake into the opening. Even though Dagger was my number one target, because of Rattlesnake's size, I decided to shoot him if Dagger did not step out. Then I noticed Rattlesnake’s broken tine which had slipped my mind.  Because he had a 7 inch tine broken off, I felt it would be a shame to kill him.  Dagger was once again my target. 

         About this time, both bucks begin to get increasingly nervous.  They had been in my presence too long.  They sensed me.  I knew this would more than likely happen; this is why I always shoot an old buck as soon as I have the chance.  

         I had opportunities to hunt only two other times in 2010.  I never saw either of the old bucks again. (Dagger disappeared after that encounter and has not been seen or photographed since).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The two old patriarchs often traveled together before the rut as they were here at the age of 5 ½ years old. If this doesn't take your breathe away nothing will.

 

 

By the end of 2010 Rattlesnake was back in good shape all but for the fight marks on his body.

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                                        Somebody just can not get alone.

 

 

 

Rattlesnake in 2011