Nebraskaland

58 Nebraskaland • November 2025 THE LAST STOP Patience is a virtue Andy Moore does not have. That is one of the reasons he prefers spot-and-stalk bowhunting for deer in the loess canyons south of his home in Brady over sitting in a tree stand waiting for a deer to walk by. That lack of patience, however, cost Moore a shot at a white-tailed buck last fall. As many bowhunters do, Moore was hunting as much as he could in the days leading up to the November fi rearm season. On this day, he was in the canyons before sunrise, sitting below a ridgetop that provided an extensive view of land that had been cleared of cedars and enrolled in the Open Fields and Waters program, scanning the countryside for deer through his tripod-mounted binoculars. After glassing for an hour and seeing nothing, it was time for him to get moving. After stopping here and there to glass for the next two hours, he settled in behind his binoculars once again. Thirty minutes later, at 11:30 a.m., he spotted a buck walking along a sidehill below a ridge three-quarters of a mile away. When the deer dropped into the bottom, so did Andy. Still hunting seemed fruitless, as the tall, tinder-dry vegetation cracked beneath his feet at every step. But 20 minutes after starting this quest, Moore caught a glimpse of the buck in the shadows of a fi nger of the steep-walled canyon, raking his antlers against a tree and making enough noise that he didn't hear the hunter's approach. As I slid into the shadows on the opposite side of the bottom, hoping to photograph a successful end to a hunt, Moore posted up behind a cedar near the tip of the fi nger. After shedding his pack, he nocked an arrow, pulled out a rattling bag and grunt call, and made some noise with both. Soon after, I saw the buck step out of the shadows between a gap in the tall weeds. The deer stood and listened for a bit, probably wondering which of his buddies might be sparring around the corner. As he did, Moore's patience wore out. After merely four minutes, he walked 50 yards north, thinking the deer might have taken the high road to the next fi nger. From his new position, Moore rattled and called again. Immediately, the deer made a beeline for the spot where Moore had initially stood, stopping in a position that would have provided a 10-yard, quartering shot and an incredible photograph. Sensing something was just not right, the buck retreated a few steps before continuing toward the calls. When the buck rounded the corner, he recoiled at the sight of Moore's pack before bolting up the canyon, passing within 30 yards of the hunter before disappearing into the canyon. "I guess maybe I should give it more than a couple of minutes next time," Moore said. "I didn't think this actually worked. "Just add it to the list of should've beens." Add it to this photographer's list, too. A white-tailed buck walks toward the spot where Andy Moore of Maxwell had dropped his backpack and called minutes earlier while bowhunting in the loess canyons of Lincoln County. ERIC FOWLER, NEBRASKALAND By Eric Fowler THE BACKPACK BUCK

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