Great Hunting trip...
Did a little mini hunt trip this past weekend. A great and very good friend of mine and drove several hours and camped out on Friday night. Pitched our tent in the dark (we had already previously scouted the territory before and are familiar with it).
It had been a steady, cold and windy rain for three days...started to let up as we got in the tent...by the time we laid down we fell asleep to the sound of coyotes in the distance.
We woke the next morning it was clear about 43 degrees and about a 15 knot wind. We got in our spot about 45 min before official sunrise. We were just below the crest of a ridge facing west with the wind our faces. We had a tall thicket to our backs and we over looked a small "valley" several hundred yards wide with two dried up Creek beds each
30 min. Later a doe and her yearling came over the ridge in front of us about 285 yards away. Followed shortly by a second doe. They went down into a ravine and poked back up even farther headed south around the west side out of sight.
Then way in the distance to the west I saw a buck about 2/3 a way up a hill heading south, sun flashed off him... seemingly towards the same direction to the path the does went on. We put binoculars on the buck and saw a handsome deer with a proud walk.
We realized he would never be in range from our spot...so the chase was on! We practically jogged/power scrambled up and down two hill/ravines over about a quarter miles distance as the crow flies in an attempt to intercept his path. We created the hill slowly and saw him...but on the wrong side of the fence! I took a sitting position, slung up and we started to call him in...he looked up towards our direction as we called him in...and started walking our way. My friend used his range finder and he was at a distance of 230 yards.
Then he hopped the fence back to our side...it was onlike donkey kong! At this point he started walking our way, back down his hill...at this point he was at 220 yards and I realized in my scope that if he took a few more steps I would loose a clear line of sight as the tree tops would be between us. I was breathing heavy from the scramble we just did....held my breath, made one last call that made him look up towards us (he is facing me, body head on, looking up at a very slight angle). I aimed for his left breast with the intent that the round would go through his left lung and hit his heart and maybe hit his left lung on a downward path.
I squeezed and the round struck true ( a tad bit to the right though). He dropped like a sack of potatoes. He was my first deer with a rifle. Had to drag him nearly half a mile up hill to get him to the trail I was allowed to drive my truck to. Very thick vegetation as well. My friend helped me drag him as well (He will definitely be getting his choice of meat cut!🙂)
It was by far one of the most fun hunts I have ever been on. It being a rather sporting hunt and having a good friend with me really made it that much more fun!
It had been a steady, cold and windy rain for three days...started to let up as we got in the tent...by the time we laid down we fell asleep to the sound of coyotes in the distance.
We woke the next morning it was clear about 43 degrees and about a 15 knot wind. We got in our spot about 45 min before official sunrise. We were just below the crest of a ridge facing west with the wind our faces. We had a tall thicket to our backs and we over looked a small "valley" several hundred yards wide with two dried up Creek beds each
30 min. Later a doe and her yearling came over the ridge in front of us about 285 yards away. Followed shortly by a second doe. They went down into a ravine and poked back up even farther headed south around the west side out of sight.
Then way in the distance to the west I saw a buck about 2/3 a way up a hill heading south, sun flashed off him... seemingly towards the same direction to the path the does went on. We put binoculars on the buck and saw a handsome deer with a proud walk.
We realized he would never be in range from our spot...so the chase was on! We practically jogged/power scrambled up and down two hill/ravines over about a quarter miles distance as the crow flies in an attempt to intercept his path. We created the hill slowly and saw him...but on the wrong side of the fence! I took a sitting position, slung up and we started to call him in...he looked up towards our direction as we called him in...and started walking our way. My friend used his range finder and he was at a distance of 230 yards.
Then he hopped the fence back to our side...it was onlike donkey kong! At this point he started walking our way, back down his hill...at this point he was at 220 yards and I realized in my scope that if he took a few more steps I would loose a clear line of sight as the tree tops would be between us. I was breathing heavy from the scramble we just did....held my breath, made one last call that made him look up towards us (he is facing me, body head on, looking up at a very slight angle). I aimed for his left breast with the intent that the round would go through his left lung and hit his heart and maybe hit his left lung on a downward path.
I squeezed and the round struck true ( a tad bit to the right though). He dropped like a sack of potatoes. He was my first deer with a rifle. Had to drag him nearly half a mile up hill to get him to the trail I was allowed to drive my truck to. Very thick vegetation as well. My friend helped me drag him as well (He will definitely be getting his choice of meat cut!🙂)
It was by far one of the most fun hunts I have ever been on. It being a rather sporting hunt and having a good friend with me really made it that much more fun!
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https://www.dropbox.com/s/249mu2w48181zlz/IMG952153.jpg?dl=0
As you can see, he was a perfectly symmetrical 8 point. I was very pleased, not to mention grateful to my good friend that helped me!0 -
Nice deer, congratulations. Good hunts and good friends make good memories.
Now I need to know, how is it you had climb hills to get to the deer and then have to go uphill to drag him back? Is this like walking to school in the snow, uphill both ways?0 -
Nice deer!
Where were you hunting?0 -
SCOUT5 wrote:Nice deer, congratulations. Good hunts and good friends make good memories.
Now I need to know, how is it you had climb hills to get to the deer and then have to go uphill to drag him back? Is this like walking to school in the snow, uphill both ways?
LOL! Yup wearing nothing but newspaper around my feet for boots! 😋
No the land out there is interesting. There were two saddles I had to cross perpendicular to get to my shooting position, I shot from the top of one saddle across to the down hill slope of the next that was coming towards me (that's why I would not have had a shot had I let him walk "closer" as the tops of the trees on the ground between the two hill sides would have obscured my view. After I drug him to the top of the saddle, I stayed on top of that ridge following the spur to the road which itself went uphill.
Basically the land sloped down to the South and West where I shot him with several hills in between my starting point and my point of shooting. Then I had to get him uphill both north...then east to my truck.....like I said, my friend and I both hooked up to him....he is a heck of a friend. He is the same guy who last year I helped track a deer for about 4 hours plus.
Most folks are lucky to have one like him!0 -
Congratulations!
That is a dandy of a buck, and one to be proud of for sure!
Thanks for sharing,
Ed0
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