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AMS = 1 ~ Deer Population = -1
December 7th, 2005 01:00 amAfter Monday's snow storm, Brian & I both took advantage of "liberal leave" yesterday & headed to the woods to do some hunting. What fantastic weather ~ not too cold, a sharp blue sky & white everywhere. We had one of those snows where the snow sticks to the trees & it was SO pretty!
After a hearty breakfast, we set up to do a short drive. Brian got full of snow as he is the one who did the drive through the woods. I did not see any whitetail, but did have fun watching a fox frolic in the snow. We set up for another short drive on our way to set up a longer drive & still nothing.
On my way to the spot where I would wait, I saw some fresh deer tracks in the snow so I was very hopeful. after scouting around a bit, I found a spot I felt good about ... a fallen tree that had snow-covered leaves as my backdrop. Brian had lent me some snow camo to wear & I had layered clothing carefully so I was confident about bring both warm & unseen.
While Brian was being driven around to begin the drive in earnest, I saw a deer coming up through the woods behind me. Waiting for it to travel behind trees, blocking its line of sight to me, I moved around in my seat so that I would be ready to take a shot if one presented itself.
It seemed at first that the deer would track off far behind me & leave me with no chance of a shot. To my surprise, the deer changed direction & started coming into my range. Then the deer changed direction again & started walking right towards me. I froze & the deer stopped approximately 12 yards away behind two trees.
Taking advantage of the deer's blocked view, I re-adjusted my shotgun & waited for the deer's next move. I did not have to wait long, as the deer stepped out from behind the trees to face me head on. Just as the deer spotted me, I squeezed the trigger. The deer dropped to the ground instantly. It started to kick & without even thinking, I started to channel to it ... willing it die fast & peacefully. Within a minute it was still.
It may sound odd to some but I thanked the deer for letting me take it. It just seems to be the right thing to do.
I noticed the interesting transition from excitement to gunshot to post-kill thrill to the woods becoming silent again. The urge to run over & check the deer was overwhelming but I wasn't sure how far along Brian was with the drive & I did not want mess up his hard work or my chance at another deer.
In searching the woods for any sign of movement, I would check the deer for signs of movement. I could feel that it was dead, but I had to look anyway. It seemed like forever until I knew that Brian was getting close. I watched 3 or 4 deer off in the woods for a while. They were just milling about, but far out of my range.
Finally I saw Brian making his way to me. The radios that we used when we hunt came to life with talk about who saw one, another drive & looking for the deer that guys had taken shots at. I waited for them to quiet down & asked if Brian could gut my deer first. Since no one had known I had shot one, it was a fun way to surprise them.
As Brian got closer, I finally got up & walked over to the deer I had shot. It was a button buck. I thanked him again for letting me take him. Examining the scene carefully, I wanted to learn as much as I could from how he fell & what sort of evidence was left. Some hair, a fair amount of blood & a small crash site. Turns out my shot had hit heart & lungs with a few pellets straying; we found two in his hindquarters.
My deer of this season & my first buck!
After a hearty breakfast, we set up to do a short drive. Brian got full of snow as he is the one who did the drive through the woods. I did not see any whitetail, but did have fun watching a fox frolic in the snow. We set up for another short drive on our way to set up a longer drive & still nothing.
On my way to the spot where I would wait, I saw some fresh deer tracks in the snow so I was very hopeful. after scouting around a bit, I found a spot I felt good about ... a fallen tree that had snow-covered leaves as my backdrop. Brian had lent me some snow camo to wear & I had layered clothing carefully so I was confident about bring both warm & unseen.
While Brian was being driven around to begin the drive in earnest, I saw a deer coming up through the woods behind me. Waiting for it to travel behind trees, blocking its line of sight to me, I moved around in my seat so that I would be ready to take a shot if one presented itself.
It seemed at first that the deer would track off far behind me & leave me with no chance of a shot. To my surprise, the deer changed direction & started coming into my range. Then the deer changed direction again & started walking right towards me. I froze & the deer stopped approximately 12 yards away behind two trees.
Taking advantage of the deer's blocked view, I re-adjusted my shotgun & waited for the deer's next move. I did not have to wait long, as the deer stepped out from behind the trees to face me head on. Just as the deer spotted me, I squeezed the trigger. The deer dropped to the ground instantly. It started to kick & without even thinking, I started to channel to it ... willing it die fast & peacefully. Within a minute it was still.
It may sound odd to some but I thanked the deer for letting me take it. It just seems to be the right thing to do.
I noticed the interesting transition from excitement to gunshot to post-kill thrill to the woods becoming silent again. The urge to run over & check the deer was overwhelming but I wasn't sure how far along Brian was with the drive & I did not want mess up his hard work or my chance at another deer.
In searching the woods for any sign of movement, I would check the deer for signs of movement. I could feel that it was dead, but I had to look anyway. It seemed like forever until I knew that Brian was getting close. I watched 3 or 4 deer off in the woods for a while. They were just milling about, but far out of my range.
Finally I saw Brian making his way to me. The radios that we used when we hunt came to life with talk about who saw one, another drive & looking for the deer that guys had taken shots at. I waited for them to quiet down & asked if Brian could gut my deer first. Since no one had known I had shot one, it was a fun way to surprise them.
As Brian got closer, I finally got up & walked over to the deer I had shot. It was a button buck. I thanked him again for letting me take him. Examining the scene carefully, I wanted to learn as much as I could from how he fell & what sort of evidence was left. Some hair, a fair amount of blood & a small crash site. Turns out my shot had hit heart & lungs with a few pellets straying; we found two in his hindquarters.
My deer of this season & my first buck!
