Well, I headed to my aunt's woods this morning, getting to it at 8:00.
As I was approaching my stand, I spotted two does in the field headed toward the west end of the woods, so that was a good sign.
I sat in my stand for about a half hour, then noticed two guys hunting on the other side of the fence, both on foot, a dad and his son, as it turns out.
I knew the dad from having met him twice before, and he was hunting his brother's land, so everything was kosher.
He reluctantly hailed me, asking if I had seen a buck running some time around 7:00, to which I said no, since I hadn't arrived until right at 8:00.
He said that his boy had shot a young buck at about that time, right in the boiler room, but they had found only one big blood splash and they were trying to track him, so far with no luck.
He apologized for spoiling my hunt, but I said I had no problem with it because he was doing the ethical thing by doing his best to find his deer, even if that included making me speak aloud and spook any other deer in the area.
I suggested that he try looking in the gully running through his side of the woods, and he nodded, taking his boy along in that direction.
I sat in my stand for at least another hour, wondering if it was even worth it to stick around yet another hour, when I heard a noise coming from the raspberry bushes 60 yards to the west southwest of me.
Sure enough, an antlered head emerged from the bushes, clearly a two to three year old buck browsing on the twigs, so I adjusted the side focus on the Leupold for that range, then put the reticle on him, waiting for him to position himself where the boiler room was exposed and still.
I waited for over two minutes while he slowly ambled around with trees between me and him, then he stepped into a clear shooting alley and stood still.
Placing the reticle right below and behind the shoulder, I squeezed, sending the 165 grain TTSX on its way.
The buck hunched up and leaped upward, then started to run, but he only ran for about five steps before going to a very slow walk, then stopping altogether, not even 50 feet from where he was when I shot him.
He stood for a while, first shaking his head, then lowering himself, still shaking his head, then he made one short bleat.
I let him alone that way for another five minutes, seeing not a flicker of movement well before that time had elapsed, so I slowly climbed out of my stand, with eyes locked on the spot where he was, but there was not sign of motion from him still.
I walked the 60 yards to the spot, and there he was, finished.
This is just a personal thing with the deer that I take, but I dropped to one knee, placed my hand on his antler, then said a prayer, thanking the Lord for this noble beast, and another thanks for steadying my hand when I made the shot.
There's always a mixture of sadness and gratitude when taking a deer, and I see it the way that Fred Bear did.
Right after dragging him out of the woods into the field:
The load used: .30-06 Springfield - Federal brass, CCI #200 primer, 165 grain Barnes TTSX, 57.0 grains IMR481. Muzzle velocity is 2780 fps.
The single fired case in front is the one used in the hunt.
The rifle: Ruger M77 .30-06 Springfield in hunting garb (Boca Shield gun cover - Boca Shield | Neoprene Protective Rifle Cover, Gun Cover, Case, Protection) with Leupold VX-3i 4.5-14x40 scope with side focus
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As I was approaching my stand, I spotted two does in the field headed toward the west end of the woods, so that was a good sign.
I sat in my stand for about a half hour, then noticed two guys hunting on the other side of the fence, both on foot, a dad and his son, as it turns out.
I knew the dad from having met him twice before, and he was hunting his brother's land, so everything was kosher.
He reluctantly hailed me, asking if I had seen a buck running some time around 7:00, to which I said no, since I hadn't arrived until right at 8:00.
He said that his boy had shot a young buck at about that time, right in the boiler room, but they had found only one big blood splash and they were trying to track him, so far with no luck.
He apologized for spoiling my hunt, but I said I had no problem with it because he was doing the ethical thing by doing his best to find his deer, even if that included making me speak aloud and spook any other deer in the area.
I suggested that he try looking in the gully running through his side of the woods, and he nodded, taking his boy along in that direction.
I sat in my stand for at least another hour, wondering if it was even worth it to stick around yet another hour, when I heard a noise coming from the raspberry bushes 60 yards to the west southwest of me.
Sure enough, an antlered head emerged from the bushes, clearly a two to three year old buck browsing on the twigs, so I adjusted the side focus on the Leupold for that range, then put the reticle on him, waiting for him to position himself where the boiler room was exposed and still.
I waited for over two minutes while he slowly ambled around with trees between me and him, then he stepped into a clear shooting alley and stood still.
Placing the reticle right below and behind the shoulder, I squeezed, sending the 165 grain TTSX on its way.
The buck hunched up and leaped upward, then started to run, but he only ran for about five steps before going to a very slow walk, then stopping altogether, not even 50 feet from where he was when I shot him.
He stood for a while, first shaking his head, then lowering himself, still shaking his head, then he made one short bleat.
I let him alone that way for another five minutes, seeing not a flicker of movement well before that time had elapsed, so I slowly climbed out of my stand, with eyes locked on the spot where he was, but there was not sign of motion from him still.
I walked the 60 yards to the spot, and there he was, finished.
This is just a personal thing with the deer that I take, but I dropped to one knee, placed my hand on his antler, then said a prayer, thanking the Lord for this noble beast, and another thanks for steadying my hand when I made the shot.
There's always a mixture of sadness and gratitude when taking a deer, and I see it the way that Fred Bear did.
Right after dragging him out of the woods into the field:
The load used: .30-06 Springfield - Federal brass, CCI #200 primer, 165 grain Barnes TTSX, 57.0 grains IMR481. Muzzle velocity is 2780 fps.
The single fired case in front is the one used in the hunt.
The rifle: Ruger M77 .30-06 Springfield in hunting garb (Boca Shield gun cover - Boca Shield | Neoprene Protective Rifle Cover, Gun Cover, Case, Protection) with Leupold VX-3i 4.5-14x40 scope with side focus
