Empostarr
Well-Known Member
I'd love to say I got it out of my new saddle, but it was just too cold this morning to be lugging around climbing gear on top of all the cold weather gear I needed. It was the last day and I finally got it done!
I've been hunting deer for 8 years, and until this year I was focused on bagging a 4+ point buck as my first deer, so I passed on lots of opportunities. This year, I finally decided I wanted the meat in the freezer more than a trophy and would take a doe or buck. I hunt some private land, but the landowner only allows hunting bucks, and after the gun opener they all dissappeared, so I've been focusing a lot on public land to be free to take a doe if one came along.
I had lots of opportunity, but also made lots of stupid mistakes. I sold my climber and was waiting for my saddle, so I hunted from the ground most of this season. A chair squeak ruined a shot at a buck, another wouldnt take the one extra step I needed for the shot, and I got too excited and gave one doe a haircut yesterday.
Today though, as I was starting to doze in my chair all bundled up in a stick blind, I heard a snap on my left and without thinking quickly turned my head to see what made it. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a doe head. My heart started thumping and I took a sharp breath while trying to remain motionless. One by one, 4 deer walked about ten feet from me on my left, right by the blind. I was able to get my gun up without them seeing and started aiming at a lane they were all walking through. The first and last doe were shooters, and the first one had made it through the lane before I was ready. The last one stopped and looked dead at me...and then just continued on. I let her walk right into my crosshairs and took a nice quartering away shot. Single lung and heart shot with a muzzle loader at about 15 yards. She ran about 50 yards and dropped. What a way to start the new year!
I did use some of my saddle gear to get her out though! I used my linemans as a thicker pull rope for the sled, and I hung her in my garage using my SRT rope and a ropeman!
I've been hunting deer for 8 years, and until this year I was focused on bagging a 4+ point buck as my first deer, so I passed on lots of opportunities. This year, I finally decided I wanted the meat in the freezer more than a trophy and would take a doe or buck. I hunt some private land, but the landowner only allows hunting bucks, and after the gun opener they all dissappeared, so I've been focusing a lot on public land to be free to take a doe if one came along.
I had lots of opportunity, but also made lots of stupid mistakes. I sold my climber and was waiting for my saddle, so I hunted from the ground most of this season. A chair squeak ruined a shot at a buck, another wouldnt take the one extra step I needed for the shot, and I got too excited and gave one doe a haircut yesterday.
Today though, as I was starting to doze in my chair all bundled up in a stick blind, I heard a snap on my left and without thinking quickly turned my head to see what made it. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a doe head. My heart started thumping and I took a sharp breath while trying to remain motionless. One by one, 4 deer walked about ten feet from me on my left, right by the blind. I was able to get my gun up without them seeing and started aiming at a lane they were all walking through. The first and last doe were shooters, and the first one had made it through the lane before I was ready. The last one stopped and looked dead at me...and then just continued on. I let her walk right into my crosshairs and took a nice quartering away shot. Single lung and heart shot with a muzzle loader at about 15 yards. She ran about 50 yards and dropped. What a way to start the new year!
I did use some of my saddle gear to get her out though! I used my linemans as a thicker pull rope for the sled, and I hung her in my garage using my SRT rope and a ropeman!
