jonkytron
Active Member
Well friends, this year I got it done early.. 3rd day of the season and 3 hours into my first sit I took down what I consider to be a giant for Rhode Island public land.. and my biggest deer on Rhode Island public yet.
This past summer I revisited an area of public that I’ve completely written off in the past years. The place is so over hunted and over pressured that I never really wanted to hunt there. You see, after October 15, it’s stocked with pheasant, so there’s guns blasting all around the property. and after pheasant season it’s November and there are lines of cars in the parking lot of the orange army doing deer drives during the rut. I thought that this place was bust.
However, I noticed a little patch of land on ONX that was too far back in the swamps and in so much thick stuff none of the weekend warrior hunters would ever go there. I thought, maybe if I go in early season, after the opening weekend, I could find a nice buck before he ducks out of there…i went in there today at noon and I saw some heavy sign, deer trails, oak trees and a lot of old rubs. I climbed up a tree, next to a heavily used deer trail, with the wind in my favor. Within 3 hours i hear a stick break, turn around, and this big bodied buck strolls in behind me at 20 yards. Before I could even think, I pick up my bow, sway myself to the left, draw back, stop him quartering away in the only opening i was going to have, and hit my thumb release. I wasn’t happy with the shot.. a little too far back.. but I heard a pop, and saw him mule kick. I repelled down the tree and I found my 650 grain sirius Orion with a cutthroat single bevel deep in the dirt and covered in blood. That made me feel better. I followed a heavy blood trail for 50 yards.. and there he lay taking his last sleep. A beautiful, big bodied 8 pointer with a lot of character. Took a few moments to appreciate him and then it was time for gutting and dragging. The kill was easy this year but the drag was not. I suddenly realized why no one hunted back there. Dragging him out was exhausting. Luckily I had friends come help me for the last half mile.
He’s not the biggest deer in the world, not the biggest deer I’ve ever killed, but he was the top buck in this little piece of highly pressured land, in this tiny state.. and I got him. That’s all I ever wanted when I go out hunting, to get the biggest and oldest deer I can, wherever I’m hunting. Mission accomplished.
So grateful for moments like these in the woods. This kill is the result of so much hard work over the years learning to hunt pressured public land, and loving every minute of it. Grateful to also share it with all you maniacs like me who live for this too. Knowing you all will appreciate it.
This past summer I revisited an area of public that I’ve completely written off in the past years. The place is so over hunted and over pressured that I never really wanted to hunt there. You see, after October 15, it’s stocked with pheasant, so there’s guns blasting all around the property. and after pheasant season it’s November and there are lines of cars in the parking lot of the orange army doing deer drives during the rut. I thought that this place was bust.
However, I noticed a little patch of land on ONX that was too far back in the swamps and in so much thick stuff none of the weekend warrior hunters would ever go there. I thought, maybe if I go in early season, after the opening weekend, I could find a nice buck before he ducks out of there…i went in there today at noon and I saw some heavy sign, deer trails, oak trees and a lot of old rubs. I climbed up a tree, next to a heavily used deer trail, with the wind in my favor. Within 3 hours i hear a stick break, turn around, and this big bodied buck strolls in behind me at 20 yards. Before I could even think, I pick up my bow, sway myself to the left, draw back, stop him quartering away in the only opening i was going to have, and hit my thumb release. I wasn’t happy with the shot.. a little too far back.. but I heard a pop, and saw him mule kick. I repelled down the tree and I found my 650 grain sirius Orion with a cutthroat single bevel deep in the dirt and covered in blood. That made me feel better. I followed a heavy blood trail for 50 yards.. and there he lay taking his last sleep. A beautiful, big bodied 8 pointer with a lot of character. Took a few moments to appreciate him and then it was time for gutting and dragging. The kill was easy this year but the drag was not. I suddenly realized why no one hunted back there. Dragging him out was exhausting. Luckily I had friends come help me for the last half mile.
He’s not the biggest deer in the world, not the biggest deer I’ve ever killed, but he was the top buck in this little piece of highly pressured land, in this tiny state.. and I got him. That’s all I ever wanted when I go out hunting, to get the biggest and oldest deer I can, wherever I’m hunting. Mission accomplished.
So grateful for moments like these in the woods. This kill is the result of so much hard work over the years learning to hunt pressured public land, and loving every minute of it. Grateful to also share it with all you maniacs like me who live for this too. Knowing you all will appreciate it.
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