Sunday, November 15, 2009

Well, THAT didn't take long...

Hi everyone, Mike here from the farm. Deer season opened yesterday. I missed the morning because I had to drive up here. But I got here in time for the evening hunting. A day in deer season is divided into two sessions: morning and evening. Deer only move around during those times so if you are hunting in the middle of the day you are wasting your time.

Let me run this down for you. I arrive at 1430, just in time for the UNL/KU kickoff. I watch the first half of the game (tied at 10 all at half). I get dressed in the old Woodland pattern BDUs and Gortex, with winter boots (it wasn't that cold out, but the boots are water proofed and the padding wicks away sweat so the feet stay dry). We move out to the south pasture. Once there, we have a bit of stumbling around as my dad forgot the exact location of the blind. We find it, and I climb up into it. I have to say it was a scary blind to be in. No safety bars or straps and some of the "steps" were just small knots in the wood. Well, I get up there, hang up the camelbak (water and knife), and the rifle, dad leaves and I start scanning with the binos.

I am not there more than 5 minutes when two good sized does move out behind me in the river. I hear the splash and turn around and see them. I would have shot one if they had been closer, but I had a 30-30 with iron sites (I was going to use the 30-06 with scope this morning). The shot was VERY awkward from the blind so I figured I would wait. Were does are, bucks will soon be.

About 10 minutes later I heard a lot of brush breaking and twigs snapping from off to my right. I at first thought it was a hunter on foot. Deer can be loud, but not that loud. Whatever it was, I made noise for about 5 minutes, but I never saw what it was. The noise dies down and I turn around to face the river and I am staring at a four point buck standing on the sandbank not 25 meters from my tree blind. And I mean staring, the blasted deer had seen me turn around and was looking me in the eye. So I froze, and tried to make like a bush (30 feet up in the air, but what else can you do?). I had my binos in my hand, and I had to switch out for my rifle. I moved slowly, but he spooked and ran off.

So I figured I had blown it for the night's hunt. I had a good location certainly, but no other deer would be back after that right? Wrong.

Key rule about deer: they are stupid. Especially when its this time of year and they are after does.

I am slowly scanning around for about another 20 minutes. The sun finally drops a bit so I have a good view up river. I am doing a slow scan when I here another splash and some twigs snapping off to my left again. I turn around and there is a nice big buck coming across the river onto the sandbank. He keeps looking over to his right (my left) where those does were at earlier. Everytime he looks over I move a bit and bring my rifle around. He gets about midway to the main bank and instead of going over where the does were he starts moving my way. He walks almost to the spot where the other buck saw me and he looks up and sees me. And right as he freezes I shoot him dead center chest. We looked at the wound later and while I missed vital organs I broke his back about what would be waste level if he was bi-pedal. This paralyzed him. He actually sat down and didn't move, just stared at me with this "crap, this is what I get for thinking with the wrong head" look. After about 20 seconds he started to move and (not knowing where exactly I had hit him) I shot him again which dropped him (heart shot).

The buck weighed about 160 pounds after field dressing, which will give me about 90 to 100 pounds of deer meat. My mouth is already watering. Not the most impressive rack I have taken though. Only a 3/2 point. The two point horn was actually broken off, so this guy had been mixing it up earlier. He was a 2 or 3 year old. Bigger by a good 60 pounds than the last one I got though, so more yummy, deery goodness for me and the family.

This was the SHORTEST hunt I have ever had. From start to my second shot it was not even an hour. In that time I saw a total of 5 deer (another doe happend by after the first buck, but was running at a distance) in that time and I would have gladly shot anyone of them for size. I had five days of leave for this, now I just get to sleep in and goof off. Photos to follow.

"Its the second day of deer camp, and all the guys are here, we drink, play cards and shoot the bull but never shoot no deer, the only time we leave the camp is when we go for beer, the second day of deer camp is the greatest time of year!"

2 comments:

  1. And Nebraska beat KU 31-17. What a great day!

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  2. Good song by Da Yoopers. I have it on CD. Congrats on a good hunt.

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