We are having quite the deer season here. I have already posted photos of the buck I took, and the double (including a nice buck) that Ashley took. Now we have another double.
Tina's (my wife's) eldest daughter, son-in-law (Paul), and grandson (Thomas) came to celebrate Thanksgiving with us and to do a little hunting. Thomas had hunted here two years ago and shot his first deer (a doe) on his first morning here. He had to wait until legal shooting time to fire.
Paul took Thomas up to the gully stand yesterday morning. About 9:00 AM what they thought was a doe came out up at the east side of the top of the ridge – about 200 yards away. Thomas shot it and it ran out of sight uphill. It dropped about 30 yards away just behind a patch of brush. Thomas’s deer turned out to be a tiny button buck which he hit it right through the heart. Expressing shooter's remorse about shooting such a small deer he put his DMP (Deer Management Permit – antler less only) tag on it.
We all came back to the house. Thomas and I went to work hanging and skinning his DMP deer while Paul ate a quick lunch and went down to the 4 wheeled 4’ x 4’ wagon blind to the east. After Thomas and I hung and skinned the deer and ate some lunch, he talked to Paul and Paul told him to go up to the shooting hut on top of the hill. So, I decided to save some time and energy and run him up on the tractor. We had just gotten about half way up the tractor road when I spotted two deer down to the left. One was a big buck.
I stopped the tractor and told Thomas to load his rifle. He stepped off the tractor and loaded a single cartridge in the chamber. He took a few steps back and the buck moved further away. I thought we were going to lose him. But, he stopped and looked back – a fatal mistake. Thomas couldn’t see the buck from where he was standing. I told him to walk up beside me because I could still see the buck approximately 75 yards away through the trees. He stepped up beside the tractor, raised the rifle. However, he was waving the rifle around like a policeman directing traffic. He told him to kneel down. He did but I could still see his barrel muzzle doing big figure 8’s. Afraid he was going to miss, I said, “Don’t shoot. Don’t shoot”. “Sit on the ground.” Thomas awkwardly tried to sit down beside the tractor. I said, “Get your butt right on the ground. Put your knees up. Rest your arms on your knees”. He complied with my directions and I could see the muzzle calm down. “O.K.”, I said, “Shoot when you are ready”. He aimed for a moment and then fired. I thought I had been speaking to Thomas calmly and quietly. But, to hear Thomas telling the story, I was “yelling” at him with my directions.
The buck ran diagonally down hill away from us. I could tell he had been hit but at first I couldn’t tell how hard he was hit. He went about 30 yards and then staggered. “That is a good sign”, I thought. He went just a little further and stopped and swayed. “That is another good sign”, I thought again. Then he went down. At first his head was up. Then his head went down. A few moments later I saw his tail do the “death ring”. Meanwhile, I was hollering at Thomas to stand still. He had gotten up and started running toward the buck. Finally, after I saw the death ring of the tail, I told Thomas we could go down there. The buck had gone down on one of the tractor roads, and I was able to drive right up to him.
Thomas hit this one right through the heart also. He was using a Savage Axis rifle chambered in .243 Win. shooting a Federal factory load with a 100 gr. Game King bullet.
I am beginning the think I should hunt just by driving around the property on the golf cart and tractor. :?
From the trail camera photos and live sightings we had previously named this buck "Tall Tines".
Father and Son
The 100 gr. Sierra Game King was found under the skin of the leg on the off side of the deer. It did its job wonderfully.
Dan
Tina's (my wife's) eldest daughter, son-in-law (Paul), and grandson (Thomas) came to celebrate Thanksgiving with us and to do a little hunting. Thomas had hunted here two years ago and shot his first deer (a doe) on his first morning here. He had to wait until legal shooting time to fire.
Paul took Thomas up to the gully stand yesterday morning. About 9:00 AM what they thought was a doe came out up at the east side of the top of the ridge – about 200 yards away. Thomas shot it and it ran out of sight uphill. It dropped about 30 yards away just behind a patch of brush. Thomas’s deer turned out to be a tiny button buck which he hit it right through the heart. Expressing shooter's remorse about shooting such a small deer he put his DMP (Deer Management Permit – antler less only) tag on it.
We all came back to the house. Thomas and I went to work hanging and skinning his DMP deer while Paul ate a quick lunch and went down to the 4 wheeled 4’ x 4’ wagon blind to the east. After Thomas and I hung and skinned the deer and ate some lunch, he talked to Paul and Paul told him to go up to the shooting hut on top of the hill. So, I decided to save some time and energy and run him up on the tractor. We had just gotten about half way up the tractor road when I spotted two deer down to the left. One was a big buck.
I stopped the tractor and told Thomas to load his rifle. He stepped off the tractor and loaded a single cartridge in the chamber. He took a few steps back and the buck moved further away. I thought we were going to lose him. But, he stopped and looked back – a fatal mistake. Thomas couldn’t see the buck from where he was standing. I told him to walk up beside me because I could still see the buck approximately 75 yards away through the trees. He stepped up beside the tractor, raised the rifle. However, he was waving the rifle around like a policeman directing traffic. He told him to kneel down. He did but I could still see his barrel muzzle doing big figure 8’s. Afraid he was going to miss, I said, “Don’t shoot. Don’t shoot”. “Sit on the ground.” Thomas awkwardly tried to sit down beside the tractor. I said, “Get your butt right on the ground. Put your knees up. Rest your arms on your knees”. He complied with my directions and I could see the muzzle calm down. “O.K.”, I said, “Shoot when you are ready”. He aimed for a moment and then fired. I thought I had been speaking to Thomas calmly and quietly. But, to hear Thomas telling the story, I was “yelling” at him with my directions.
The buck ran diagonally down hill away from us. I could tell he had been hit but at first I couldn’t tell how hard he was hit. He went about 30 yards and then staggered. “That is a good sign”, I thought. He went just a little further and stopped and swayed. “That is another good sign”, I thought again. Then he went down. At first his head was up. Then his head went down. A few moments later I saw his tail do the “death ring”. Meanwhile, I was hollering at Thomas to stand still. He had gotten up and started running toward the buck. Finally, after I saw the death ring of the tail, I told Thomas we could go down there. The buck had gone down on one of the tractor roads, and I was able to drive right up to him.
Thomas hit this one right through the heart also. He was using a Savage Axis rifle chambered in .243 Win. shooting a Federal factory load with a 100 gr. Game King bullet.
I am beginning the think I should hunt just by driving around the property on the golf cart and tractor. :?
From the trail camera photos and live sightings we had previously named this buck "Tall Tines".
Father and Son
The 100 gr. Sierra Game King was found under the skin of the leg on the off side of the deer. It did its job wonderfully.
Dan
