Nice Wide7 Point

I must say now that every deer season has been a good one, but this one was a little more productive. We had the usual “deer camp” at our house where my brother and his kids come up from downstate on the Friday after Thanksgiving. We have a great time with the anticipation and excitement of the coming Monday opener.  The kids usually have off from school for the opening of deer season and the following day as well so it makes for a nice extended stay for them at Uncle Robs house.

Unfortunately, every year that my niece and nephews have been coming up, they have always gone back home empty handed. They have seen deer but apparently have never been able to get a shot off at one. This year was no different. The weather was nice for the first day, and rainy the next. Deer were seen and those same deer walked away freely. I felt bad as they left without any deer again. I put my success on the back burner when they come up because I desperately want one of them to get something.

Anyway, I was able to go out the following Saturday on private lands that I could not have taken the whole crew to hunt on. I had a doe tag and a buck tag but was ready to shoot what I saw first.  It had snowed the last few days. Not a lot, but enough to cover the ground for a nice white backdrop to the woods. This makes it easier to spot the movement of deer. As I walked to where I had set my tree stand during archery season, I found that it was gone. This is the first time I had been the victim of tree stand theft…on private land! Anyway, I just sat down right there. As I took off my pack I heard about 6 deer crashing off through the woods along side of me back out to the field where I had come from. I figured “Great! Now the woods are empty!” I was only planning on hunting the morning so that I could get back and watch the kids while my wife went out to a get together. I figured my morning was a bust. I stayed put and within one hour I heard 2 deer waling back the way they had ran out. They were coming in from behind me on my left. I shoot left handed so I knew I had to spin around to see them or get a good shot. I turned my head and saw there were two deer. I waited till they were both behind trees and I spun around as quietly as possible. The first one was a doe. I was going to shoot her but decided to wait and see what the trailing deer was. If that was a doe, then I’d shoot either one.

I could hear my wifes instructons “If its a doe, take it. Dont pass it up for a buck. We need the meat”. That was because I had passed up a good shot on a doe in early archery season. Anyway, the trailing deer had stopped behind a large tree. My rifle was up and ready…and getting very heavy. It seemed like an eternity for it to move out from behind the tree. The lead doe had already moved out of site, so if this deer was not a shooter, I would have wasted a good opportunity.

Minutes after the shot. .243 Howa Axiom

Finally it took a step or two and I saw antlers. I quick checked for three tines one one side and found it was legal. Then I took my scope off the antlers and on to the body. If you loo at the antlers for too long, you will miss a shot…trust me. He was walking and so I had only a few second to get him between trees and have a good shot. When he stopped between two trees I laid the cross hairs just behind the shoulder and pulled the trigger. BLAM! He dropped right where he stood without a struggle! I was very happy with that shot. I do not like taking a shot unless it will do the job quickly. The doe in front just slowly walked away. I was trying to take aim on her too but she had quartered away too quickly and I remembered that I legally had to tag the buck before I could take another deer.

I didnt realize how nice of a buck it was till I got over to it. I was also able to shoot a doe that night…but that’s for another post.=)

Hyundai Elantras are amazing!