On tuesday i wrote a post about how i was stalking in on some does. Wednesday night i planned on going up little further to a spot thats pretty renown for good hunting. I found a little lake in an area that looked to be a funnel and decided that was the spot id hike in to. I woke up at 4. Got my studf together. Had some breakfast and headed out at 5. I arrived at 6 to a very thin sprinkling of freshly falle snow. I was pumped! legally youre allowed to hunt at 6:20 so i tried to have a nap. Operative word 'try'; i just tossed and turned for 20 minutes excited for the new adventure. Woke up at 620 got out of the truck and got to it.
As soon as i step out of the truck i take in a bif bresth of fresh mountain air. Its filled with the crispness of a first snow. The hike was steep, as i expected so in no time i had shed my jacket and was in a T-shirt. The snow was still lightly fallig all around me. The woods were dead silent and the snow grew thicker as I climbed. An hour and a half later i arrived to the skeleton of a lake that had been ransacked by cattle. My whole hike was littered with cattle sign and i could constantly hear them. Seeing little to no sign I was frustrated and figured the cattle had run everything out. "**** it" i thought ill go find a cut block and get in behind it.
So down i go dodging warm cow crap the whole way.
Back at the truck my notification is blinking. The TPS has detected my tires gone soft. I check it and yup, its dropped to 26. **** me i decide i cant go any further and go back. As im driving back, now its around 1030, im not ready to call it quits for the day. I have nothing to lose so i stop off at the spot i scouted on tuesday on the way back and check it out.
I get out, have a quick lunch and get after it. Still hunting just like tuesday through the woods. I stop and do some 'business' and have a bit more food since my packs already down and shoot a text. As soon as i go back to hunting i turn around a tree and spook a doe with 2 older fawns. ****. Alright i double back to some promising topo. I walk not 15 more feet and see im being watched by a doe. Shes frozen still. We stsre eachother down for what seemed like forever. Eventually she lost the staring contest and began slowly walking closer. 4 or 5 steps then a 2 minute pause just staring at me. The second time she did it i checked my phone quickly to see how long it was. It had been over 15 minutes since i had sent the text. Her short walk, stop, and stare lasted for another 15 or so kinutes. Eventually i had to leave. I tried to burp loudly at her twice. She didnt flinch. I slowly turned away from her and backed off. She didnt bolt off like i expected. She just stood there staring. I headed over to the topo i wanted to check out.
After about 10 minutes of still hunting over i look back behind me. The doe is somewhat following but shes about 40 yards over. A few more yards up a hill and i see another doe. I walk with them some more, see that im too far east and have to slide over to get to the funnel im looking for. As i make my way over i see quite a bit of sign, but im approaching the does. They've bedded now eating lichen and are just watching me. I pass them at 10 yards they spook a bit. Get up, and walk a few yards away. But theyre content to continue eating from that distance. I keep going and bam.. i spook the doe and her fawns again. Onwards i go. Almost to the funnel and i hear a branch snap. On another day i would have figured a squirrel or just the forest but since ive been with the deer for a few jours now i figure it sounds "deery". I follow the sound (its on the way to the funnel anyways) and cant see anything. Oh well must be the woods. 10 yards further and i stop dead another deer about 60 yards away... i can see the body but the head is hiding behind the trees. I get the binos out. Im checking i look if i can see a dick. Nothing from what i can see but the hair down under it kinda loons like utters. Damn. Another doe. I try to maneuver to get a biew between the trees at the head but im in a bit of crunchy awkward stuff and i can tell its stsring at me.But i check the head anyways just to be sure... and i think i can see an antler but it kinda just looks like an emgraving behind the tree. Half sure its a doe half hopeful its a buck i crunch about a bit more and see a matching engravif over the other side of the head... but its not on a tree. Its a buck!
Now adrenaline kicks in im jittery and nervous. I get doen over the log infront of me and try to get him in my scope. My reticle is all over the place. I try to calm myself... nope, still a huge sway. I take my pack and put it infront of thr log i lay down incredibly awkwardly over all the crunchy stuff. The whole time im terrified hes going to hear me. My hesrts in my throst. I put the stock against my shoulder and look down the scope. Ive got my reticle hovering on the vitals and realize hes quartering to me. I aim a little further infront to account for this (dont want to deal with any spilt guts) . BLOUCH (as Rinella would say). My head pops up off my scope and i watch the deer sprint away. 'Dang it. I missed' i think to myself heart still pounding. I take my tape out and stsrt marking off trees. Eventually i get to wherr i thought he was when i shot and theres nothing. No blood, no fur, no scuffed up ground from hin running off. Talk about highs and lows im really second guessing my shot now. I make my way off to where i think he ran. The small ledge he was on ends and starts to drop off. I go to the edge and scan. Nothing. Nothing. Oh my god..... there he is laying there dead. He didnt make it 50 yards from wherr he was hit before he toppled over.
So then i got into the hard stuff of processing and packing out the animal alone. By the end of it i was absolutely exhausted but wow what a day and what an adventure.
If youve made it this far thanks for the time youve put into reading this. And ill try to get the few pics i took up soon
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