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Thread: I finally shot something! Story of success!

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Oct 2014
    Posts
    952

    I finally shot something! Story of success!

    Whitetail down!

    I moved to Canada 11 years ago and bought a cabin 3 years ago. I’ve been ‘hunting’ my area for 3 years now. My family isn’t really into it so I do it when I can get away. Having a place near Kamloops helps because it’s not too far and I can get away for small chunks of time and explore. I know there are areas with more game and less pressure, but I’ve really concentrated on my area.

    Mule deer are still a bit of a mystery to me but coming from Michigan I have a much better understanding of whitetails. I’m no pro but at least I feel like I can predict where they will be and what they will do much more than mulies.

    I’ve seen a lot of mulies but during hunting season only does. If I’m seeing does – and CLOSE – I know I’m on the right track and I’ll start to see bucks if I play my cards right.

    Anyway, there’s a spot near me where I’ve been seeing whitetails. It’s an area where I would expect to see whitetails, lots of open space and good cover nearby. I saw a couple from the road so I did some scouting with iHunt and Google (I use HuntBuddy as well but iHunt has a great maps that show private land). There’s a ranch nearby – hence the open space – but they won’t give permission to hunt. I tried. So, I found a nice area adjacent to the ranch that looked open enough where I thought the whitetails were going through.

    Today was my first day exploring it. I needed to bushwack to get in – but in keeping with good whitetail cover – it wasn’t too thick so not so difficult.

    I had about 3 hours. I circled the cut block slowly and made my way around. The plan was to circumnavigate the cut block and end up back at my truck. I did the slow poke – checking my GPS occasionally to make sure I was on my planned track – and not straying onto the ranch. I saw nothing. I only had about an hour of daylight left and started working my way back. I was still being careful but maybe not as careful as earlier in the day. Sure enough, I see 2 does bound away. But, I was going slow and they weren’t really that spooked. They stopped at 50 yards or so but there was too much brush in the way and I couldn’t get a shot. I backed off and worked my way around to where I thought they would push through the brush. Sure enough, I saw them – but again – no good shot. Offhand, 50 yards, at a deer’s head isn’t my thing.

    I followed them a little but decided maybe I shouldn’t push them too much because they weren’t that scared. Whitetails are animals of habit and I knew where to sit tomorrow so best to continue on my way.

    I get to just about where I saw the 2 does and I hear a snort, stomp, and see a flag. Shit! I busted another deer! I couldn’t see if it was a buck or a doe but I knew it was big – the earlier 2 were kind scrawny. When you get snorted it’s usually because the deer doesn’t know what you are – at least in my experience. I was a mile in so I figured they weren't too pressured. The wind was in my favor and I guessed that it hadn’t gone too far.


    I slowly worked my way around and over the ridge where I thought it probably would stop. It was maybe 30 yards up and another 50 around. I was setting myself up with the wind directly in my face, so I felt that if the deer hadn’t gone too far, I had a pretty good chance of seeing it. I crept up the hill behind some good cover.

    Wouldn’t you know it, after some slow gazing down into the hollow, there’s a doe standing broadside at 100 yards. I had plenty of time to put in my ear plugs and lean against a tree. I put the cross hairs just behind her leg, took a breath, breathed out slowly, and squeezed. You know when it’s right.

    She was with another deer (not sure if buck or doe) that I hadn’t seen, that took off at the shot. I shoot a 270 and the Hornady 145g precision hunter went completely through, exited above the opposite shoulder, and shredded the top of her heart. She took 2 steps and dropped. She had no idea what hit her. My rifle shoots just about anything well but it has a particular affinity for this ammo. They were awesome at the range, but I had never shot anything with one.


    What a fattie! I would guess close to 100#’s dressed. She has a 2” layer of fat over her entire body. What a healthy deer.


    It was a long way from the truck. I dragged her about ½ mile and decided I couldn’t make it the rest of the way because it was mostly uphill. I took off the rear quarters and got them, my rifle, and backpack to the truck. Hiking a mile with a deer gives a man quite a bit of time to think about how he might make the trip easier…. I realized that there is an old FSR road blocked off because of the ranch.

    Not excited about 2 more trips of a mile round trip carrying venison, I decided to ask the ranch if I could pretty please drive through their property to retrieve the rest of my deer. They said ‘yes’, they even opened up the locked gate, and I drove right up to the rest of my deer! I owe them some steaks.


    Now, I need a mulie and a moose.

    I know it’s a long post but it’s my first deer in probably 30 years.
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  3. #2
    Join Date
    May 2015
    Posts
    419

    Re: I finally shot something! Story of success!

    Great story! Congratulations on your harvest. I’m still figuring the whitetails out. Only ever seen 8 of them. Sneaky buggers.

  4. #3
    Join Date
    Nov 2011
    Location
    Kamloops
    Posts
    107

    Re: I finally shot something! Story of success!

    Sounds like you put the time in for that deer. Congrats on a successful hunt. Will be some fine eating for sure.

  5. #4
    Join Date
    Oct 2014
    Posts
    952

    Re: I finally shot something! Story of success!

    I'm guessing I've 'hiked' 100 miles with a rifle before I shot that deer. And, I don't regret any of them. Ok, maybe that 1/2 mile where I had to bushwhack through the THICK windfall when the path on my map had disappeared.....

    Quote Originally Posted by montec assassin View Post
    Sounds like you put the time in for that deer. Congrats on a successful hunt. Will be some fine eating for sure.

  6. #5
    Join Date
    May 2011
    Location
    Lower mainland
    Posts
    947

    Re: I finally shot something! Story of success!

    Congratulations. Good write up.

  7. #6
    Join Date
    Nov 2016
    Location
    region 3
    Posts
    3,290

    Re: I finally shot something! Story of success!

    Exellent story, happy for you!

  8. #7
    Join Date
    Dec 2004
    Location
    Island
    Posts
    1,938

    Re: I finally shot something! Story of success!

    Good job, that deer will eat well for you!
    Blacktailaholic

  9. #8
    Join Date
    Mar 2006
    Posts
    4,368

    Re: I finally shot something! Story of success!

    great job. Enjoy that venison!!!

    thanks for sharing

  10. #9
    Join Date
    May 2011
    Location
    mission
    Posts
    2,227

    Re: I finally shot something! Story of success!

    Nothing like a good deer steak. Congradulations. Nice the rancher let you come onto his property so you could get the rest of the deer.
    Nothing is like climbing a mountain, and then feeling like you are at the top of the world.

  11. #10
    Join Date
    Mar 2015
    Posts
    6,437

    Re: I finally shot something! Story of success!

    great success....well earned.....happy for you!

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