Today started out with a hike to an old favourite spot that I’ve taken several bucks out of over the years, and I had seen a small 4pt buck in 3 weeks ago. After sitting in front of a little fir tree for two hours, I went and checked my nearby trail camera, and for the first time in the several years that it’s been there, I caught a healthy looking cougar on the prowl! Kind of eerie..
I spent the next few minutes looking over my shoulder as I scanned the rest of the images, and decided to head back to the quad and look for some grouse. I decided to go check out a spot I have often seen grouse in, and it also happens to look a bit like mule deer dreamland. There was a new clearing a few years ago that should be just right by now. I only made it a couple kilometers down the road and was limited out on grouse with the .22. It was just starting to spit rain, and I didn’t want to go home yet so decided to continue on and check out my original destination.
I make it there, round the corner onto into the new-ish clearing, and I spot my first deer of the season; a small 2pt is standing and staring back at me. I must had bumped him from his bed on the way in. I turn the quad off, grab the binos and watch him for a couple minutes. I briefly think that I should get my rifle out and ready just in case, but convince myself that he’s alone, as he hasn’t looked anywhere else the whole time. I should know better in early season, but I haven’t seen a deer all day and got completely skunked on opening day, plus it’s late in the morning. I grab the rangefinder to play a round of guess-the-distance, and it has him at 151yds versus my guess of 130yds. “What a wonderful morning” I think to myself as I eye a bag full of grouse and this nice little buck while it’s gently raining. As I turn back to the 2pt, I see a much bigger buck step into the open behind him. He’s looking straight at me, but I don’t need to see points to know he’s legal.
My heart starts racing as I scramble to get my rifle out and ready, and just as I pop the magazine in and chamber a round, the big buck turns and bounds off into the trees, then the 2pt shortly after. I slowly walk back towards the main road and up towards where I thought they might be. Nothing, gone. I beat myself up for the next 20 minutes as I explore the area on foot a bit. “You totally goofed it, what an idiotic mistake!” I think to myself.
There is some old timber across the road, and since I haven’t bumped any deer, I think they must have disappeared in there. I’d like to explore some more before leaving, so I begin very slowly picking a trail through grass and small trees at first, and then into the old growth. A few hundred meters in and I catch movement through the trees... it’s the big buck, and now I can see the 2pt as well! I haven’t spooked them, they hop 30-40 yds away and just out of sight. I slowly push forward and they keep moving away, 30-40 yds at a time. I think I’ve lost the big deer, but then I see him pop out on a hill about 150 yds through the trees. All I can see is his antlers, then he moves over, but from where I am there’s no shot. I walk a few steps forward until I can see him through a small opening in the brush, but he’s moved again and I have no shot. Back a couple steps and I can finally see the front half of his body. There’s nothing for a shooting rest around, so I make a free-hand shot through the small brush window, hoping that my 110gn Accubond doesn’t find a twig on the way. I loose sight of the deer through the brush, and then try to calm down. As I start to move forward, I see a deer standing right were I just shot. Up with the scope again, but this time it’s the 2 pt, feeding. He doesn’t seem to concerned with me as I very slowly make my way towards where I shot.
I don’t see any signs of blood and my heart begins to sink. Was it a clean miss off of a twig? The two point is still hanging out fairly close, and I slowly push towards him until he goes over the hill. I crest the hill, and there’s my deer, dead only a few steps and just out of sight from where I shot him. He’s beautiful.
I hike back to get the quad and bring it to a closer point, and get to work cutting. As I get back to the deer, I again notice the 2pt bound off nearby, then hang out watching me, probably wondering why his big brother decided to take a nap. What an awesome day.
2pt watching from the trees behind. He’s lucky it wasn’t October hunting with a friend.
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