Hugh Mann
11-23-2020, 03:44 AM
After four seasons, I've finally bagged myself a 4 pointer. First two were two points, then I passed on a little basket 4x4 due to an LEH doe. Ain't nothing spectacular, but you know what, I'm more than happy and that's good enough for me.
Out with my usual partner, we split up to cover more ground, and to push deer towards eachother. Anyways, I get dropped off and start trudging through nasty, crunchy snow for a K or two. Lots of tracks, but I only see a fawn, doe and 2x3. Getting to the point I turn around and head back, I take a different route, detouring through some thick sage, and I mean thick. Bushes 7ft in some places. Tracks and stinky buck pee everywhere. Wind is in entirely the wrong direction, so I don't expect to see much, but you never know, right? So I crest a little ridge, looking down into a bit of a bowl, right down in the middle of which is a real nasty bit of berry bushes of some sort. I spot some movement, a deer sporting some head gear thrashing about, acting kinda funny. No idea I was there, or just plain didn't care. I get my binos on him and crouch behind some sage and get to counting. Clearly a 3 on one side, and maaaybe a nub of a 4 on the other. Between his thrashing and the thick brush, took what felt like an hour to count his points, but was probably more like 2 minutes. Finally he turns his head and I see it, a small little 4th point sticking out. Barely legal is the best kind of legal, so I put down the binos and ready my gun. By now I have hardcore buck fever, as I mentioned, never got a 4 point before, and really only my second or third hunt where I was well and truly alone for kilometers. The tall sage prohibits a prone shot, or even a proper kneeling really. Fortunately he wasn't far, I didn't bother ranging him. So I take aim, but this bugger is almost totally obscured, I can see his head only, and he's still mucking about. Another two minutes that felt like an hour he finally emerges into a small gap. Flick the safety off and let him have it. He jumps, and gives a couple hops towards me, head on and ends up behind a bush, so I jack another round in and shift position to regain line of sight. He poked his head out, and I took him down with a standing shot, maybe 25 meters. Not knowing 100% where I hit him, I rush over in case he decided to get up and bugger off. Fortunately that wasn't the case, but also unfortunately in my rush, excitement and close range, my shot was less than spectacular. I'm not perfect, and I'll be the first to admit it. My shot blew out his spine at the base of his neck, so I finished him off, cut my tag and notified my partner, who started heading over.
He ends up going the wrong way, because he found a blood trail on buck tracks, thought it was me. Nope. So after a bit we start hauling this guy out of there. I walked a couple kilometers and end up shooting this deer 700m from an FSR. Just my luck.
Back home, I made three discoveries during the skinning.
My first shot missed entirely.
My second shot ruined a good chunk of neck.
I wasn't the first one to shoot this deer.
I wish I was joking, there was a small caliber entry hole right at the bottom of the brisket area, at an angle that suggested a near full frontal shot at a steep uphill. Bullet barely touched the body, but entered and shattered the shoulder. Filled the whole thing with bone and lead fragments. I know it wasn't me because I shoot ttsx and my first shot was broadside and I ain't no Lee Harvey Oswald. Blood in the wound channel was also old and turning brown. This marks the second animal I have harvested that had already been previously shot. Needless to say, there was a good bit of meat on this guy that went to dogs or the scrap bin. Still got a solid 64lbs of meat, that's real tasty too. Did my own cutting and had steaks that night. Had some stank to him, but nothing real rank.
Anyways, that's the story of my first 4 point mule deer. Would post pictures, but can never figure that out on mobile.
Out with my usual partner, we split up to cover more ground, and to push deer towards eachother. Anyways, I get dropped off and start trudging through nasty, crunchy snow for a K or two. Lots of tracks, but I only see a fawn, doe and 2x3. Getting to the point I turn around and head back, I take a different route, detouring through some thick sage, and I mean thick. Bushes 7ft in some places. Tracks and stinky buck pee everywhere. Wind is in entirely the wrong direction, so I don't expect to see much, but you never know, right? So I crest a little ridge, looking down into a bit of a bowl, right down in the middle of which is a real nasty bit of berry bushes of some sort. I spot some movement, a deer sporting some head gear thrashing about, acting kinda funny. No idea I was there, or just plain didn't care. I get my binos on him and crouch behind some sage and get to counting. Clearly a 3 on one side, and maaaybe a nub of a 4 on the other. Between his thrashing and the thick brush, took what felt like an hour to count his points, but was probably more like 2 minutes. Finally he turns his head and I see it, a small little 4th point sticking out. Barely legal is the best kind of legal, so I put down the binos and ready my gun. By now I have hardcore buck fever, as I mentioned, never got a 4 point before, and really only my second or third hunt where I was well and truly alone for kilometers. The tall sage prohibits a prone shot, or even a proper kneeling really. Fortunately he wasn't far, I didn't bother ranging him. So I take aim, but this bugger is almost totally obscured, I can see his head only, and he's still mucking about. Another two minutes that felt like an hour he finally emerges into a small gap. Flick the safety off and let him have it. He jumps, and gives a couple hops towards me, head on and ends up behind a bush, so I jack another round in and shift position to regain line of sight. He poked his head out, and I took him down with a standing shot, maybe 25 meters. Not knowing 100% where I hit him, I rush over in case he decided to get up and bugger off. Fortunately that wasn't the case, but also unfortunately in my rush, excitement and close range, my shot was less than spectacular. I'm not perfect, and I'll be the first to admit it. My shot blew out his spine at the base of his neck, so I finished him off, cut my tag and notified my partner, who started heading over.
He ends up going the wrong way, because he found a blood trail on buck tracks, thought it was me. Nope. So after a bit we start hauling this guy out of there. I walked a couple kilometers and end up shooting this deer 700m from an FSR. Just my luck.
Back home, I made three discoveries during the skinning.
My first shot missed entirely.
My second shot ruined a good chunk of neck.
I wasn't the first one to shoot this deer.
I wish I was joking, there was a small caliber entry hole right at the bottom of the brisket area, at an angle that suggested a near full frontal shot at a steep uphill. Bullet barely touched the body, but entered and shattered the shoulder. Filled the whole thing with bone and lead fragments. I know it wasn't me because I shoot ttsx and my first shot was broadside and I ain't no Lee Harvey Oswald. Blood in the wound channel was also old and turning brown. This marks the second animal I have harvested that had already been previously shot. Needless to say, there was a good bit of meat on this guy that went to dogs or the scrap bin. Still got a solid 64lbs of meat, that's real tasty too. Did my own cutting and had steaks that night. Had some stank to him, but nothing real rank.
Anyways, that's the story of my first 4 point mule deer. Would post pictures, but can never figure that out on mobile.