2015 SD Buck - Deer Hunting - Deer Hunting

One of my goals over the past year is to get over the score of a buck’s antlers and to focus more on all the aspects of a hunt that make it special. I’m finding this task to be more challenging than I thought it would. I still really want to shoot big bucks. Now, I don’t necessarily think this is a bad thing but I also don’t want to lose myself in the name of the mighty horns. I’ve seen it all too often unfortunately. So, with expectations fighting internally, off I went to South Dakota.

With opening weekend temps predicted in the 80’s, I decided to make the 2nd weekend of the season my official opener in South Dakota. I arrived home late on Thursday night to help Dad celebrate his 62nd birthday with a few cold beers before bed. I was up early the next morning but the wind was out of the southeast and I just didn’t want to chance a morning hunt with this wind. Our deer are typically moving from SW to NE to their favorite bedding area. So, I hopped in the pickup with my Binocs and 22-250 in case a yote showed himself. I worked my way around the outer edges of our property and didn’t spot a single critter. However the red sunrise and rainbows were worth getting out of the house. One bonus of being home, I get a nice hot cooked breakfast every morning. Love those times with the parents. Roger and I made our plan of attack for the day, priority 1 was to fix the bail blind I made last fall but was damaged when the wind rolled it over.

These short fall days seem to roll by faster than ever and before I knew it, it was time for a shower and off I went to the north box blind even though the ESE wind wasn’t ideal. Immediately after getting in the blind, I noticed several deer to the north of me a few hundred yards. They looked spooked. I was afraid I bumped them going in. Nope. Stupid coyote pushing them around. He eventually gave up and they settled down. Eventually 3 does and a yearling made their way to the watertank. I watched them run each other around the tank and feed on the freshly mowed grass. A little before sunset I got my heart racing for a few moments when I spotted a buck headed my way. After glassing him for a few minutes I realized he was one of the 2.5 year olds I had been watching all summer. He’s super good for that age as a 5×4 but he needs another year, maybe two before he makes the hit list. As I watched him get a couple big drinks of water it so amazing being inside of 20 yards to these critters and they don’t know you are there. I really enjoyed the show the deer put on as they fed back out into the CRP and the sun set for the night. My first sit of the was a success even though I didn’t spot any shooters.

Saturday lead to more chores around the farm. We tore off a portion of a building in August and needed to put the tin back on the east end. This project took twice as long as planned but it was a good project to get completed so the parents didn’t have to get on the roof etc… Again, I found myself rushing to the shower and headed back to the same blind about 4:30. I was well into the sit before I spotted my first deer. He was a tiny little nubbin sneaking through the CRP. He got a drink but was very nervous. I knew it wasn’t me given the wind direction, but maybe just the 20+ mph that had him jumpy. The next couple hours were very uneventful. I spotted a doe/fawn pair that headed north to the neighbors, same as they did the night before. I was preparing myself for “one of those sits” after having such a great time the night before. I looked out to the east and spotted a buck 250 yards out. I pulled up the binocs and could see he was a nice mature buck. He had good head gear.

The buck walked about 20 yards then kicked on the afterburners. He was on a dead run right at me. I was watching behind him but couldn’t spot anything so I can only assume he was thirsty. He jumped the fence about 50 yards to the north of me and came walking right in just like he was on a string. At 30 yards I glassed him one more time and saw the mass he was carrying on the right side made up my mind. I backed myself into the dark corner of the blind and prepared to draw. I could feel my heart racing. The buck stopped at 18 yards, turned broadside to me and looked back over his shoulder. I drew, centered and released. The arrow was through the buck before he knew what hit him. As he darted north down the tree line, I poked my head out of the blind and saw him run in a circle about 80 yards north of me. I was pretty sure I heard him crash.

I gathered myself for a few minutes then sent a text to my parents to bring the side by side. We had 20 minutes before sunset and this would be the first recovery they have been able to take part in during the daylight. They showed up 15 minutes laterm I was packed and ready to start tracking. A short walk later we were celebrating over a successful hunt. A round of beers and then the field dressing started. We got him loaded and hung that night knowing I would have to make quick work of him in the AM before traveling back to MN.

After reviewing my trail camera pics, I don’t have a single picture of this buck all summer. Do we have bigger deer running around, sure do, but I can still picture how perfect of an opportunity this buck gave me. I wish I had taken some video of the shot but everything happened so fast I got a little flustered. So, now my buck tags are filled in both SD and Mn. I guess I’ll need to get a doe tag if I want to get back in the stand again. OR…. I have more time to put a hurtin on those yotes. I hope everyone gets a chance to get out and enjoy the best time of the year!!