I’m back!! Got home last night from a 4 day trip to
SD to chase deer and pheasants. Turned out to be a much different hunt than the original plan, but it was awesome none the less. I didn’t get to chase pheasants nearly as much as I thought I would. The days are just too short even though you start them at 5:30AM.
Friday morning, helped a group of hunters shoot a limit of pheasants at my dad’s farm. Then headed to my mule deer spot. Upon arrival, found a very big buck was on this land and we didn’t want to push him around before the lucky hunter arrived the next day. So, this turned into a complete socializing event. Since I hadn’t seen many of these guys for years, it was worth not getting to hunt. I’ll be sure to post pics of that buck if I he is taken. I saw the sheds, amazing for an east river SD mule deer.
Saturday afternoon I found myself in the deer stand at my best friend’s place. I hunted this land a lot as a kid growing up. Thank god for great friends. After not archery hunting for the last 10 years, it was refreshing to say the least. I was getting situated, figuring out where my shots would be, distances etc…. I wasn’t in the stand for 15 mins when a really, really nice 4×5(pic 3) came running at the decoy only 19 yards from me. It was awesome watching his interaction with the fake doe. If only I had a buck tag. He would have easily been my biggest whitetail by bow or rifle. Oh well, cool, cool experience having a deer of this caliber at 14 yards and not even knowing you are there. My heart must still be good cuz it was pumping hard. The rest of the night was slow, but sure enjoyed the 65 degree temps and the solitude one can only find in a deer stand.
The next morning, I was crawling in my stand by 6:30AM after dropping Jeff at his ground blind. We were about 3/4 of a mile apart. Again, I wasn’t in the stand 15 minutes and I had dark shapes moving all around me. I watched one doe sniff the decoy(which was destroyed the night prior). I had one nice buck sniffing my ladder looking up at me. The wind that morning was not in my favor, so anytime deer got just to my right hand, I was winded(not bad, just the deer knew something wasn’t quite right). The natural travel for these deer is left to right, so it was working out OK if I had more light. Finally shooting time arrived with only one small yearling still milling around under me. I decided to wait on the shot when another decent 4 point came in with a doe. However, she didn’t offer me a safe shot. I was not comfortable shooting past 25 yards as my practice was limited to that range. So, after the doe and bucked pushed off, I decided it was time to get bloody. I drew back on the yearling. She(later to be determined a he) was at 14 yards. A lay-up, right?? Well, my shot was apparently forward about an inch from the optimal region(quartering away slightly). The arrow enter behind the shoulder, exiting into the opposite shoulder. The impact almost knocked the massive beast to the ground. She took off on a dead run, I watched and listened as the deer left the tree line I was in. I sent a text to Jeff we had some tracking to do. Shortly after, he replied his doe would require no tracking. We finished our morning sit. I went and picked up Jeff and his deer.
We returned to the scene of my shot and started following the blood trail. It wasn’t great, but pretty easy tracking through the tall grass. We had several spots where the deer would stand and lose a lot of blood then keep moving. I kept telling myself the deer would be just ahead. After tracking through the trees to the fresh plowed dirt(fun tracking….), we jumped the deer. She ran across a road into another shelter belt. We left the deer for another two hours. I grabbed my bow and started another tracking job. About a 100 yard into the hunt I spotted the deer in a the bottom of a plum thicket. I was able to make a clean shot and the deer was quickly put down.
That evening(my last chance to hunt), I was in the same stand with one more doe tag to fill. I decided to let the yearling doe pass until the last minute. She had been around me for about an hour. Well, as the sun was setting, I decide to fill my tag knowing I would not be able to hunt in SD again this fall. Another close shot at 16 yards, while not the best placed, it put the deer down a short 70 yards from my stand.
Summary, two deer and a great pheasant hunt. What is most important, realized I just rekindled a fire that had been extinguished for far too long. Funny how life can do that to us. I’m already dreaming of next year. I’ll have a buck tag in hand though!! My buddies and I agreed, this needs to be an annual event. I love catching big fish, but I’ve never had any fish get my heart pounding even close to what those deer at 20 yards do. I had an encounter with a 150-160 class whitetail at 10 feet one evening walking out. Boy oh boy, what an animal!! Got to watch my buddy stalk within 25 yards of the palmated deer pictured. This pic doesn’t do him justice(pic 4). Lastly you can me relaying my final kill to my buddy on the trail cam by “my” stand(pic 2).
Just glad I was able to find the deer.
Kooty
Although your big fish statement has me a bit confused still 
