Having the world's greatest wife, she fully understood my desire to spend one morning in my favorite stretch of Montana creek bottom. Feeling guilty about being gone so much while filming, I hesitated to even raise the idea of going out for a morning of my own hunting; no cameras, no people, just me and the deer. Now, I am glad I did.
Got there at daylight and decided I would shoot the first 4-point buck I saw, not wanting to wear out Mrs. Fin's kind tolerance of my whitetail malady. While I walked in, low light images showed that deer were bounding out in front of me, making me glad that I had decided to come over this morning and spend a little hunting time for myself.
I got to my favorite spot on the creek, sat down, and within five minutes, a buck came ambling down the cottonwoods with his nose to the ground. Catching a glimpse of him coming, I readied, knowing he was a 4-point. Was not in a super big hurry, but was determined to stick to my promise.
He came to 80 yards, then stopped to look at me while using some willows as cover. I watched him and could tell he seemed like one that would put a smile on my face, given the limited time I had.
He stepped into some thicker brush, then walked away from me, losing sight of him in a little gully between me and the creek. Still did not have a good look at him, but knew if he stepped out on the trail he was taking, I would be ready to shoot. He read the script and did exactly what I asked. He stepped out of the gully, turned toward me and looked to see if that big orange blob of a fence post was still there.
By then, the crosshairs were already on his front shoulder. I still had not looked at him much and without looking further at the antlers a .180 grain Trophy Bonded Tip was headed his direction. In the scope I saw his head rock back as he collapsed.
Less than fifteen minutes into my sitting session and I was already digging through my pack to find the camera and Joby tripod. This was all I could have hoped for on this peaceful refreshing morning of watching deer in the creek bottom.
Not the biggest buck around, though one I am happy to shoot in my one morning available for whitetail hunting. He is a five on one side, with a broken sixth, just between the eye guard and the next point. The other side being a very nice rack of four tall points. Big smiles for me.
Got there at daylight and decided I would shoot the first 4-point buck I saw, not wanting to wear out Mrs. Fin's kind tolerance of my whitetail malady. While I walked in, low light images showed that deer were bounding out in front of me, making me glad that I had decided to come over this morning and spend a little hunting time for myself.
I got to my favorite spot on the creek, sat down, and within five minutes, a buck came ambling down the cottonwoods with his nose to the ground. Catching a glimpse of him coming, I readied, knowing he was a 4-point. Was not in a super big hurry, but was determined to stick to my promise.
He came to 80 yards, then stopped to look at me while using some willows as cover. I watched him and could tell he seemed like one that would put a smile on my face, given the limited time I had.
He stepped into some thicker brush, then walked away from me, losing sight of him in a little gully between me and the creek. Still did not have a good look at him, but knew if he stepped out on the trail he was taking, I would be ready to shoot. He read the script and did exactly what I asked. He stepped out of the gully, turned toward me and looked to see if that big orange blob of a fence post was still there.
By then, the crosshairs were already on his front shoulder. I still had not looked at him much and without looking further at the antlers a .180 grain Trophy Bonded Tip was headed his direction. In the scope I saw his head rock back as he collapsed.
Less than fifteen minutes into my sitting session and I was already digging through my pack to find the camera and Joby tripod. This was all I could have hoped for on this peaceful refreshing morning of watching deer in the creek bottom.
Not the biggest buck around, though one I am happy to shoot in my one morning available for whitetail hunting. He is a five on one side, with a broken sixth, just between the eye guard and the next point. The other side being a very nice rack of four tall points. Big smiles for me.
