Hunting season is rapidly approaching and as I meticulously research for my upcoming hunts I often catch myself "scouting" previous years' hunts. I'll be looking at maps and I'll happen upon a spot that I saw a big buck once or harvested an animal. I'll then look through whatever photos I have of the hunt and reminisce of the good times. I recently went through this very scenario and I figured I'd share the story of the hunt.
It was just last year and I was again sitting at work and looking at the calendar trying to figure out how to use the rest of my vacation for the year. I had a week that was unused and I didn't know what I wanted to do with it. I finally decided to take the first week of November off and go out of state to hunt. It was too late in the year to plan anything too extreme and it would have to be an OTC tag. I was online, looking at different state regulations and decided I would buy an archery deer tag and try to find some rutting activity somewhere. I also didn't want to sit in a deer stand all day for a week and I wanted to try spot and stalk.
After more research I settled on a state based off of the amount of public grassland, that was basically all that I researched. The area that I settled on had very little info online and very low harvest success but the area looked good on the map. I researched other areas in the state in case the spot I chose didn't work out and patiently waited for November to arrive.
It was finally the day that I was going to leave for the hunt. All my gear was packed up in my truck, tag purchased, and I was ready to head out. I left work a little later than I would have liked, but I left Mississippi and headed northwest. It was a long drive through the night and I arrived in the early morning to my parking spot and had a couple hours to take a nap before sunrise. I did see a small buck when I first entered the public land and I was excited to see that there was at least one deer there.
My alarm sounded and I pulled myself out of my truck, threw on my clothes, grabbed my bow and I was off. The area was hilly grass lands with a couple of creek bottoms and juniper stands. I decided to just get up high and glass the area to see if I could spot a deer. I sat down and began to scan the far hill sides for any signs of life. Within 20 minutes I saw a doe about a half mile away and watched her mill around for awhile and then I look behind her and there was a decent 8 or buck with her. I watched them for awhile and formulated a plan. I snuck over to where I had last seen the deer but I didn't see them. I slowly crept around the ridge and caught some movement. The doe was running down the hill towards me with three bucks in tow! One was a very nice main frame 10 pt wit some kickers. All four deer were running right towards me and were only 100 yds away. I ready myself and they came within 60 yds, but the large buck was about 75 yds out. That was too far of a shot for me and I waited for him to get closer, they chased the doe around and eventually went the other way. I didn't ever catch up to this again, but I was excited none the less. I told myself no matter what happens the rest of the week it was all worth the trip.
After that encounter I went to different areas and glassed from hilltops. I had several encounters with a variety of deer throughout the next few days. I failed many stalks on some very nice bucks but I was having a blast. I had never had so many opportunities to get close to what I would consider shooter bucks in four days. My standards weren't extremely high but I wanted a respectable deer and I had plenty of opportunities. Every buck that I had encountered I was making mental notes of where I was seeing them and they were all bedded near water. The rut was in full swing but it was unseasonably warm for the area and they needed a drink from chasing does all day. After day four I was at camp and looking at the weather for the next day and it was calling for 50 mph wind gusts and to be honest I didn't have hope for the next day's hunt.
The next morning I perched myself on a hill over looking a creek bottom. I glassed for awhile and didn't see much. I started walking the creek and just so happen to glass up on a ridge and I saw antlers. The buck was about a half mile away and I decided to put a stalk on him. The wind was howling and it was blowing me around while I tried to stalk to where I last saw the buck. I figured the buck bedded down in a little bowl to get out of the wind and as I got close to where I thought he would be I see a deer off to my right. A little buck was bedded down and I had me pegged, luckily he ran off the other direction and I went back to the stalk. I reached the bowl and really looked the area over and didn't see a thing. I figured he had just kept walking or got spooked by the other deer. I decided to go downtown to the creek bottom and sit next to a little pond and get out of the wind.
I sat down under a little bush, pulled out some trail mix and stretched out. About ten minutes later the buck I had stalked suddenly appeared and was going to the water. I throw down the trail mix and get on my knees and ready my bow. I ranged him at 45yds and let the arrow fly. I hear the arrow hit something and the deer runs about 10 yds and stops and looks. I MISSED... I grab another arrow and but my 50 yd pin a little high on his shoulder and I saw the arrow hit right behind his shoulder. The buck took off running and my adrenaline was full tilt. I went to look for my arrows and some blood. The first arrow actually had some blood on it and I couldn't find the second arrow in the thick creek bottom grass and willows but I did find some blood. I waited awhile and started blood trailing, the blood looked good but it was so thick it was hard to stay on the trail. I finally found the deer and it didn't run 40 yds. The first arrow grazed it's back; I think hit a stand of cockleburs and that was the culprit or the adrenaline got to me.
The pack out was a great experience and I relished the moment and scenery; I didn't want the moment to end. This buck was not the biggest deer I had I ever killed but it is definitely one of my top hunts ever and that's all that mattered. It was a great hunt and I'll never forget that experience. This hunt also showed me that you "won't know unless you go" so if you have the time and money to go on a hunt do your research and enjoy the experience.
It was just last year and I was again sitting at work and looking at the calendar trying to figure out how to use the rest of my vacation for the year. I had a week that was unused and I didn't know what I wanted to do with it. I finally decided to take the first week of November off and go out of state to hunt. It was too late in the year to plan anything too extreme and it would have to be an OTC tag. I was online, looking at different state regulations and decided I would buy an archery deer tag and try to find some rutting activity somewhere. I also didn't want to sit in a deer stand all day for a week and I wanted to try spot and stalk.
After more research I settled on a state based off of the amount of public grassland, that was basically all that I researched. The area that I settled on had very little info online and very low harvest success but the area looked good on the map. I researched other areas in the state in case the spot I chose didn't work out and patiently waited for November to arrive.
It was finally the day that I was going to leave for the hunt. All my gear was packed up in my truck, tag purchased, and I was ready to head out. I left work a little later than I would have liked, but I left Mississippi and headed northwest. It was a long drive through the night and I arrived in the early morning to my parking spot and had a couple hours to take a nap before sunrise. I did see a small buck when I first entered the public land and I was excited to see that there was at least one deer there.
My alarm sounded and I pulled myself out of my truck, threw on my clothes, grabbed my bow and I was off. The area was hilly grass lands with a couple of creek bottoms and juniper stands. I decided to just get up high and glass the area to see if I could spot a deer. I sat down and began to scan the far hill sides for any signs of life. Within 20 minutes I saw a doe about a half mile away and watched her mill around for awhile and then I look behind her and there was a decent 8 or buck with her. I watched them for awhile and formulated a plan. I snuck over to where I had last seen the deer but I didn't see them. I slowly crept around the ridge and caught some movement. The doe was running down the hill towards me with three bucks in tow! One was a very nice main frame 10 pt wit some kickers. All four deer were running right towards me and were only 100 yds away. I ready myself and they came within 60 yds, but the large buck was about 75 yds out. That was too far of a shot for me and I waited for him to get closer, they chased the doe around and eventually went the other way. I didn't ever catch up to this again, but I was excited none the less. I told myself no matter what happens the rest of the week it was all worth the trip.
After that encounter I went to different areas and glassed from hilltops. I had several encounters with a variety of deer throughout the next few days. I failed many stalks on some very nice bucks but I was having a blast. I had never had so many opportunities to get close to what I would consider shooter bucks in four days. My standards weren't extremely high but I wanted a respectable deer and I had plenty of opportunities. Every buck that I had encountered I was making mental notes of where I was seeing them and they were all bedded near water. The rut was in full swing but it was unseasonably warm for the area and they needed a drink from chasing does all day. After day four I was at camp and looking at the weather for the next day and it was calling for 50 mph wind gusts and to be honest I didn't have hope for the next day's hunt.
The next morning I perched myself on a hill over looking a creek bottom. I glassed for awhile and didn't see much. I started walking the creek and just so happen to glass up on a ridge and I saw antlers. The buck was about a half mile away and I decided to put a stalk on him. The wind was howling and it was blowing me around while I tried to stalk to where I last saw the buck. I figured the buck bedded down in a little bowl to get out of the wind and as I got close to where I thought he would be I see a deer off to my right. A little buck was bedded down and I had me pegged, luckily he ran off the other direction and I went back to the stalk. I reached the bowl and really looked the area over and didn't see a thing. I figured he had just kept walking or got spooked by the other deer. I decided to go downtown to the creek bottom and sit next to a little pond and get out of the wind.
I sat down under a little bush, pulled out some trail mix and stretched out. About ten minutes later the buck I had stalked suddenly appeared and was going to the water. I throw down the trail mix and get on my knees and ready my bow. I ranged him at 45yds and let the arrow fly. I hear the arrow hit something and the deer runs about 10 yds and stops and looks. I MISSED... I grab another arrow and but my 50 yd pin a little high on his shoulder and I saw the arrow hit right behind his shoulder. The buck took off running and my adrenaline was full tilt. I went to look for my arrows and some blood. The first arrow actually had some blood on it and I couldn't find the second arrow in the thick creek bottom grass and willows but I did find some blood. I waited awhile and started blood trailing, the blood looked good but it was so thick it was hard to stay on the trail. I finally found the deer and it didn't run 40 yds. The first arrow grazed it's back; I think hit a stand of cockleburs and that was the culprit or the adrenaline got to me.
The pack out was a great experience and I relished the moment and scenery; I didn't want the moment to end. This buck was not the biggest deer I had I ever killed but it is definitely one of my top hunts ever and that's all that mattered. It was a great hunt and I'll never forget that experience. This hunt also showed me that you "won't know unless you go" so if you have the time and money to go on a hunt do your research and enjoy the experience.
