*Originally posted this on huntingbc, but figured cgn'ers might like it too.
Well, I know that does are nothing unique, but figured I'd post this because I got this one on my girlfriend's first hunt. (For the sake of good story telling she will be referred to as A from now on). First thing I'd like to say is that she was great about everything. From being up working late to getting up early, pouring rain, sleet, wind, being passed by hunters on vehicles on the walk in and being completely frozen, she was always alert, focussed and happy enough to give a smile (and there wasn't much to smile about out there... it was one of the more miserable of my hunts this year weather wise).
The day started wet. And cold. It was raining when we got up and things got worse by the time we arrived at our parking spot in the dark. We had a 25 minute walk in to the area I usually hunt, pretty much all of it up hill. It was raining in the manner that despite our being well dressed both of us were thoroughly soggy within 10 minutes, with our extremities being frozen and bodies being overheated and damp. About 20 minutes into the walk an ATV'er drove past us in the pre-dawn light. Soon after we ran into another hunter on foot who we had a chat with and talked over where we'd be hunting and went our separate ways.
By this point my personal morale wasn't overly high. We had already come across two people before even beginning the hunt, and it was clear many of the more straitforward reliable areas had already been hunted. I was worried that our day was already skunked and we would spend it stumbling around in the slash and branches without seeing a thing. A likely felt the same way, but while I was moping and staring at the ground, she spotted a heavy bodied buck which had all but disappeared by the time she got my attention. Finally we decided that there was nothing else to it but to head for the thickest most miserable ground we could find in the hopes of finding a sheltering deer. I moved ahead while A followed several feet behind, watching for movement as I picked a path and making sure nothing moved once we were past, or doubled back behind us to investigate. For several hours we followed this pattern, picking our way through connected stands, following the edges of cut blocks and crossing bays of heavy slash. Finally, we moved out into a wide gulley of ferns and the occasional small evergreen.
It was A who spotted the doe first. It was up on a rock ledge, mostly sheltered by bushes and some tree trunks. As A hissed "DEER!" it jerked forward and turned. I froze, hoping it could see as little of us in the gulley as we could see of it in the trees. There was room for a shot between the trunks, but the doe hadn't quite moved into it. I waited with my gun up, slowly shifting my weight to try to find a better angle. As I was doing this, A had crouched and, unknown to me, moved back along the trail we had been following. This turned out to be a stroke of genius, as the deer, upwind of us and sightlines mostly blocked, leaned forward and took a step to see what had moved down below. I took one forward quartering shot and the deer half jumped half fell back and away across it's ledge, kicked a couple times and lay still.
After looking over the deer, taking a minute to sit and think and have a snack of tea and chocolate almonds, A helped dress the deer and pack, then carry the load out the long rough way we came. Overall it was a great experience, made better by hunting with someone to share it with.
I know that in a way this thread is a bit of a boast, but it's also my way of showing that women are just as good at hunting as guys are, and deserve the respect and recognition they are due. Not only did she hunt far harder than many hunters I've met, but she carried the same load as I did while weighing considerably less, spotted more, bigger deer before I did, and did all this without any chance of being able to take an animal herself. I'm hoping that this thread might encourage others out there who haven't had a chance to try hunting, or lead other experienced hunters to take new hunters or those who are disconnected from nature under their wing and give them a chance to enjoy the experience of being out in the woods, regardless of whether they get an animal or not.
Well, I know that does are nothing unique, but figured I'd post this because I got this one on my girlfriend's first hunt. (For the sake of good story telling she will be referred to as A from now on). First thing I'd like to say is that she was great about everything. From being up working late to getting up early, pouring rain, sleet, wind, being passed by hunters on vehicles on the walk in and being completely frozen, she was always alert, focussed and happy enough to give a smile (and there wasn't much to smile about out there... it was one of the more miserable of my hunts this year weather wise).
The day started wet. And cold. It was raining when we got up and things got worse by the time we arrived at our parking spot in the dark. We had a 25 minute walk in to the area I usually hunt, pretty much all of it up hill. It was raining in the manner that despite our being well dressed both of us were thoroughly soggy within 10 minutes, with our extremities being frozen and bodies being overheated and damp. About 20 minutes into the walk an ATV'er drove past us in the pre-dawn light. Soon after we ran into another hunter on foot who we had a chat with and talked over where we'd be hunting and went our separate ways.
By this point my personal morale wasn't overly high. We had already come across two people before even beginning the hunt, and it was clear many of the more straitforward reliable areas had already been hunted. I was worried that our day was already skunked and we would spend it stumbling around in the slash and branches without seeing a thing. A likely felt the same way, but while I was moping and staring at the ground, she spotted a heavy bodied buck which had all but disappeared by the time she got my attention. Finally we decided that there was nothing else to it but to head for the thickest most miserable ground we could find in the hopes of finding a sheltering deer. I moved ahead while A followed several feet behind, watching for movement as I picked a path and making sure nothing moved once we were past, or doubled back behind us to investigate. For several hours we followed this pattern, picking our way through connected stands, following the edges of cut blocks and crossing bays of heavy slash. Finally, we moved out into a wide gulley of ferns and the occasional small evergreen.
It was A who spotted the doe first. It was up on a rock ledge, mostly sheltered by bushes and some tree trunks. As A hissed "DEER!" it jerked forward and turned. I froze, hoping it could see as little of us in the gulley as we could see of it in the trees. There was room for a shot between the trunks, but the doe hadn't quite moved into it. I waited with my gun up, slowly shifting my weight to try to find a better angle. As I was doing this, A had crouched and, unknown to me, moved back along the trail we had been following. This turned out to be a stroke of genius, as the deer, upwind of us and sightlines mostly blocked, leaned forward and took a step to see what had moved down below. I took one forward quartering shot and the deer half jumped half fell back and away across it's ledge, kicked a couple times and lay still.
After looking over the deer, taking a minute to sit and think and have a snack of tea and chocolate almonds, A helped dress the deer and pack, then carry the load out the long rough way we came. Overall it was a great experience, made better by hunting with someone to share it with.
I know that in a way this thread is a bit of a boast, but it's also my way of showing that women are just as good at hunting as guys are, and deserve the respect and recognition they are due. Not only did she hunt far harder than many hunters I've met, but she carried the same load as I did while weighing considerably less, spotted more, bigger deer before I did, and did all this without any chance of being able to take an animal herself. I'm hoping that this thread might encourage others out there who haven't had a chance to try hunting, or lead other experienced hunters to take new hunters or those who are disconnected from nature under their wing and give them a chance to enjoy the experience of being out in the woods, regardless of whether they get an animal or not.
Last edited:
