- Location
- Saskatchewan
This year marks the third year I've been hunting anything. I owe a lot to the guys I work with who have really took me under their wing and to one really close buddy who even had the guff to take a "stupid town kid" our for the first time. Either way, last year was a terrible fiasco of long days pushing bush and driving around looking for deer. In that regard I developed quite the distaste for the fuel bill, let along the pressure of taking out a new hunter and not producing deer (the blind leading the blind per se).
This year; however, things changed. I spent time talking with two other guys at work about the benefits of still hunting and waiting for the deer to come to you and so on and so forth. With a baby on the way and money conservation at the forefront of my thinking, this year I thought I would give it a try. On opening day for my antlerless mule deer season, I drove out to "my coulee" in search of some does. Of course with my luck, I managed to take a wrong turn and wound up where buddy and I had seen a lot of mule deer action a week earlier. I need to disclaim that I am new to this area and am still learning all the back roads and Sneaky Pete trails.
I decided to park the truck in a low spot not visible to the deer, yet other hunters because I'm scared senseless of some others hunting tactics. I got out of the truck, grabbed my stabbing knife, binoculars and Roseitta (my Browning A-Bolt .270 WSM) and off I went bumbling around this high ridge surrounding a lake. Along the bank of the ridge line was clusters of trees, buck brush, carriganas (just as hard to spell as they are to walk through), and tall grass.
Previous experience learned me the deer either run north bush to bush when spooked or will run to a big-ass bush of carrigahnas in a north-east direction. Fortunately the wind was in my face as I walked north from the most southern part of the ridge. Long story short, I walked and stalked for about four hours and saw lots and lots of does and even a few small bucks. I saw one legitimate mule buck just lying out in the wide open in a stubble field which threw me through a loop. Smart deer I guess.
All the things I saw, all the things I heard, and all the things I had learned just walking that day had already trumped the days and hours spent last year driving around senselessly. It was amazing! I texted a buddy quick to ask him if I was doing things right and he gave me two quick pointers and off I went.
I wound up sitting on a high ledge for ten minutes to glass the area and saw two does crash into the bush along the ridge by the lake. I decided to walk south using the ridge to cover my movement and then sneak up to the ridge with the wind in my favor. It took a long time but it paid off. I had the deer moving north a little bit at a time but I could never get a good shot because I really wanted to make sure I was certain of my target and beyond.
Eventually as I walked along the top of the ridge I saw some movement coming towards me. Along the ridge comes this buck and I start trembling because he made the tree branches look like twigs. I stood still and he just kept walking closer to me. I was in full out amazement that he didn't seem threatened of my hunter-esque blaze orange from head to toe. He just stood there grunting and snorting at me. He'd walk a little closer, drop his head and scrape the dirt, snort, stomp and take a few more steps closer.
Either way, he lost interest and walked into the bush as I proceeded north because I knew there were does in these here bushes. I kept stalking and walking. Every step felt like an agonizing eternity but I remained silent as a field mouse. Eventually I reached the northern point of the bush and saw a little horn rubbing away on a carraginanananha bush. I weaseled my way closer and glassed a 3x3 mule buck chewing and scraping the bush. He looked back at me, gave me a weird look and went back to what he was doing. I was no more than 50 yards away (at this point that monster buck was still hiding as I never heard or saw a thing as I ambled past where he walked in) and was just trying to take all this in.
Either way I get to thinking, "Where there is a buck, there ought to be a doe.". Sure enough I see this doe head pop out of the grass 15 yards away to my immediate left and I couldn't even piss me pants I was so thirsty (lesson learned). She looked at me, snorted, and stood up and sauntered towards the buck. More rustling came about from the grass only to produce a doe, a fawn, and a spiker all of which congregated with the buck at the bush.
Holy sit, over. I was so paralyzed in amazement I hadn't even thought to let go of the binoculars and grab my shooting stick. Finally reality came back, I shouldered my rifle and naturally that's when they all decided to run to the north east. My mind went completely numb and it was as if I went into auto pilot. The cross hairs landed on her bread basket but somehow moved forward as if to lead, the trigger was squeezed - not pulled and after the shot rang out the rifle kept following through. In the corner of my left eye all I saw was an animal go ass over tea kettle.
A wave of emotion overwhelmed me because I have never in any way brought all of the shooting techniques taught by my hunting mentors together. I always forgot to do something in the heat of the moment but this time it all came naturally. Meanwhile, the buck who was chomping on the bush stopped his full out bounce, turned and looked back at where I had apparently shot the doe. As I walked closer with my knees weak and trembling from what just happened, the buck just stood there. He looked at me and then looked at his mate a couple of times only to run away as I got closer.
Sure enough, in the grass lay a respectable doe with a wound right through the vertebrae in her neck. I couldn't believe it, my heart rate was jacked and I was so pumped. I took care of business right away and then had to call my buddy to let him know his teachings had worked. Long story short, I'm an addict of this still hunting/stalking bit.
To make a long story longer, I know not every single day will produce the action that day did - but it will always be worth it. I applied my skills again the next day and tagged out for antlerless mule deer in the first two days.
This year; however, things changed. I spent time talking with two other guys at work about the benefits of still hunting and waiting for the deer to come to you and so on and so forth. With a baby on the way and money conservation at the forefront of my thinking, this year I thought I would give it a try. On opening day for my antlerless mule deer season, I drove out to "my coulee" in search of some does. Of course with my luck, I managed to take a wrong turn and wound up where buddy and I had seen a lot of mule deer action a week earlier. I need to disclaim that I am new to this area and am still learning all the back roads and Sneaky Pete trails.
I decided to park the truck in a low spot not visible to the deer, yet other hunters because I'm scared senseless of some others hunting tactics. I got out of the truck, grabbed my stabbing knife, binoculars and Roseitta (my Browning A-Bolt .270 WSM) and off I went bumbling around this high ridge surrounding a lake. Along the bank of the ridge line was clusters of trees, buck brush, carriganas (just as hard to spell as they are to walk through), and tall grass.
Previous experience learned me the deer either run north bush to bush when spooked or will run to a big-ass bush of carrigahnas in a north-east direction. Fortunately the wind was in my face as I walked north from the most southern part of the ridge. Long story short, I walked and stalked for about four hours and saw lots and lots of does and even a few small bucks. I saw one legitimate mule buck just lying out in the wide open in a stubble field which threw me through a loop. Smart deer I guess.
All the things I saw, all the things I heard, and all the things I had learned just walking that day had already trumped the days and hours spent last year driving around senselessly. It was amazing! I texted a buddy quick to ask him if I was doing things right and he gave me two quick pointers and off I went.
I wound up sitting on a high ledge for ten minutes to glass the area and saw two does crash into the bush along the ridge by the lake. I decided to walk south using the ridge to cover my movement and then sneak up to the ridge with the wind in my favor. It took a long time but it paid off. I had the deer moving north a little bit at a time but I could never get a good shot because I really wanted to make sure I was certain of my target and beyond.
Eventually as I walked along the top of the ridge I saw some movement coming towards me. Along the ridge comes this buck and I start trembling because he made the tree branches look like twigs. I stood still and he just kept walking closer to me. I was in full out amazement that he didn't seem threatened of my hunter-esque blaze orange from head to toe. He just stood there grunting and snorting at me. He'd walk a little closer, drop his head and scrape the dirt, snort, stomp and take a few more steps closer.
Either way, he lost interest and walked into the bush as I proceeded north because I knew there were does in these here bushes. I kept stalking and walking. Every step felt like an agonizing eternity but I remained silent as a field mouse. Eventually I reached the northern point of the bush and saw a little horn rubbing away on a carraginanananha bush. I weaseled my way closer and glassed a 3x3 mule buck chewing and scraping the bush. He looked back at me, gave me a weird look and went back to what he was doing. I was no more than 50 yards away (at this point that monster buck was still hiding as I never heard or saw a thing as I ambled past where he walked in) and was just trying to take all this in.
Either way I get to thinking, "Where there is a buck, there ought to be a doe.". Sure enough I see this doe head pop out of the grass 15 yards away to my immediate left and I couldn't even piss me pants I was so thirsty (lesson learned). She looked at me, snorted, and stood up and sauntered towards the buck. More rustling came about from the grass only to produce a doe, a fawn, and a spiker all of which congregated with the buck at the bush.
Holy sit, over. I was so paralyzed in amazement I hadn't even thought to let go of the binoculars and grab my shooting stick. Finally reality came back, I shouldered my rifle and naturally that's when they all decided to run to the north east. My mind went completely numb and it was as if I went into auto pilot. The cross hairs landed on her bread basket but somehow moved forward as if to lead, the trigger was squeezed - not pulled and after the shot rang out the rifle kept following through. In the corner of my left eye all I saw was an animal go ass over tea kettle.
A wave of emotion overwhelmed me because I have never in any way brought all of the shooting techniques taught by my hunting mentors together. I always forgot to do something in the heat of the moment but this time it all came naturally. Meanwhile, the buck who was chomping on the bush stopped his full out bounce, turned and looked back at where I had apparently shot the doe. As I walked closer with my knees weak and trembling from what just happened, the buck just stood there. He looked at me and then looked at his mate a couple of times only to run away as I got closer.
Sure enough, in the grass lay a respectable doe with a wound right through the vertebrae in her neck. I couldn't believe it, my heart rate was jacked and I was so pumped. I took care of business right away and then had to call my buddy to let him know his teachings had worked. Long story short, I'm an addict of this still hunting/stalking bit.
To make a long story longer, I know not every single day will produce the action that day did - but it will always be worth it. I applied my skills again the next day and tagged out for antlerless mule deer in the first two days.
