Ever since I was 17 I have spent some time in the fall deer hunting. The first year I was invited out by a friend to join his families party hunt, and although I didn't get a deer that year, I did get to use my doe tag in return for some steaks. The next few years I hunted in Sault Ste. Marie. This is the place where I learned that yes, some hunters do fit the stereotype of being hillbillies, and there are a TON of disrespectful jerks on crown land. This is also where I started to hate public land and some of the people it attracted.
Last year after moving back south I had the opportunity to hunt on a small piece of family owned property that hasn't seen hunting in 30 or more years. How its laid out, is there are some small bedding areas, but the deer mostly just use it as a place to run through on the way to another area. The only rule is, is guns aren't 100% kosher with all of the family members so bow hunting is preferred if possible. Having no doe tag last year, and getting a late start at setting up mid November, I got over 100 pictures of a small buck that was using the area over a couple weeks, and would be a perfect match for the crossbow. One morning when I was hunting, I almost had the opportunity to take him but I spooked him when he was 50 yards or so away so I figured I'd be back tomorrow. Unfortunately, tomorrow also happened to be opening day for the second round of controlled hunts which I couldn't take part in. He completely vanished from the camera. I did go out later that week to give it another shot, and 8 does walked right under my stand, but no buck.
This year I knew with work I wasn't going to have much time to hunt. I set up my stand in mid September, baited here and there with apples, got trail cameras up and... nothing. From Mid September until yesterday I had all of 3 pictures of deer and a couple dozen of raccoons and possums. So I made another plan to set up across a field on a piece of public owned property and hunt the corner of it so I could get anything going in and out of the lot. Today at 5:30 I drive to the area to see 6 cars parked outside of the small block of 75 hectares I was going to hunt. Time for a change of plans. I headed back to the lot my family owned and set up there in my tree stand. Sitting there for about 30mins I hear 9 gunshots from all around the area, so that started to get me discouraged a bit, especially combined with loosing my spot I had picked at the public area. But soon enough and only 35 minutes after legal light I see some movement about 75 yards away, and its a deer moving at a slow trot. I quietly click in the safety of my shotgun, and this thing just stops in its tracks and looks right at me. From that distance he heard a sound the equivalent to a pen clicking and stopped on a dime. Unbelievable how well they can pinpoint sounds. He looked away and trotted in the same direction, and was just inside my range. I gave him a bad impression of a grunt call and nothing he kept trotting. I knew it was now or never so I took my shot as soon as he cleared the tree in front of him, and it was a bang flop. Wow what a deer, and a 10 pointer to boot. Only took me seven years.
Using SX3 with a full choke, loaded with Winchester Supreme 3.5'' 00buck.
Last year after moving back south I had the opportunity to hunt on a small piece of family owned property that hasn't seen hunting in 30 or more years. How its laid out, is there are some small bedding areas, but the deer mostly just use it as a place to run through on the way to another area. The only rule is, is guns aren't 100% kosher with all of the family members so bow hunting is preferred if possible. Having no doe tag last year, and getting a late start at setting up mid November, I got over 100 pictures of a small buck that was using the area over a couple weeks, and would be a perfect match for the crossbow. One morning when I was hunting, I almost had the opportunity to take him but I spooked him when he was 50 yards or so away so I figured I'd be back tomorrow. Unfortunately, tomorrow also happened to be opening day for the second round of controlled hunts which I couldn't take part in. He completely vanished from the camera. I did go out later that week to give it another shot, and 8 does walked right under my stand, but no buck.
This year I knew with work I wasn't going to have much time to hunt. I set up my stand in mid September, baited here and there with apples, got trail cameras up and... nothing. From Mid September until yesterday I had all of 3 pictures of deer and a couple dozen of raccoons and possums. So I made another plan to set up across a field on a piece of public owned property and hunt the corner of it so I could get anything going in and out of the lot. Today at 5:30 I drive to the area to see 6 cars parked outside of the small block of 75 hectares I was going to hunt. Time for a change of plans. I headed back to the lot my family owned and set up there in my tree stand. Sitting there for about 30mins I hear 9 gunshots from all around the area, so that started to get me discouraged a bit, especially combined with loosing my spot I had picked at the public area. But soon enough and only 35 minutes after legal light I see some movement about 75 yards away, and its a deer moving at a slow trot. I quietly click in the safety of my shotgun, and this thing just stops in its tracks and looks right at me. From that distance he heard a sound the equivalent to a pen clicking and stopped on a dime. Unbelievable how well they can pinpoint sounds. He looked away and trotted in the same direction, and was just inside my range. I gave him a bad impression of a grunt call and nothing he kept trotting. I knew it was now or never so I took my shot as soon as he cleared the tree in front of him, and it was a bang flop. Wow what a deer, and a 10 pointer to boot. Only took me seven years.
Using SX3 with a full choke, loaded with Winchester Supreme 3.5'' 00buck.
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