- Location
- not sure yet
I keep a hunting journal and each time I go out hunting I write in it even if I don't have success. Right now I am living in Scotland for a few years and I really miss hunting, it is a big part of who I am. Because I can't hunt now, I have been reading some of my journal entries. I like reliving the time I got my first bear and the time I got a moose and many grouse. I just thought I would post the entries for 2 days from the 2008 deer season.
November 14, 2008. Deer hunting at the cottage in Nobel Ontario:
This morning I hunted around the old ATV trails. The weather was mild and it was raining. I saw 3 ravens and some nuthatch and many other birds. I didn't see any deer. In the afternoon I went out hunting again. It was raining and I went to an area where there is a hydro cut. It seemed to be an area where not too many hunters would go because there are no ATV trails and access was difficult. On the way into the hydro cut I slipped and ended up in some water up to my knees and my boots were full. I got to the hydro cut area and took off my boots and emptied them. My feet couldn't dry because it was raining. I sat there barefoot holding my 6.5X55 Swedish Mauser overlooking the hydro cut to see if a deer would step out. I put my wet socks and boots back on. I was hunting up on a rocky area and looking down into the woods. I saw a deer and I quickly raised my rifle and looked through my scope. Then I had my heart broken as the biggest deer I have ever seen ran off into the dark forest. It all happened so fast I think he ran away because of many reasons. The wind was not in my favor and I was too quick raising my rifle. I didn't know what to do after that, I didn't know how to get another chance at him. He is big for a reason, I imagine I am not the first hunter to have their heart broken by the flash of his big white tail floating gracefully into the darkness. I slowly went into the woods to see if I could see him at all, but he was gone. I guess this is a part of hunting I will have to get use to. I have been trying to hunt deer for 3 years now and I still havn't had success. I continued hunting in the area until it started to get dark. I flushed 1 grouse but I never saw any more deer. I will have to try again tomorrow, the last day of the gun season.
November 15, 2008, hunting at the cottage in Nobel Ontario:
Today was the last day of the gun season. It was cool and rainy outside. I hunted in the area of the hydro cut where I was yesterday. I saw ravens, nuthatch and chickadees. I flushed 1 grouse. I hunted for a while and stopped to sit on rocks to rest and watch for deer. While I was slowly walking through the woods on a game trail with the wind in my favor, a small doe stepped out in front of me. She was really close, even if I had my bow she would have been really close. She stood there and looked at me while not moving. I slowly raised my rifle and squeezed the trigger. I missed! The doe calmly ran off into the woods. She didn't react to the shot, she looked calm and graceful running away, I missed. After replaying what happened I looked to see if there was any sign that she had been hit, but I am glad that I missed and didn't wound her. I think the problem was that I rushed my shot or mabey she was so close that I didn't concider that I would have shot over her. I should have taken my time. I sat down on a rock and cried. I had a build up of frustration and I was mad at myself for rushing, I didn't feel good about it. I went back to the cottage to rest, eat and calm down. I tested my rifle and it was shooting straight. I went back out hunting for the late afternoon until dark. I went back to the hydro cut. It was still raining and it eventually turned into a heavy wet snow. I hunted carefully and thoroughly. I was exhausted and sore. As it started to darken, I sat on a rock and watched for deer. I never saw any deer. This is the end of the gun season and I worked very hard. I was out everyday for at least 6 hours each day spent in the woods for 2 weeks. As I was sitting on the rock and the snow was building up on me, I was thinking about how hard I tried to get a deer. It is very dissappointing that I didn't get a deer but this is a part of hunting. If hunting was easy all the time, it wouldn't be as much fun. Because I didn't get a deer, I spent hours in the woods devoting my time to myself and nature. Someday when I do get a deer, it will be even more rewarding. This is why hunting is so wonderful.
November 14, 2008. Deer hunting at the cottage in Nobel Ontario:
This morning I hunted around the old ATV trails. The weather was mild and it was raining. I saw 3 ravens and some nuthatch and many other birds. I didn't see any deer. In the afternoon I went out hunting again. It was raining and I went to an area where there is a hydro cut. It seemed to be an area where not too many hunters would go because there are no ATV trails and access was difficult. On the way into the hydro cut I slipped and ended up in some water up to my knees and my boots were full. I got to the hydro cut area and took off my boots and emptied them. My feet couldn't dry because it was raining. I sat there barefoot holding my 6.5X55 Swedish Mauser overlooking the hydro cut to see if a deer would step out. I put my wet socks and boots back on. I was hunting up on a rocky area and looking down into the woods. I saw a deer and I quickly raised my rifle and looked through my scope. Then I had my heart broken as the biggest deer I have ever seen ran off into the dark forest. It all happened so fast I think he ran away because of many reasons. The wind was not in my favor and I was too quick raising my rifle. I didn't know what to do after that, I didn't know how to get another chance at him. He is big for a reason, I imagine I am not the first hunter to have their heart broken by the flash of his big white tail floating gracefully into the darkness. I slowly went into the woods to see if I could see him at all, but he was gone. I guess this is a part of hunting I will have to get use to. I have been trying to hunt deer for 3 years now and I still havn't had success. I continued hunting in the area until it started to get dark. I flushed 1 grouse but I never saw any more deer. I will have to try again tomorrow, the last day of the gun season.
November 15, 2008, hunting at the cottage in Nobel Ontario:
Today was the last day of the gun season. It was cool and rainy outside. I hunted in the area of the hydro cut where I was yesterday. I saw ravens, nuthatch and chickadees. I flushed 1 grouse. I hunted for a while and stopped to sit on rocks to rest and watch for deer. While I was slowly walking through the woods on a game trail with the wind in my favor, a small doe stepped out in front of me. She was really close, even if I had my bow she would have been really close. She stood there and looked at me while not moving. I slowly raised my rifle and squeezed the trigger. I missed! The doe calmly ran off into the woods. She didn't react to the shot, she looked calm and graceful running away, I missed. After replaying what happened I looked to see if there was any sign that she had been hit, but I am glad that I missed and didn't wound her. I think the problem was that I rushed my shot or mabey she was so close that I didn't concider that I would have shot over her. I should have taken my time. I sat down on a rock and cried. I had a build up of frustration and I was mad at myself for rushing, I didn't feel good about it. I went back to the cottage to rest, eat and calm down. I tested my rifle and it was shooting straight. I went back out hunting for the late afternoon until dark. I went back to the hydro cut. It was still raining and it eventually turned into a heavy wet snow. I hunted carefully and thoroughly. I was exhausted and sore. As it started to darken, I sat on a rock and watched for deer. I never saw any deer. This is the end of the gun season and I worked very hard. I was out everyday for at least 6 hours each day spent in the woods for 2 weeks. As I was sitting on the rock and the snow was building up on me, I was thinking about how hard I tried to get a deer. It is very dissappointing that I didn't get a deer but this is a part of hunting. If hunting was easy all the time, it wouldn't be as much fun. Because I didn't get a deer, I spent hours in the woods devoting my time to myself and nature. Someday when I do get a deer, it will be even more rewarding. This is why hunting is so wonderful.
