Free: Contests & Raffles.
So "E" and I get up to camp the thursday before the opener. We go over everything about deer hunting again and again. Come Saturday morning at 4 am he is walking on cloud nine. He had chose the rifle I would use, the bullet, and where to aim at a deer. HE chose the .300 Rum, 180gr Nosler, and I had to shoot the deer in the face! I agreed to his terms knowing and shot on a buck in this unit would probably not be more than 50-75 yards at most. My go to gun is the .300 RUM, overkill yes but I trust it more than any other rifle I own. So Saturday goes by and we just try to locate some does, this would give me a plan on where to find a buck... We scouted out a bunch of areas and hung out in an area that I had seen a heavy 3 point a week before the opener. We never could find him and decided to move on come sunday. Sunday came and went with heavy snow and we just enjoyed being in the outdoors. Monday I was having trouble finding deer, but every tree it seemed had a 6 point bull standing behind it. the kid got to watch some big big bulls just walking around doing there thing. During the past three days we had bulls bugling like it was full on RUT. Monday night we go to bed and as I lay in bed I began to ponder my next move, I remembered a meadow not that far of a hike that over the years I've killed 6 bucks in. So Tuesday rolls around and we are into the meadow at first light and we sit. I was getting impatient and decided to hike up a rocky ridge that runs up out of the meadow. ( in my experience in this unit, u find rocks you find deer) So we hiked up this ridge and get to the lookout spot and the winds are blowing 40 plus. I know that no deer is gonna be hanging out on this ridge in this wind. So I decide to hunt back to the meadow.As we reach the North end of the meadow I see a deer ear all the way at the end of the far side of the meadow. I told "E" get behind this tree while I look over these deer. I pull up the scope and see 4 deer all does, then all of a sudden another deer pops out and I can make out horns (two POINT). I stand there just watching and decide to put some binos on this buck, at the time I did not know the range, but it was a long ways off. Guessing 200 yds, I pull up the binos and they got pine needles, rain and crap all over them. I clean them out and stil can only make out two point but I notice a eyeguard that looks 1 inch long. Then I figured there is a dan reason I have a scope that goes to 16.5 power. I lay prone and crank up the scope and begin to look at the eyeguard. The buck is just feeding away and let me confirm he not only had one eye guard but two that are both legal points. I look at "E" and say we are about to get our buck. I found a limb that was coming off a big tamarack about 10 inches off the ground, the deer were atleast 200 yds and down hill atleast 75 feet lower than me so mostly I could just make out heads from the view I had laying prone. I got ready, told "E" to cover his ears and found the bucks face and was 3/4 squeezed on the trigger when a dang bunch of pine needles blew right in my scope (BANG) the gun goes off and the buck spins around and just stands there looking around. His ladies are frantically looking around for the noise they just heard. I jacked another round and this time the buck had moved a little and showed his vitals. Wasn't taking no chances this time and I put one right in his pump station. To my disbelief he trots off but I can tell I hit him.We high 5 and I tell "E" as hard as it is lets just give him a minute. What seems like an hour to him I am sure, we headed that way about 5 mins later. NO blood, No tracks, nothing! It is raining but not hard just enough to get you wet. So i Start doing circles and cut blood and tracks, good blood for about 15 yards then absolutely nothing!!! I'm thinking I just shot this buck with a .300 RUM and its GONE! I shed off my pack and all my gear and figure this is a great time for a hunting lesson, We mark the last blood then start 15 ft counter circles working together. I finally cut a slide track from his hoof. All of a sudden "E" says "there is a deer running away". I could not believe it, how in the heck did this buck take off after getting thumped by the RUM. So I rack a round and we begin down the hill and still no blood and no tracks. 20 yds later "E" says "maybe I didn't see a deer"! But he says he for sure heard sticks breaking! I had to gather myself and decided to go back up and find the last blood. I sat "E" down and relayed to him that "MAYBE" MIGHT OF" "THOUGHT" does not work in hunting, you have to be 100 Percent you seen something. So we start over and 15 minutes later down where we turned around I find blood and tracks. I put "E" in front and we begin tracking again. we make it 15 yards and I keep telling my self this buck is DEAD!!! I have no doubt he is within 50 yds of us dead, we just have to find him. while "E" is tracking I start looking around and spot a DEAD BUCK. I don't say a word, I let "E" track and track and finally he sees the buck and we let out a yell and high 5... Going back over the whole tracking, he had in fact hear this buck do the death crash but I did not. We found the buck exactly where he said he had heard the sticks breaking. I went back and ranged the shot and it was 259 yds, in this unit that long of a shot is unheard of with all the brush.. I am told year after year that there are no deer in this unit. I continue to have success year after year in the unit with NO DEER.Hard work pays off, patience, and the will in your mind to succeed will always produce results. No come the part that I have thought about alot, its time for me to lay the bow down, lay the rifle down and let "E" do the killing. Sure I will try to get in some time, but I want him to be the shooter from now on as long as he is willing. HE shot me .32 Winchester and was a crack shot. So its time for some hunters ed and for "E" to find his own success. I cannot wait to see him get his first animal. I will cry like a little girl and I dont cry ever!!!!!
