Jon and Tristan and I got to Garry's place on Sunday. Met a bunch of people and kind of mingled Sunday afternoon. Sunday evening came and there were 3 deer down. One came back to camp that night but we had to posse up to find the other 2. We looked for Josiah's first (story in anther thread) but it had to wait til morning. We went after the second and couldn't find any blood. Went back the following day and found out the coyotes had beat us to it (I'm sure her dad will be on shortly to tell the story).
Garry and I agreed that, since Jon has a deer under his belt that Tristan should get the first shot. Monday morning, Tristan, Jon, Nick (the camera guy), Garry and I went out. Garry lined him up on a big doe down a deer trail in his backwoods. Out stepped her fawn. No shot.
We went out Monday evening with the same party. We sat for a bit on a feed spot Garry had but nothing showed. Before last light, we hit the fields. Got near where Jon shot his deer last year and the hills were crawling with deer. Garry tried and tried to get Tristan set up but the deer just weren't cooperating. No shot taken.
Tuesday morning, we went out in the same party again. Again, Garry found the deer and set up Tristan. Problem was, dad had stupidly forgotten his hearing protection and he got a bit trigger shy. That combined with him being cold, legs shaking, looking pretty much like an over bundled yeti with his clothes (he doesn't have his own and had to share his brothers clothes and he's twice his size), and the only place we had to set up had some grass that was as tall as he was. Just a good idea to not take a shot. Garry hurried to try and get Jon a shot but they disappeared before Jon could get a bead on them.
Tuesday evening, we split up so that Jon wouldn't miss another chance batting behind Tristan. Tristan, Nick, and I went to the same blind that Josiah shot his deer 2 nights before. Garry had baited the field that afternoon to see if he could get the deer to stop. Wind was howling and we figured it sat the deer down. Sat and sat and not one animal showed up. Oh well.
Jon, Garry, and Matt Alwine went to a different spot. Jon got lined up on a doe. He took a shot but the deer slipped in the slick grass right as the trigger was pulled. Everyones guess is that the bullet was on line but flew over her back when she slipped. Few of us went out later that night and found no sign of her at all. Checking the film footage that Matt took, it was nearly impossible to tell if she was hit and fell or slipped and the shot missed. Finally when breaking it down frame by frame it showed she slipped. Oh well.
Just got back. No deer but, Jon is excited to try and find a blacktail buck now and Tristan is also. Tristan was more sad he couldn't take home one of the feral cats that patrol Garry's property that not getting a deer. Great time was had by all and as everyone else has said, Garry and family are the best. Nothing but a class act. Pure professionalism. It's very easy to see Garry cares about his animals and REALLY cares about the kids and hooking them up.
