Deer Hunting

Hopefully you get something big.

 

Funny story. It was in the 50s today and I had an extra hour or so this afternoon, so I decided to take the bike out for a rare late-Nov ride. Not far from where I live is a field where I often see deer. Two sides of the field border some fairly extensive woods, so often when I drive bay around dusk I'll see a few deer feeding in the field. There is a drainage ditch that runs through the field with some really tall grass along it. As I ride by I see what appears to be a father-son combo sitting in the tall grass along the drainage ditch, about 50 yards from the woods. I can see them clearly because of the blaze orange (supposedly deer can't see blaze orange, I'm not convinced ). It was obvious they were sitting where they were in hopes that some deer would walk the tree line to either get water, or try to feed on leftover corn at the edge of the field. The kid looked about 12-14 years old, and I kind of smiled at dad teaching his boy to hunt. Then I rolled about 500 yards further down the road and looked at the field on the other side, it's a narrow strip also bordered with trees. Not 50 yards off the road were two does standing in the field feeding. The noise of my exhaust made them pick up their heads and trot for the tree line. I laughed at the thought of Dad and Jr. sitting quietly waiting for deer to show up when right behind them, and only a little ways out of their sight, there were two does just standing in the field peacefully.

 

Were your two shots taken with a bow or firearm?

 

Well, my first recommendation if you are interested in hunting is to figure out what weapon is best to be hunting with in your area. Most places that is rifle in .308, 30-06, or the like. Where I am, modern rifles aren't legal for deer hunting, so I use a 12ga shotgun. Regardless, it's best if you figure out the answer for that question in your area, then become very proficient in it's use. IMHO (and I'm not saying this as a lecture or trying to rip you personally, please don't take it that way), it should be extremely rare for you to take a shot from far enough away, or at a target hard enough to hit (due to angle, movement, etc.), that you miss the deer completely. To me, part of the ethics of hunting is doing your absolute best for it to be a kill shot every time. In reality that doesn't always happen. But when you are sighting in on a deer it should be, at least in my opinion, in a situation where you are aiming at an exact place that you know will drop it in short order, not just a general shot at the deer itself. Obviously hunters far better than me still get "buck fever" and pull a shot a few inches, or a deer moves at the second you pull the trigger, or you miss that a branch is hanging down just in the wrong spot. But if you practice, practice, practice, you will minimize those instances. The benefits are 1) a more ethical hunt, 2) a more successful hunt.

So if you are interested in hunting, I by all means encourage you to continue learning, asking friends for advice and help, and figuring out if it is for you. But I also encourage you to practice your shooting, and think far in advance what shots you are confident you can hit. Wish you the best!

 

That situation is exactly what your practice for. So when you see it and really want it, you'll know if you can hit it.

 

A good bow will run you about as much as a decent hunting rifle/shotgun, often times more. Good arrows aren't cheap either. By the time you get half a dozen arrows with field tips and half a dozen with broadheads, you are looking at $150-200+ just in arrows. To get a decent bow and have it set up for you can easily run $500 on the low end, to over $1000 if you go with stuff closer to the top of the line. If I were asked by someone "should I try hunting with a firearm first or should I try bow hunting first?" I would tell them to get a gun and try that first. Getting fast and accurate with a bow takes more skill and practice than getting accurate with a gun. And purely due to the extended range most firearms have compared to most bows, you are going to get more chances to harvest a deer successfully and ethically.

 

Taxidermist just called, my mount is ready. I should have pics by tomorrow night.

 

Left hand one is this year's. Right hand one is the one from a couple years ago, same stand, same trail, just a few yards from the exact same spot.