I have to finish the story. It had been unseasonably warm the entire deer season with minimal snow where I hunted. It did not stop the rut, obviously. It sure changed how you can hunt without that additional information provided by fresh snow.
In our last attempt to pull this out of the bag on the last day of the season we watched the entire Whitetail deer herd slowly melt into the forest at exactly ten minutes before legal light. It is the end of the season and they have been educated. The big guy was not in the mix and must have been off touring with a date somewhere.
Undeterred, but not terribly hopeful, we changed tactics and searched throughout the day for my friends Mule Deer buck on some crown land a short drive away. As we all slowly stalked through the open poplar forest my friend was almost run down by the buck he was after. Literally, it ran down the trail at him and went by so quickly he never got the scope on it. After running around to try to cut him off we figured he made it to the home free area. (No Hunting).The Mulie buck was never seen again and made it through the season unscathed.
When people talk about small concessions in Africa they have to note the small parcels we actually hunt on so often in our regular hunts.
After this encounter it was back to the Canola field to wait and see what decided to come out.
I watched a herd of Elk come out into the next field, no Bulls of legal size so they just got to help decoy the deer out of their hiding spots.
With 15 minutes left in the season some doe's starting to meander out to feed at 520 yards. Then a small buck came out behind them and stuck to the edge of the trees. Soon enough the does moved within 430 yards and the buck's still remained in hiding.
Now there was less than ten minutes left to go and we were starting to think about steaks and sausage.....
In this zone you can take either a doe or buck on the tag and the discussion ensued as to how to crawl some distance in the Canola stubble to get close enough to pull off a decent shot.
Just as we start the crawl I look out the corner of my eye and I'll be damned if two bucks come out following a doe. They are at sixty yards and have zero clue that we are in proximity. One poke in the ribs and my partner sees that our luck just changed for the better. No crawling through Canola stubble.
We wait for them to move in front of us and the two bucks decided to have a little tussle. With them being so concerned about each other we were not going to have a problem. At least, I thought that way.
I moved a little to get a better position and that does head came around like it was being torn off. We were pinned. The bucks still oblivious. to us. The doe now makes her way toward us, nose in the air, head bobbing back and forth, and the inevitable foot stomping to see if we would move.
The backs had separated enough for us to shoot. My friend's turn to go first. It's his first buck so he gets to choose. Well actually, I chose for him and told him to shoot the bigger deer and I would wait. There are now less than five minutes left in the season and this is as good as it is going to get.
I plug my ear and wait for the shot. It takes and eternity.... Finally, bang and the deer falls on the spot. Then doe has not moved, for some reason the other deer falling has distracted her and the other buck is now quite pleased he has won the fight and the doe is all his. He is not facing head on so for some reason, which I have zero explanation I try a head shot. Clear miss. Really?
The deer run off and stop to look back at their departed comrade. Totally, unlike Whitetails.
Measure the distance 350 yards standing broadside. I have already shaken my head enough that I reconnect the loose wire and settle down to shoot properly. Nice steady shot off the bipod. Settle down, and take the shot as the alarm starts to chime the end of the season. Bang and he bolts and drops within fifty yards. Apparently I can shoot!
I leave to get the truck to haul the deer out. What do you think happened within two minutes of my heading back to the truck?
You guessed it.
The big guy walks out on the exact same line the other deer entered the field. 60 yards from where my buddy is standing and not a care in the world. He just stood there, exactly five minutes after legal light.
SMART SOB! Gotta give him respect.
Safe for another season!
The entrance hole
The exit hole. My thumb is basically 1 inch wide for comparison purposes.
The result of 130 grains of Cor-lokt soft at 60 yards. My buddies heart shot buck.
Our Double on Whitetail Bucks.
Mine on the left and my friends first buck on the right.
I have already processed mine and put him in the freezer.
