Saturday was a doe only muzzleloader day in Wild Wonderful. Daybreak found me in the Daniel stand. My son killed a big spike out of the stand during his first hunting trip at the cabin six years ago.

A windy, cool, overcast morning made it feel like hunting season. The leaves were beginning to fall and the acorns were dropping. Deer were moving, as I had a spike nearly sneak past me. A while later a doe and fawn made their way across the ridge above me. They didn’t give me a clean shot opportunity as they were very difficult to see in the brush. The flick of an ear and paying attention to “horizontal lines in a vertical world” allowed me to see them in the first place. No reaction from them as they got down-wind. Mission accomplished thanks to Scent-Blocker garments and Dead-Down-Wind spray.

As the winds continued to blow and the rain approached, I realized I was dressed way too lightly. But, I was smart (or lucky) enough to have packed a fleece neck gaiter and hat. They allowed me to keep hunting with some degree of comfort. That’s when the parade of Mutant squirrels started.

First, a gray with half a tail was jumping from tree-to-tree. He looked healthy enough, at least until he missed a limb and came tumbling down. Felt bad for the old boy, as he looked around to make sure “nobody” was looking. As he faced me, the end of his tail stuck up just above his head and looked like an Indian head-dress. I named him “Chief Crazy Squirrel”. He kept moving as though nothing had happened. Couldn’t help but think of what I would have felt like if I had fallen from my perch. That’s why I never climb up or down or sit in the stand without being attached by a safety harness. I don’t bounce like I used to.

Next, a white squirrel with a red tail ran over a log underneath my tree. He was a fat fox squirrel that stood out like a sore thumb. He was not albino, but had pure white hair. How he eludes the hawks, owls, foxes and bob cats is beyond me. “Great White” was not the first white fox squirrel I’ve seen so there must be some sort of genetic tendency in the area.

Last but not least, a fox squirrel with a pure black head tried to share the oak with me. He looked as though he had a black mask on. I dubbed him “The Phantom”. We had to come to an understanding about sharing the tree; he decided it was not a good idea and continued on, but not without barking at me first.

Do only crazy people name squirrels? Possibly, but what the heck, you are what you are. Another eventful morning in a tree, as most are, as long as you are willing to pay attention and take it all in. Can’t wait until it’s time to do it again.

Don’t let a little rain keep you out of the woods Predators. After all, you can’t kill ‘em from the couch.

Making preparations the night before, you would have thought I was preparing my back-pack for an all-day sit in the wilderness instead of a morning sit 5 minutes from my cabin. Never-the-less, it pays to be prepared with all the essentials. Knife…check…gutting gloves…check…cover scent…check…range finder…check….TP…check, and so on.

 After a beating the alarm clock to the punch and taking a no-scent shower, it was off to the Cheyenne Trail stand, a Gorilla lock-on 22 feet up.  What a beautiful morning! Just under sixty degrees with a light wind and blowing in my favor. I was in the stand 45 minutes before day light. Had I been lulled into a peaceful state of relaxation, that state would have been rudely interrupted by an acorn that hit me square on the knee, courtesy of the first fox squirrel in my area to come alive. I heard a whip o-will and an owl just before first shooting light as well.

At around 7:15 I spotted movement between some laurel. A fawn and 2 mature does were making their way through the property. Darn, they veered off in the direction of our cabin. Nothing to do but go for my calls and see if I could make something happen. Can’t say I’ve had a lot of luck with calling in the past, but I’m always trying to improve on my calling in the off-season. Reading, videos, whatever it takes. Hit the M.A.D. doe bleat twice and what do you know the fawn and one doe headed right for my tree.

As luck would have it, the doe, moving straight for me, looked up and stared a hole right through me. All I could do was squint and stay still. I’ve read often that a deer will spook looking into the eyes of a predator. After what seemed like a life-time, she turned and gave me a slightly quartering away shot. The arrow hit a little higher than anticipated but was a lethal strike. Plenty of blood and a 75 yard track-job later I had my first harvest of the season.

After skinning and quartering the doe, I thought about how lucky I was to have such a beautiful morning and how good some fresh back-strap on the grill would be. What a great experience to share in nature’s harvest. I think everyone, if only once, should have to kill, butcher, and prepare their own meal. It certainly gives you an appreciation for the circle of life and for your place in the food chain.

Good hunting to all you Predators…remember, you can’t kill ‘em from the couch!

Don

Good luck in the woods

Here’s a tip on how to make that next shot count:

You have spent many, many hours getting the chance to shoot a trophy buck the last thing you want to do is miss or cripple one. Every hunter knows that you’ll get more opportunities for quick kills by knowing the limits of your accuracy. You’re not at the firing range; trying to make long shots, moving, shots and any other shots from difficult and improper positions are risky at best.

Even the best of us will see a bullet go off target. Here are some helpful steps that will give you the advantage of recovering your harvested deer.

1. Call the Shot. Just like a golfer lines up the location of his golf ball after his tee shot so he can walk right to it you need to learn to do the same. Register the position of the sight when you shoot. Calling a shot tells you where the bullet should of hit and what to anticipate on the trail.
2. Make the Assumption you hit the deer! You did fire so you had to be certain you were going to hit the target. Make sure you listen right after you pull the trigger for the sound of bullet on ribs. Even if you don’t hear anything, proceed as if you did make the hit.
3. Watch the deer movement after the shot.  If it is still standing and you have a kill shot take it.  When the deer runs follow its path and take notice of landmarks so you can follow its path.
4. Stay Still After The Shot.  Wait, relax and get your thoughts together, listen for any type of noise that would indicate a deer going down.