Deer gun season opened here in Ohio on Monday November 30th. I thought I might share this seasons hunt with you all.
I decided to hunt for a buck only until Thursday after which I would take a doe. I went down a tractor road that runs on top of a ridge, we call it the Williams Trail. Coming off this ridge is four fingers, three of them having narrow and deep hollows in them. I sat on one over looking the deepest of these hollows. On the high point of the trail is a patch of grass.
All along the trail I found a great deal of tracks and scrapes. The thing about these bucks is that after the first shots go off they will not cross open ground. They don't have to, the area is heavily wooded. I sat where I could see the deer skirt the edge of the grassy area and cross at the top of the hollows. I saw a fork horn and 8 does that day.
Now I know I said that I was only going to shoot a buck until Thursday, but mid day Monday I was walking out when a doe stepped out on the edge of the trail. I was 50 yards from the truck and well away for where I was hunting, so I shot her in the neck. Bang flop. If that is handed to me like that, heck, I'll take it!
Tuesday morning I saw more does and that fork horn again. I got out late Tuesday evening. About half an hour after getting to my stand a 10 point buck shows up. I catch him a little far back on a 50 degree going away shot, caught some gut. He crossed the hollow at its head and started running down the opposite finger. I set up on an opening in the trees, and when he crossed it I lead him by about 18 inches and fired. He went down flailing and rolling. He got hung up on a small tree near the edge of the drop off. He was on a 40 degree slope and the drop off is more like 65 degrees. He was trying to move so I put one between his shoulder blades. Both the running shot and the final shot were at about 70 yards. Now I figure I had 18 inches of lead on the deer, but I still broke his back at the last rib.
He was an old buck, his muzzle was gray as were the fronts of his legs. I figure he was on the decline. His neck was swollen and he had the musky smell of a rutting buck. I tied him off to that tree and gutted him in the dark. The slugs that went through the chest cavity turned it to mush. I am always impressed with those Lightfield Sabot Slugs. I was sliding towards that edge so I had to sit down next to him to gut him. Of course the ATV broke down and we had to drag him 1.5 miles. That sucked!
I took Wednesday off. I cleaned around the place and did some cooking. I ran up to Buckeye Sports. I asked the sales clerk to give me a AR-15 handle with sight from the case, he was standing in front of me and I only wanted him to give it to me so I could buy it. He said, " Did you get a number sir?" I waved him off and left, pluck him.
Thursday morning I Went close to the road, no way I was going to do another drag like that. I shot another doe. That Lightfield Sabot slug went in the rear of the right lung and came out behind the left shoulder. She went 15 yards and piled up.
That was my season, how's yours going?
I decided to hunt for a buck only until Thursday after which I would take a doe. I went down a tractor road that runs on top of a ridge, we call it the Williams Trail. Coming off this ridge is four fingers, three of them having narrow and deep hollows in them. I sat on one over looking the deepest of these hollows. On the high point of the trail is a patch of grass.
All along the trail I found a great deal of tracks and scrapes. The thing about these bucks is that after the first shots go off they will not cross open ground. They don't have to, the area is heavily wooded. I sat where I could see the deer skirt the edge of the grassy area and cross at the top of the hollows. I saw a fork horn and 8 does that day.
Now I know I said that I was only going to shoot a buck until Thursday, but mid day Monday I was walking out when a doe stepped out on the edge of the trail. I was 50 yards from the truck and well away for where I was hunting, so I shot her in the neck. Bang flop. If that is handed to me like that, heck, I'll take it!
Tuesday morning I saw more does and that fork horn again. I got out late Tuesday evening. About half an hour after getting to my stand a 10 point buck shows up. I catch him a little far back on a 50 degree going away shot, caught some gut. He crossed the hollow at its head and started running down the opposite finger. I set up on an opening in the trees, and when he crossed it I lead him by about 18 inches and fired. He went down flailing and rolling. He got hung up on a small tree near the edge of the drop off. He was on a 40 degree slope and the drop off is more like 65 degrees. He was trying to move so I put one between his shoulder blades. Both the running shot and the final shot were at about 70 yards. Now I figure I had 18 inches of lead on the deer, but I still broke his back at the last rib.
He was an old buck, his muzzle was gray as were the fronts of his legs. I figure he was on the decline. His neck was swollen and he had the musky smell of a rutting buck. I tied him off to that tree and gutted him in the dark. The slugs that went through the chest cavity turned it to mush. I am always impressed with those Lightfield Sabot Slugs. I was sliding towards that edge so I had to sit down next to him to gut him. Of course the ATV broke down and we had to drag him 1.5 miles. That sucked!
I took Wednesday off. I cleaned around the place and did some cooking. I ran up to Buckeye Sports. I asked the sales clerk to give me a AR-15 handle with sight from the case, he was standing in front of me and I only wanted him to give it to me so I could buy it. He said, " Did you get a number sir?" I waved him off and left, pluck him.
Thursday morning I Went close to the road, no way I was going to do another drag like that. I shot another doe. That Lightfield Sabot slug went in the rear of the right lung and came out behind the left shoulder. She went 15 yards and piled up.
That was my season, how's yours going?