20cows
Member
I posted this story on another forum, Leverguns, but thought it might fit here as well.
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When I was growing up we spent a great deal of time playing "cowboys and Indians". I still wear the hat, boots, vest (all the time) and when I'm out at the place, a sixgun (because I can!).
One of the greatest attributes of the "Indians" in our games was stealth. The excitement of sneaking up on someone was a great thrill. Now I get to use the same skills stalking deer.
A neighbor rancher planted a wheat field across the road from my place that has a mesquite pasture adjacent to it. Last year I proved to myself that I was a good enough "Indian" to get within scoped rifle range and took a deer at 175 yards. The deer were in the wheat field and I stalked through the broken cover of the mesquites. This year I wanted to see if I was a good enough "Indian" to get in open sighted trapper range (Puzzle One, a carbine built from parts gathered on the internet). For now, I need that to be about 100 yards.
The deer were already in the wheat field when I got out there Saturday afternoon (had to do "honey do's" first). I parked my truck at my gate about 1/2 mile down the road after having to drive past the deer. Folks drive by enough that it does not terribly spook the deer. I crossed the road where I parked and made my way through the mesquite until I was about 400 yards from the deer before I worried too much about being "stealthy".
Working my slowly and as quietly as I could, I finally got to where I could see a few deer through the breaks in cover. There were probably fifteen deer scattered out in the wheat field to begin with. One or two of them got a little nervous at my approach, but nobody boogered. I finally found myself in a prone position, lined up on a nice doe, broadside at about 100 yards.
The stalk took more time than I would have thought. It had probably taken me thirty minutes to cover that last 400 yards (20 minutes for the last 70). The sun had just set, but there was enough light to get a good sight picture.
The way the sights came together on this parts gun was such that it was shooting about a 1/2 inch low at 25 yards with the elevation up all the way (I fixed that yesterday). Using my felt hat as a rest,I held for the top of the shoulder and gently squeezed the trigger. I heard the pop as the bullet struck and she lunged forward on her hind legs. She stumbled as the front feet hit the ground, but she didn't fall. At the next instant she bolted for the cover and was out of sight.
This is the first deer I've ever shot that didn't drop right there, but I was confident that it was a good hit. Not wanting to push her in the fading daylight, I decided to go get my truck and look for her when I returned. I stood up, took off my jacket and put it on a fence post to mark the location and started walking the fence line to the road. I was not trying to be quiet at all and as I made my way, I came upon three or four more deer that presented closer shots than the one I had taken (What does that say about "stealth"?).
There was a three-quarter moon and plenty of light to search by, but after an hour and a half of looking, I hadn't seen any sign of the deer. Though there was a lot of mesquite, (a small to medium tree every ten feet or so) there was no thick brush to hide in. I finally had to call it a night when my neighbor's cows joined the search. (20 to 30 head can provide plenty of distraction in the moonlight!) I was still quite confident that I would find this deer when I came back the next day after church.
My brother, son and I scoured over that entire area the next afternoon, but never saw any indication of a downed deer.
My brother and I sat next to a little slough to decide what to do next and suddenly we saw two does come into the wheat field from the west. They came towards us and just as I was about in position, we hear my 11 year old son calling to me. He had gotten search weary and was sitting in the truck. He got a little scared by himself and decided he would come find me. He was walking right toward the deer. They spooked.
I called to him and he came and told me excitedly that two big deer had just run past him, wow! (He didn't know what we were doing and was guilty of no sin).
My brother needed to head home and my son and I spent the rest of the evening leaning against a tree to see if any more would come our way. Just before sunset, three more came to the field, but I could not get close enough for a shot before it got too dark.
I know this is an awful long story to not end with a deer in the freezer, but a quote comes to mind. From JimT-
"A day in the woods is MUCH BETTER than ....."
20cows
PS. I went out to work on Puzzle One's sights and try out some new loads in my 41 mag and 45 Colt yesterday evening about a half mile from where this took place. Even after all that shooting there were still fifteen or so deer in that wheat field as I drove by in the setting sun.
I have date this week end.
=========================================================
When I was growing up we spent a great deal of time playing "cowboys and Indians". I still wear the hat, boots, vest (all the time) and when I'm out at the place, a sixgun (because I can!).
One of the greatest attributes of the "Indians" in our games was stealth. The excitement of sneaking up on someone was a great thrill. Now I get to use the same skills stalking deer.
A neighbor rancher planted a wheat field across the road from my place that has a mesquite pasture adjacent to it. Last year I proved to myself that I was a good enough "Indian" to get within scoped rifle range and took a deer at 175 yards. The deer were in the wheat field and I stalked through the broken cover of the mesquites. This year I wanted to see if I was a good enough "Indian" to get in open sighted trapper range (Puzzle One, a carbine built from parts gathered on the internet). For now, I need that to be about 100 yards.
The deer were already in the wheat field when I got out there Saturday afternoon (had to do "honey do's" first). I parked my truck at my gate about 1/2 mile down the road after having to drive past the deer. Folks drive by enough that it does not terribly spook the deer. I crossed the road where I parked and made my way through the mesquite until I was about 400 yards from the deer before I worried too much about being "stealthy".
Working my slowly and as quietly as I could, I finally got to where I could see a few deer through the breaks in cover. There were probably fifteen deer scattered out in the wheat field to begin with. One or two of them got a little nervous at my approach, but nobody boogered. I finally found myself in a prone position, lined up on a nice doe, broadside at about 100 yards.
The stalk took more time than I would have thought. It had probably taken me thirty minutes to cover that last 400 yards (20 minutes for the last 70). The sun had just set, but there was enough light to get a good sight picture.
The way the sights came together on this parts gun was such that it was shooting about a 1/2 inch low at 25 yards with the elevation up all the way (I fixed that yesterday). Using my felt hat as a rest,I held for the top of the shoulder and gently squeezed the trigger. I heard the pop as the bullet struck and she lunged forward on her hind legs. She stumbled as the front feet hit the ground, but she didn't fall. At the next instant she bolted for the cover and was out of sight.
This is the first deer I've ever shot that didn't drop right there, but I was confident that it was a good hit. Not wanting to push her in the fading daylight, I decided to go get my truck and look for her when I returned. I stood up, took off my jacket and put it on a fence post to mark the location and started walking the fence line to the road. I was not trying to be quiet at all and as I made my way, I came upon three or four more deer that presented closer shots than the one I had taken (What does that say about "stealth"?).
There was a three-quarter moon and plenty of light to search by, but after an hour and a half of looking, I hadn't seen any sign of the deer. Though there was a lot of mesquite, (a small to medium tree every ten feet or so) there was no thick brush to hide in. I finally had to call it a night when my neighbor's cows joined the search. (20 to 30 head can provide plenty of distraction in the moonlight!) I was still quite confident that I would find this deer when I came back the next day after church.
My brother, son and I scoured over that entire area the next afternoon, but never saw any indication of a downed deer.
My brother and I sat next to a little slough to decide what to do next and suddenly we saw two does come into the wheat field from the west. They came towards us and just as I was about in position, we hear my 11 year old son calling to me. He had gotten search weary and was sitting in the truck. He got a little scared by himself and decided he would come find me. He was walking right toward the deer. They spooked.
I called to him and he came and told me excitedly that two big deer had just run past him, wow!
(He didn't know what we were doing and was guilty of no sin). My brother needed to head home and my son and I spent the rest of the evening leaning against a tree to see if any more would come our way. Just before sunset, three more came to the field, but I could not get close enough for a shot before it got too dark.
I know this is an awful long story to not end with a deer in the freezer, but a quote comes to mind. From JimT-
"A day in the woods is MUCH BETTER than ....."
20cows
PS. I went out to work on Puzzle One's sights and try out some new loads in my 41 mag and 45 Colt yesterday evening about a half mile from where this took place. Even after all that shooting there were still fifteen or so deer in that wheat field as I drove by in the setting sun.
I have date this week end.
