Dr Phillip Gawthrop invited me to go deer hunting with him this AM. It was an either sex muzzle loader hunt and I of course said yes. The conditions were perfect. New moon phase Friday night, wind coming from the perfect direction for our location (which I don't know where this is exactly). I told Phil last night that the movement would be in the middle of the day and he said that would be good. He would go up before daylight and hunt until I met him at a store up the road. Then I followed him into the woods.
I got into the tree stand at 10:45 AM. My fishing watch gave an 11:55 AM peak for the major movement. Phil moved off to a new location to hunt from another tree stand. At 11:45 exactly, I saw my first deer from a distance. Just briefly saw it and knew that it was a deer. About 5 minutes elapsed and I saw it again much closer, but with trees between me and the deer. I flipped the covers off the scope and the deer must have heard the tiny click that the covers made coming off the scope. I kept waiting for the deer to come on out into the open so that I could get a shot. Never did.
Another 5 minutes went by and in another direction, I spotted 4 legs moving in the pine thicket. Moving very slowly, and creeping toward the edge of the hardwood forest that I had a tree stand in. My stand was about 30 yards from the pine thicket. The doe creeped out into the edge and paused to check the area and the wind. Wind was still favorable for me, but there was still a few bushes between me and the doe and I couldn't get a clear shot. Then the doe took about 3 more steps and out into the open and by that time I had the safety off and the deer in the scope. I squeezed the trigger and the deer feel straight down and didn't move. I looked at my watch. 12:00 noon. 5 minutes past peak movement time.
I texted Dr Phil that the deer was down and he showed up in about 5 minutes and after pics, he showed me the deer gutting technique. 5 minutes later, the deer was ready to be dragged out of the woods. This was the first deer that I have ever killed. It will be really good eating. Yum Yum! emoBigsmile emoGeezer
I got into the tree stand at 10:45 AM. My fishing watch gave an 11:55 AM peak for the major movement. Phil moved off to a new location to hunt from another tree stand. At 11:45 exactly, I saw my first deer from a distance. Just briefly saw it and knew that it was a deer. About 5 minutes elapsed and I saw it again much closer, but with trees between me and the deer. I flipped the covers off the scope and the deer must have heard the tiny click that the covers made coming off the scope. I kept waiting for the deer to come on out into the open so that I could get a shot. Never did.
Another 5 minutes went by and in another direction, I spotted 4 legs moving in the pine thicket. Moving very slowly, and creeping toward the edge of the hardwood forest that I had a tree stand in. My stand was about 30 yards from the pine thicket. The doe creeped out into the edge and paused to check the area and the wind. Wind was still favorable for me, but there was still a few bushes between me and the doe and I couldn't get a clear shot. Then the doe took about 3 more steps and out into the open and by that time I had the safety off and the deer in the scope. I squeezed the trigger and the deer feel straight down and didn't move. I looked at my watch. 12:00 noon. 5 minutes past peak movement time.
I texted Dr Phil that the deer was down and he showed up in about 5 minutes and after pics, he showed me the deer gutting technique. 5 minutes later, the deer was ready to be dragged out of the woods. This was the first deer that I have ever killed. It will be really good eating. Yum Yum! emoBigsmile emoGeezer
