LoessHillsArcher
PMA Member
My brother was able to get back to the farms this past weekend to take our two younger cousins out for youth season, I wasn't able to make but here are the stories of the hunts...
Preston's 1st deer
"My cousin Preston and I went out last night to a spot I had been seeing numberous little bucks and a few does and fawns. We got set up in a good spot, but the sun was shining right on us so I wasn't sure how it would go. We were overlooking beans with a pond right in front of us that was loaded with deer tracks. At 5:45 we had a little buck walk straight at us to 50 yards but Preston couldn't turn to the right far enough to get on him (by the time he was broadside he was to far for him to turn). I would have helped him but the buck already had us pegged so it didn't matter. We didn't see a deer for a while after that...until dark. About a half hour before shooting light was gone we had a little buck working right to us. I got the camera on it but had to let it go so I could get Preston set (he was facing the opposite way). There was only ten minutes of tape left so I reached over and quit recording. I got Preston set and facing right where the deer was going to end up in front of us. I reached back over and got the camera back on the deer but forgot to hit record. So I was pretty excited as Preston was set and I am getting good video as the deer comes right to 20 yards to the pond. It was facing us, so I told Preston to put the crosshairs right on its chest and shoot. At some point the deer picked us out, it probably heard me, so it was staring at us and with the sun shining it knew someting was wrong right away. As the deer turned to run, Preston shot. We were kind of sitting on the edge of the top of the terrace with about a 10 foot drop behind us and the shot knocked him right off his knees and on his back down the hill
it was funny (he was fine), and he was all excited wondering if he had hit the deer. Unforunately he did not. Fast forward to this morning, sitting in the same spot. we got in about a half hour before shooting light was upon us. I told Preston to sit for a bit and I would hold the gun (that way he was comfortable). I figured it was getting about that time that he should be ready and as I turned to hand him the gun and get him into position it was to late, there was a doe and fawn coming right to us. I told him to be patient and sit still and we would figure out what to do. They came to 15 yards and drank for a minute and then walked by broadside. By then I had gotten him moved and had the gun on the sticks for him. He was not really ready when they were that close so we waited a bit. They turned and started to walk away from us so I got the sticks set and he was in the ready position. I also got the camera on them. Again at some point (I think it was the noise of him moving) they noticed us and stared at us straight on for probably 5 minutes. I told him to just keep the crosshairs on the deer chest and that she would eventually turn broadside. She was 60 yards away, and finally took a couple jumps and stopped again, broadside. He had the crosshairs on her so I told him to pull the trigger whenever. He pulled the trigger at the same time she turned....but he still smoked her and she was down within 5 seconds! He was very excited and so was I! The video was not very good, but our main goal was to just get him his first deer and we accomplished that!
You can kinda see where we were sitting (just to the left of his head) on top of the terrace right under that mulberry tree."
Matthew's 2nd deer
Well it was another great, yet interesting morning. Tim, Matthew, and I hunted the pond Jordan and I dug Sunday night. The camera has been showing a ton of evening doe activity and this was the place to be. We spotted a doe and fawn about 80 yards down the valley. They started to walk right up the valley to us, but then cut towards the hill. The were walking about 60 yards away and did not stop, it all happened so fast that nobody bleated to stop them
So Matthew didn't take the shot. BUT right behind them was another deer, except this one went the opposite way to the food plot. About 10 minutes later two more deer appeared in the same spot, one was a button buck and it ran up towards us, up the hill, stopped for a second before running back down the hill and accross the valley. It ended up running away with another fawn. That was it for Sunday night. Tim had to leave that night to be home in time to go fly the next day, so Monday morning it was just Matthew and I. We were going to sit in one spot but as we were driving down the road I changed my mind, we were going to the alfalfa field. We got there an hour befor shooting light and it was literally like a two minute walk from the truck so I decided to sit in the truck for a half hour instead of sitting in the dark wind and cold for an hour. Well, we were just getting ready to leave the truck....I grabbed the camera, handed Matthew the gun and had a little last second discussion, when I looked up and seen a buck walking right to us. I told Matthew to roll his window down and get ready (just kidding, we aren't that redneck
) No, really it was about 50 yards away walking the timber edge....it made a scrape, and took forever to go over the hill to where we would be sitting. So now we were running late and by the time we walked around the terrace I could only see about 1/3 of the alfalfa field and there were already 7 deer out there!!! I was trying to come up with a game plan so we went back around and onto the top side of the field, no luck with that plan either. The deer were feeding around, so we watched them for a minute. There were a couple little bucks sparring too. Eventually they turn towards the timber and started to feed there way back. So I decided we should go around and then sneak up and over the hill through the timber, this would put us right at the edge where they were heading to. (hard to explain without a map I know.
) The wind was blowing pretty well, but I think they must have heard us coming, the leaves were pretty crunchy. Just as we got to the timber edge there was a deer in the field, and one just walking in....they were gone. We sat down anyway and Matthew got his gun on the sticks. I was pretty dissapointed as I felt I ruined his chance at the deer. But literally 30 seconds after sitting down Matthew spotted a deer coming around the corner all the way across the field, probably 250-300 yards away....she was followed by two more deer. They fed around and eventually made there way to us. The one got broadside at about 80 yards so I gave Matthew the go ahead.....he misses right over her....BUT the deer just stand there
Of course they are only 80 yards away, looking around trying to figure out what happened and we are sitting in loud crunchy leaves and can't move without making a ton of noise. Well, somehow we managed to reload the gun, I have no idea how I pushed the bullet down the while sitting down and the gun pointing straight up but we got it done. By this time, two deer were in the timber one was standing close to the edge, about 115 yards away. I told Matthew to put the crosshairs on it and to get ready. It started walking to us a little making it a 105 yard shot. It turned to the timber and was quartering to a little, but not to much, so I gave Matthew the go ahead.....he shoots and drops it!
He actually hit it a little back and it went right under the back and broke the back leg, he did hit the artery that runs a long the back though, because when I gutted it it was full of blood. We had to run down and finish it off which kinda of stank, but I explained to him that sometimes that is how it goes and you have to do that.....it happens to everyone...even the pros, so he was okay with that (thankfully, I wasn't sure what he was going to think). We admired the deer, took pictures, and got it all cleaned up.....
Preston's 1st deer
"My cousin Preston and I went out last night to a spot I had been seeing numberous little bucks and a few does and fawns. We got set up in a good spot, but the sun was shining right on us so I wasn't sure how it would go. We were overlooking beans with a pond right in front of us that was loaded with deer tracks. At 5:45 we had a little buck walk straight at us to 50 yards but Preston couldn't turn to the right far enough to get on him (by the time he was broadside he was to far for him to turn). I would have helped him but the buck already had us pegged so it didn't matter. We didn't see a deer for a while after that...until dark. About a half hour before shooting light was gone we had a little buck working right to us. I got the camera on it but had to let it go so I could get Preston set (he was facing the opposite way). There was only ten minutes of tape left so I reached over and quit recording. I got Preston set and facing right where the deer was going to end up in front of us. I reached back over and got the camera back on the deer but forgot to hit record. So I was pretty excited as Preston was set and I am getting good video as the deer comes right to 20 yards to the pond. It was facing us, so I told Preston to put the crosshairs right on its chest and shoot. At some point the deer picked us out, it probably heard me, so it was staring at us and with the sun shining it knew someting was wrong right away. As the deer turned to run, Preston shot. We were kind of sitting on the edge of the top of the terrace with about a 10 foot drop behind us and the shot knocked him right off his knees and on his back down the hill
You can kinda see where we were sitting (just to the left of his head) on top of the terrace right under that mulberry tree."
Matthew's 2nd deer
Well it was another great, yet interesting morning. Tim, Matthew, and I hunted the pond Jordan and I dug Sunday night. The camera has been showing a ton of evening doe activity and this was the place to be. We spotted a doe and fawn about 80 yards down the valley. They started to walk right up the valley to us, but then cut towards the hill. The were walking about 60 yards away and did not stop, it all happened so fast that nobody bleated to stop them
