This fall’s deer hunt was a study in contrasts for me. For starters, I have never felt more prepared for a hunt than in 2014. Or so it seemed. The two properties I hunt were thoroughly scouted in the spring, with major scrapes and rubs noted, trails marked and future ground blind spots cleared.
It had been the second of two brutal winters for the north and my expectations were low. So it was heartening to see fresh deer tracks in the May mud. Signs of life!
Through the summer, I checked my trail cams and noticed some pretty decent bucks showing up. The fact there were any bucks around after the previous winter drove home just how resilient the whitetail deer really is. I was feeling increasingly excited about the approaching deer season.
In September, the fever started to grow when a couple of velvet antlered monarchs appeared on the trail cams midday. These were big dudes with impressive looking headgear, despite it being wrapped in peach fuzz.
One of my goals in 2014 was to harvest a deer with a crossbow. I’ve killed several bear with a crossbow, but not a whitetail. Things seemed to be falling into place. However, as often happens, the plan didn’t go exactly as imagined.
My crossbow deer hunt was odd. I had been shooting all summer and felt very, very confident. I had taken a bear via crossbow in September and it was a clean, 20-yard shot that dropped the bruin at the base of my tree stand.
My early sits for deer, however, did not go as well. For starters, none of the big bucks showed. By the time the archery season opened for deer in the northwest, the big boys had gone nocturnal.
My first chance to get a deer with a crossbow came at first light late in mid-September. It was a really dark morning and although it was legal shooting time, my eyes couldn’t make out a thing.
I was hearing deer, but not seeing them. Then two does materialized. They were standing broadside at 25 yards. I lifted the bow, put the scope on the lungs of the largest and shot. Both deer bounded about 75 yards into the adjacent field, then stopped and looked back.
I waited for one to fall over and it didn’t happen. After about five minutes, they lost interest and went back to grazing. I’d missed.
I waited for one to fall over and it didn’t happen. After about five minutes, they lost interest and went back to grazing. I’d missed.
Later investigation of the shot revealed some twigs may have played a role. Or not. I’ll never know for sure. There were some other close calls but that was my best crossbow opportunity. The rifle moose hunt began and the crossbow went away.
When my pursuit of deer restarted in mid-October, I was, again, confident.
The cameras were full of deer at all hours. I put up ground blinds, raised a tree stand, and set up a couple of feeders. Best of all, my rifle was shooting straight and true. It was time. Once again, though, things did not go to plan.
One fail happened when I drove in on a big buck that happened to be tending does in a field at midday. Normally, I’d have glassed the field on entry but it was lunchtime. Right? The massive buck bounded down the field and I tried to put the stalk on it, but to no avail.
Then on Nov. 16 — a day on which I’ve traditionally had amazing luck — it was really cold and I quit early. The trail cam revealed the error of that decision. A gorgeous 10-point appeared that afternoon.
In late November, my son Austin and I tried again to wait out the big 10-point that was showing up on camera. We sat for two long days in a cold blind, looking at a lot of deer, but not THE deer. On the third day, Austin had to leave for work so I went out solo.
You can guess what happened. In the morning, a nervous doe appeared, with the gorgeous 10-point behind it. I laid the cross hair on its neck and squeezed. Seeing that huge buck lying in the snow 80 yards away made for an unforgettable picture.
It was a nice note to end the 2014 hunt on.
Beautiful deer Gord. You put in your time for that one.