Continuing on with Thursday brought a mid-day tracking adventure that found Curt's hog and Terry's buck. Weather is hot, and the wind continues out of the south... We got back just in time to head back out to the field.
I found my crew, grabbed my gear and we piled into the truck. Before we got out of the main driveway Robert was on the phone with David "Ole Shep" finalizing stand locations for everyone. We got into the main gate and another quick call was made as we pulled off the side of the road and Ole Shep's truck pulled around us. After a few minute conversation Robert looked to me and said "This is you," and gave me directions to the stand.
The stand site was easy enough to find, also found a tripod stand on the downwind side with a postage stamp for a platform. Interesting getting in and getting out of this stand! Very comfortable to sit in though, very well hidden within the tree it is set up in with a nice shooting lane to the feeder which is about 25 yards away.
A few minutes after getting into the stand I see a the back half of a deer about 125 yards away that slips out of site into the scrub. In the next hour and a half I can literally hear the dogs barking at the main camp. Then the feeder goes off and still nothing else seen...
About 20 minutes after the feeder went off I see a deer in the same place I saw the back end of a deer earlier. At this distance it looks like a doe, and I just so happen to still have a doe tag to spare.
So I ready for a shot as I'm only catching bits and pieces of this deer heading to the feeder...
Finally this deer steps into my shooting lane and low and behold it is a small 3 point buck... and off limits for me. So, I just watch him feed for about 10 - 15 minutes and he moves on. A few minutes after that I have a yearling walk right in under the feeder out of the scrub, looks like a doe but is small and possibly a button buck. Shortly after a larger deer with no horns limps in... she has had an injury to her back left leg at some point and was not using it at all. She feeds for quite a while and won't come any closer than the other side of the feeder.
On a side note: I truthfully don't think this stand gets used very often as the deer seemed to be almost normal. They were not nervous or jumpy like every other deer I've seen on this property. Refreshing...
I continued to watch these two deer for another 30 minutes or so and confirmed that she was not going to come any closer than she was... although she was standing completely broadside, very calm, head down feeding on corn.
Sorry, another side note: the doe I shot last year was very similar to this one, long ways off (32 yards) very calm and feeding and didn't jump at all at the shot, but rather just lifted her head at the shot and took the arrow right where I was looking.
So, I slowly move into position and draw concentrating directly on her heart. Not the base of the chest, normal shot for me directly at the heart. Next thing I see is my nock and feathers tracking to her direcly where I was looking, and like clockwork she simply lifts her head and the arrow strikes about 2" above where I was looking. Off she goes directly away from me with my arrow in her up to the wrap. She hits the scrub and disappears then all fell silent again.
I feel very good about the shot, and at 27 yards everything needed to be perfect for me to drop the string. The arrow actually had to go between the legs of the feeder to get to where she was standing, but with the small spot I had picked out they were not even in my thought process.
I sit back and relax for about 10 minutes just reliving the shot and what transpired after. Then another deer steps into my shooting lane and snaps me back into reality. I take a quick glimpse around through the branches and leaves that have me so well hidden and realize there are five deer within 30 yards of me. Three more does, a button buck, and another very respectable 8 point buck. They are also very calm, and just work their way in and feed.
They stay there until dark and slowly move off into the scrub. Well I wait for Robert to show up, but now it is well after dark. Do you remember the stand being interesting to get into and out of? Try it in the dark! I finally got out of the stand, thankfully without the help of mother earths gravity, and slowly work my way back out to the main road.
Another 15 or 20 minutes pass and Dave "Ole Shep" pulls in and picks me up with an empty truck. He lets me know that Robert has in fact had two flat tires and is in kindof a bind, and drives me back to the main camp. When we get there I pile out and start setting my gear down and Ole Shep grabs his dog "Cisco" and heads out to track an animal shot by his group.
Peanut happens to be working at the grill cooking some sausages and asks how my hunt went. I told him about the shot and that she ran off with the arrow in her. Now pardon my French, but he lets out in his Texas accent, "That B!+(# ran off with your arrow!?" "Well lets go see if we can get it back from her!"
So we grabbed his dog "Hib," piled into his truck and off we went. We arrived there shortly and I walked over to check for blood which there was plenty and he got Hib ready. Hib got the scent and worked his way directly down the trail where she had gone. Less than a minute later Hib's bell stopped ringing. We caught up to him and at end of the flashlight beam I saw Hib "marking" my doe. I worked my way into the thicket and praised Hib for a job well done and grabbed my doe.
Got her loaded up and headed back to camp for another spectacular meal. Three hunts, four shots taken, three complete pass throughs and one pass through with the arrow still in the animal. Total recovery distance of all animals taken 105 yards. It doesn't get much better.
What I learned on this hunt is you need to read the animal, get a sense of how keyed up they are and pick your spot accordingly. They are jittery at a standstill 99% of the time, but from time to time you can find the "normal" deer even in these highly pressured circumstances. Distance of the shot seems to play a big role too, the further they are away from the shot the less they seem to react. Just little things I've observed and take it for what you will if you ever find yourself on this hunt or one like it... Oh, also, I haven't taken a single shot at a game animal while standing on this ranch. I just never felt I would be able to stand up without not having anything to shoot at when I did get to the standing position. Learn to shoot while sitting, it will greatly increase your chances of a successful shot while here.
Great hunt, great folks, memories that will last a lifetime. I'm also with Thomas, David, and Randy... My slot will not be one of the "open" slots to get filled in the years to come!
Friday morning on I'm hunting hogs and turkeys as I'm tagged out on deer...
Topic: Hunting in the 'New Year' @ Solana Ranch.... (Read 28046 times)
