Today was my first day out for the year as our season just opened up on the 15th.
I was hunting Sika deer on the eastern shore of Maryland. These deer were introduced in the 1920s from a Japanese island and have established huntable populations in limited areas. They primarily inhabit mosquito infested :( salt water marshes. They are small deer as well with hinds going around 60 or so pounds with Stags slightly larger.
A Trad Gang friend generously helped me last year with his knowledge and expertise (both of which are extensive) and put me on the right track. I had several close encounters last year but never sealed the deal.
After a two hour drive I found my public land spot inundated with duck hunters as an early season opened for them as well. Just another problem with marsh deer.
I moved on and headed for another section of public land that I had driven by but had never actually gone into before.
As I was already late and it was light I hustled down a grass road and speed scouted for sign. One thing I have observed is that sign for these deer seems to be "lighter" than whitetails.
I saw a somewhat clear area in the tangled mess off the grass road and traversed the water filled ditches that line all the roads down there. There was a faint trail so I walked down it a bit looking for any sign. There were some crisp hoof prints in the few areas of exposed ground but no scat or anything else.
I said heck with it as it was so late and just looked for a spot where I might have some space to shoot. The cover is just so thick that it really takes some effort just to find a clear shooting lane.
I found a spot but I was going to be right on top of trail (about 10 yards) so I was a little worried. There were two trees though and since I was so close I opted for the one with cover rather than the one with more shooting lanes.
I climbed quickly and got setup. I had probably been setup for an hour when I heard some noise in the woods to my right. I really could not see anything and it seemed noisy to be a deer so I dismissed it as a squirrel.
Eventually the noise was persistent enough and sufficiently unlike a squirrel that I got focused. I still could not see anything but I knew something was coming and it was within 50 yards already.
I carefully stood and caught movement coming into the trail 30 yds ahead of me. Unfortunately I had walked the trail and specifically that area when I was checking it out.
The deer was very cautiously sniffing branches and leaves. I anxiously held my breath waiting for the deer to explode as it was really working everything over. Fortunately I was wearing hip boots which probably helped minimize residual scent.
The deer was basically headed straight at me as I was on a corner of the trail. It slowly worked its way towards me and was closing on one of my very limited shooting lanes.
It finally stopped in one of my lanes but was still facing me. There would be no way I could draw and obviously I had no shot even if I could.
The deer finally turned to smell the other side of the trail. Its body language had eased as well so I felt confident it was no longer on high alert which would have been a disaster at 10 yards!
She was so close I was basically shooting down on her but I felt the angle was reasonable. I waited for her head to turn opposite of me and picked a spot low on her side. I eased back my draw and hit the corner of my mouth. The arrow was away in a flash and the deer exploded at the shot.
It turned on a dime and flew back up the trail and then at full speed ran a large arc through the woods to my right and then eventually behind me. I could hear my arrow banging against trees as the deer ran.
I knew with the shot so high and the arrow still in her that the blood trail was not going to be good. I anxiously waited 30 minutes and said a little "deer recovery" prayer before climbing down.
As expected there was little visible blood other than a few specs and certainly not enough to trail through heavy cover. Just for insurance I shot a projected way point with my GPS in the direction I had last heard the deer which was basically a hundred yards behind my stand.
I then walked down the grass road as I had heard the deer crash through the water ditches on both sides of the grass road. I thought I might pick up some blood at that point with the arrow banging around as it was. No such luck though so I headed back to my stand.
From my stand I took a direct line toward where I had last heard the deer. I had gone in about 50 yds and saw the white and black rump of the hind (female Sika deer). The below picture was actually taken on the grass road and not where I found the deer. Trust me, it is wonder the deer actually fell to the ground with all the stickers and stuff in there!
I was one happy camper and am still fired up! I have taken a lot of whitetails and a few decent bucks but this little public land hind is a trophy in my eyes.
I will stick to hunting these guys till it gets closer to prime time for the Whitetails. Fortunately the Sika deer rut in mid October so I get the best of both worlds. Hopefully I can get a decent stag but I cannot guarantee that I will pass up something small
.
BTW, these deer are actually more like mini elk in their rutting behavior. They bugle and do the harem thing. They are also delicious just like elk.
The problem with these deer though is that they are difficult and unpredictable to hunt. They inhabit challenging terrain with ungodly amounts of mosquitoes, horseflies, chiggers, and crazy big spiders :eek: .
First blood for my new to me (slightly used) 2011 Bear Super Grizzly 45# @ 28" 29" CE Heritage 90s with Wensel Woodsman's.
Sorry about the pics, photobucket seems to make them too small. I spend too much money on hunting to afford a pro account.
Topic: Good Day in Maryland (Read 326 times)
