Went out Monday AM for opening day of gun season. For the first time here in my section of Ohio you can take two deer of either sex. (I think a 17% rise in deer/car collisions had something to do with that!)
Since I am four weeks into a broken ankle, and I need to fill the freezer I decided to shoot the first two deer that walked in front of me. I could not hunt my regular place because I shot a 12 point buck there last year. Suddenly the owner's son wants exclusive rights! (I knew that was a mistake.)
Anyway, I stumbled to the edge of a cut bank overlooking a creek bottom on my alternate place in the dark. I had not been out there this fall, but had camped and hunted there several times. No stands up, just sat down with my back against a tree. By the time I sat down the ankle was complaining about the 150 yards of uneven ground I'd walked across.
By 9 AM I had heard not a single shot from the nearby farms. (Very unusual for Ohio!) Three does and a fawn come down the creek. I pick a fat one and when she stops 100 yards off I fired a 12 gauge 3 inch magnum Rem Copper Solid in the general direction of her heart.
I shoot a NEF "Pardner Tracker II Plus" break-action single barrel, since Ohio won't let deer hunters use a real rifle. This is a 10 gauge barrel blank drilled and rifled to 12 gauge, so it is very heavy (11.5 pounds, I think.) It shoots cloverleafs at fifty yards, holds 2 inches or less at 100. I have great confidence in it at 125 yards or less.
This doe did not even flinch! She remained standing there just a second and scooted off uphill through the brush. I keep her in sight as I reload. About the time I close the action she stops and looks around wringing her tail like a lamb. I laid another one in her general direction and off she goes again, into dense cover. Still not a sign of a reaction to the shot.
At the second shot another doe ran into the open just uphill of my second shot. Luckily I had reloaded, so I tried for another heart shot. No reaction to the shot and off she goes into the heavy cover on the steep hillside.
Now all this took place in about 10-12 seconds, but I was really shaken that I'd not seen any reaction to the shots, because I usually hit where I aim. After waiting ten minutes I can't take any more and hobble down hill to site of the first shot. Looks like I cut hair on both sides of the body, but no blood spray at the shot or the first five steps into the heavy brush. I limped straight across the hill to the site of the second shot - big blood coming up, a puddle where she stopped, more cut hair on both sides from the shot and a good heavy blood trail going off. I know she's down somewhere close (and suddenly I don't feel so worried), so I cut uphill to the site of the third shot. More cut hair and after 15 yards a good blood trail. I tracked her 100 yards and she was still going.
I decide I better go tag and gut the first one, giving the second one time to sort herself out. After gutting the first one I easily rolled her downhill into the creek to cool off. By now I have stripped to my longhandles and orange vest, as the day is warming rapidly.
Back down the creek I pick up the trail and follow her another 100 yards down the creek, to find her floating in a pool below a small waterfall - within sight of the property line. I fished her over to the bank with a limb, dressed and tagged her, then started the real work. I was 80 or more feet below my truck, the closest deer was 200 yards from the trail, and the farthest 250 yards or more. One tug on level ground and I know I'm in trouble. The ankle won't take it. I wind up having to back up the hill, setting my feet at each step, then pulling the deer up a foot and resetting all, keeping the weight on my good foot. By 11:35 I get the nearest doe to the truck. At 3:00 PM I got the second doe to the truck. I was one whipped pup!
Hopefully they'll be worth it in the end. No fresh damage to the ankle, just some stiff muscles today.
By the way, the first two shots were within an inch of each other, just above and behind the heart. The third shot was in the same place on the other doe. All were through and through. I don't know how they made that much distance as the lungs and liver were really scrambled.
Don - the Doe Slayer.
