Death by twinkies
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This muzzleloader season has been tons of fun. My boy had a way fun time, but I have to share this story...
I work at a job I care about, so the only time I have felt that I was able to break away and take him is on the weekends and early mornings or later in the evenings. He has the dedicated tag so I know we can still try for his first buck on the rifle hunt. He had a few opportunities but unlike a seasoned mule deer hunting vet, he didn't act quick enough, or left his bullets and primers in the vehicle and had to go back to grab them. After a few of these episodes and before we would start on our trek away from all our supplies I started to ask him all the questions to make sure he had everything. When we were resting from hiking I would go through scenarios and have him practice pulling up his gun and acting like there was a deer to find.
On Wednesday the 6th as I get home from work the mountains were very appealing. We had some rain and snow up top, and as the clouds began to lift I had that buck fever feeling go throughout my bones calling me to the mountains. I felt that if the clouds would clear we could have an opportunity at a deer for him when they came out to feed. We loaded our stuff in the truck and took off up the mountain. We noticed does and fawns out feeding and catching the last bit of sunlight before it would get dark. We had plans to go deeper and higher on the mountain, but I noticed the clouds were not quite high enough to get where we initially intended to go. Defeated in our plans to get to "the spot" We decided to hunt in a canyon on the mountain that was lower than where we wanted to go, but in a spot we had hunted on and off for 10 years, had scouted during the summer and where I had killed my archery buck for this year. (175 inch 4 point)
As we pull out to the point to glass we noticed another vehicle at the end of the road. The ridge we were on was in the middle of two canyons that both hold deer. I was worried we might be moving in on someone else, but also not for sure which direction they had gone, or if he was in the area still. I sent my boy out to the one side while I went to the other. After glassing for about 5 minutes I noticed a small 2 point moving through the pine trees below me. I went over to my son and told him there was a small 2 point coming out. I asked him if he wanted to go after it. He said "yes dad!!!"
We started to get our stuff together. As we turn around to start our decent into the canyon I hear some super loud heavy breathing coming in our direction from the canyon we are going to drop into. (This must be the guy who owns this vehicle) I take a look at him and he gives me the ssshhhhh!! gesture with his finger on his lips. (I didn't know we were being so loud).
DISCLAIMER: I am going to tell you the story as it was said to me. I am not trying to be rude or hurtful to this other person. For people with disabilities I am sure it is hard dealing with other people.
As he got closer he started to talk to me in a manner that I can barely make out what he is saying, and still don't know if I got it right.
"where you doing"
I point in the bucks direction and said down there.
"no! my ducks, my ducks!" "I fblounded dem furrst"
I really hate getting told what to do. Now if you ask me I am more than happy to oblige. At this point my blood got boiling so bad from being told to sssshhhh, and that I couldn't go down in the canyon. (That is what i thought he said).
I responded with "Dude this if public hunting." and started to walk the direction he had come up.
He gets something out of his vehicle gets in front of me and says, "I here furrst!, you up dere!" pointing to the road to get out of the ridge we were on. He then proceeded to do more hand gesturing and turn around and watch me after every step he took away back down the canyon.
I was a little set back, a little confused, and a lot frustrated. LOL I really didn't understand what he was saying, if he was serious, if I was being pranked. I turned around to my boy and said, "well we better leave him alone." I decided to pull up my spotting scope again and start glassing for the night. My boy was standing next to me and says "Dad! there are a bunch in the bottom" Mind you this is the same canyon the guy went into. I look and see them all running up to the bowl where they go feed for the night. 11 bucks and one doe. I realized "these are the deer he didn't want us to go after". These deer were in between the 2 point and us. So I could see why he didn't want us to go over there. At this moment I realized that once you see a deer first it is YOURS. I have always heard these stories, usually with much bigger deer. The biggest one I could see was a 160ish inch 4 point.
We decided to drive around to the top of the bowl and drop in to where these deer should be feeding up to. If they came close enough I would let my boy shoot. But not till after the guy had a chance first. We got set up in the bowl without the deer noticing us. They were feeding right to us when we heard the first shot. BANG!!!! All the deer put their heads up and then continue eating. My boy was nervous and shaking. He kept asking me "Dad can I shoot?" The deer were almost in his range. I said "No, lets wait till this guy finishes one off then maybe try to get one." Waiting for the guy to shoot again was probably 5 minutes, but felt like forever. My boy kept asking to shoot, I kept saying no. The deer were within range, but I could tell the shot of the other hunter had missed. Then here comes the second shot. BANG!!!! This time the biggest deer started to move away from the shot and 7 others followed. I could tell none of the deer had been hit. Now my boy really wanted to shoot at one of the 4 that were still close. I kept saying no as it was getting darker and here comes the clouds. 5 minutes later BANG!!!! this time I had the big buck in my binoculars and saw him get scared, but not hit. I watched him move a little further and start feeding again. It was starting to get almost too dark to shoot and I told my son, "We can come back tomorrow morning if he doesn't scare them all off, they will be here." The 4 bucks still within range and right below us. Then again BANG!!!! I hurried and scanned all the deer and counted them. Still 12 on their feet and not showing signs of being hit. It was too dark for us to try, and part of me didn't want to shoot another deer and have a fight on my hands with a guy that I think is deaf. Or have my machine vandalized over a deer. We got out of there and talked about it all night. We kept trying to figure out for sure what he was telling us. We were both confused. We just couldn't understand him.
After this experience I told my son that I did feel bad for the guy after reviewing it over and over again in my head. It must be hard to communicate to people in real life, let alone when you are excited about a buck.
Anyway we went back in the next day. The deer saw us before we saw them. My boy got a lob shot at a buck as it stopped before going over the ridge, but missed. We followed up the shot and tracked it for a while and no blood. If we would have shot the night before maybe, just maybe.
Anyway I hope we did the right thing. And I hope he doesn't think I am a complete piece........... I get it when you see a deer there is a sense of ownership that comes with that. But as I have lost many deer to other hunters blowing up my stalks, or shooting at the one I am shooting at I have come to realize there are always more deer. It is not worth losing sleep over. Or fighting with others. Unless it is a Monster Muley!!! HA HA HA
I work at a job I care about, so the only time I have felt that I was able to break away and take him is on the weekends and early mornings or later in the evenings. He has the dedicated tag so I know we can still try for his first buck on the rifle hunt. He had a few opportunities but unlike a seasoned mule deer hunting vet, he didn't act quick enough, or left his bullets and primers in the vehicle and had to go back to grab them. After a few of these episodes and before we would start on our trek away from all our supplies I started to ask him all the questions to make sure he had everything. When we were resting from hiking I would go through scenarios and have him practice pulling up his gun and acting like there was a deer to find.
On Wednesday the 6th as I get home from work the mountains were very appealing. We had some rain and snow up top, and as the clouds began to lift I had that buck fever feeling go throughout my bones calling me to the mountains. I felt that if the clouds would clear we could have an opportunity at a deer for him when they came out to feed. We loaded our stuff in the truck and took off up the mountain. We noticed does and fawns out feeding and catching the last bit of sunlight before it would get dark. We had plans to go deeper and higher on the mountain, but I noticed the clouds were not quite high enough to get where we initially intended to go. Defeated in our plans to get to "the spot" We decided to hunt in a canyon on the mountain that was lower than where we wanted to go, but in a spot we had hunted on and off for 10 years, had scouted during the summer and where I had killed my archery buck for this year. (175 inch 4 point)
As we pull out to the point to glass we noticed another vehicle at the end of the road. The ridge we were on was in the middle of two canyons that both hold deer. I was worried we might be moving in on someone else, but also not for sure which direction they had gone, or if he was in the area still. I sent my boy out to the one side while I went to the other. After glassing for about 5 minutes I noticed a small 2 point moving through the pine trees below me. I went over to my son and told him there was a small 2 point coming out. I asked him if he wanted to go after it. He said "yes dad!!!"
We started to get our stuff together. As we turn around to start our decent into the canyon I hear some super loud heavy breathing coming in our direction from the canyon we are going to drop into. (This must be the guy who owns this vehicle) I take a look at him and he gives me the ssshhhhh!! gesture with his finger on his lips. (I didn't know we were being so loud).
DISCLAIMER: I am going to tell you the story as it was said to me. I am not trying to be rude or hurtful to this other person. For people with disabilities I am sure it is hard dealing with other people.
As he got closer he started to talk to me in a manner that I can barely make out what he is saying, and still don't know if I got it right.
"where you doing"
I point in the bucks direction and said down there.
"no! my ducks, my ducks!" "I fblounded dem furrst"
I really hate getting told what to do. Now if you ask me I am more than happy to oblige. At this point my blood got boiling so bad from being told to sssshhhh, and that I couldn't go down in the canyon. (That is what i thought he said).
I responded with "Dude this if public hunting." and started to walk the direction he had come up.
He gets something out of his vehicle gets in front of me and says, "I here furrst!, you up dere!" pointing to the road to get out of the ridge we were on. He then proceeded to do more hand gesturing and turn around and watch me after every step he took away back down the canyon.
I was a little set back, a little confused, and a lot frustrated. LOL I really didn't understand what he was saying, if he was serious, if I was being pranked. I turned around to my boy and said, "well we better leave him alone." I decided to pull up my spotting scope again and start glassing for the night. My boy was standing next to me and says "Dad! there are a bunch in the bottom" Mind you this is the same canyon the guy went into. I look and see them all running up to the bowl where they go feed for the night. 11 bucks and one doe. I realized "these are the deer he didn't want us to go after". These deer were in between the 2 point and us. So I could see why he didn't want us to go over there. At this moment I realized that once you see a deer first it is YOURS. I have always heard these stories, usually with much bigger deer. The biggest one I could see was a 160ish inch 4 point.
We decided to drive around to the top of the bowl and drop in to where these deer should be feeding up to. If they came close enough I would let my boy shoot. But not till after the guy had a chance first. We got set up in the bowl without the deer noticing us. They were feeding right to us when we heard the first shot. BANG!!!! All the deer put their heads up and then continue eating. My boy was nervous and shaking. He kept asking me "Dad can I shoot?" The deer were almost in his range. I said "No, lets wait till this guy finishes one off then maybe try to get one." Waiting for the guy to shoot again was probably 5 minutes, but felt like forever. My boy kept asking to shoot, I kept saying no. The deer were within range, but I could tell the shot of the other hunter had missed. Then here comes the second shot. BANG!!!! This time the biggest deer started to move away from the shot and 7 others followed. I could tell none of the deer had been hit. Now my boy really wanted to shoot at one of the 4 that were still close. I kept saying no as it was getting darker and here comes the clouds. 5 minutes later BANG!!!! this time I had the big buck in my binoculars and saw him get scared, but not hit. I watched him move a little further and start feeding again. It was starting to get almost too dark to shoot and I told my son, "We can come back tomorrow morning if he doesn't scare them all off, they will be here." The 4 bucks still within range and right below us. Then again BANG!!!! I hurried and scanned all the deer and counted them. Still 12 on their feet and not showing signs of being hit. It was too dark for us to try, and part of me didn't want to shoot another deer and have a fight on my hands with a guy that I think is deaf. Or have my machine vandalized over a deer. We got out of there and talked about it all night. We kept trying to figure out for sure what he was telling us. We were both confused. We just couldn't understand him.
After this experience I told my son that I did feel bad for the guy after reviewing it over and over again in my head. It must be hard to communicate to people in real life, let alone when you are excited about a buck.
Anyway we went back in the next day. The deer saw us before we saw them. My boy got a lob shot at a buck as it stopped before going over the ridge, but missed. We followed up the shot and tracked it for a while and no blood. If we would have shot the night before maybe, just maybe.
Anyway I hope we did the right thing. And I hope he doesn't think I am a complete piece........... I get it when you see a deer there is a sense of ownership that comes with that. But as I have lost many deer to other hunters blowing up my stalks, or shooting at the one I am shooting at I have come to realize there are always more deer. It is not worth losing sleep over. Or fighting with others. Unless it is a Monster Muley!!! HA HA HA
