Last weekend, a buddy and I roadtripped a couple hours east to look for bears on public land. Neither of us had been out there before, so it was really a scouting mission with the capability to hunt. We had planned to drive out Friday night and hunt all weekend, but extraneous circumstances paired the trip down to an out and back overnight. Though we were unsuccessful, it was great to get out and see some new country. Additionally, the hunt was not without its own excitement.
We didn’t know what to expect regarding bears in the area. Many deer hunters had reported bear sightings in years prior, but there had never been an actual bear hunting season on the WMA until now. The general body of bear hunting knowledge for the area was basically nil. We decided to get out and cover some ground looking for sign. We figured that once we had found sign we would then focus our hunting efforts on that area. We spent most of Saturday morning and midday hiking slow, scouring old two-track roads for scat. We did find one old pile of bear scat, but nothing fresh and promising.
While scouting for bears, we found a field with lots of deer beds in it. Since we didn’t have much to go on for bears, we shifted gears and decided to do an evening sit at the field. We didn’t see anything until just after the sun went down. While technically still legal shooting light, it had gotten so dark that I decided to call it a night. As I left my hiding spot, I bumped into a group of four or five deer who had snuck into the field under the cover of darkness. At the same time, my friend had spotted these deer and had put a last ditch stalk on them. The deer were momentarily sandwiched between us as we closed in from either end of the field.
As soon as I saw the deer, I dropped to my knees and started scanning them through my crossbow scope. Momentarily, I had my sights on a deer’s chest. I likely could have taken the shot, but I wasn’t comfortable for a couple reasons. First of all, the light was fading, and I couldn’t quite estimate the age of the deer. While any anterless deer was legal, I didn’t want to shoot a fawn. Secondly, the deer was facing me, presenting me with only a frontal shot. I’d only take a frontal shot on a deer under ideal conditions, and this scenario felt less than ideal. And lastly, I had put my range finder away, thinking my hunt was over. I had no idea what distance the deer were at, and with only a frontal shot I wasn’t ready to take a risk. These things raced through my mind in about 10 seconds. I passed on the shot.
Right then I saw one of my buddy’s illuminated arrows zip from left to right about 45 yards in front of me. He had been standing waste deep in grass on some higher ground and had a better view of the unfolding situation. He had the drop on a doe and took a shot. It was exciting to see the arrow fly in the low light, and I was hopeful he had hit his target. Unfortunately, it turned out to be a clean miss. Thanks to the lighted knock, we found his arrow and inspected it for blood. It was completely clean. Additionally, neither of us had seen or heard an impact. He was a pretty good sport about it, and we consoled ourselves by reasoning that a clean miss is much better than a wounded deer.
After our evening excitement we headed to a field where we camped near a handful of other hunters. We made a plan for the next morning, cooked some food, called our loved ones, and headed to bed. The next morning passed quietly. My friend briefly saw a big buck around first light, but after that we saw nothing. After the morning hunt, we took a little more time to poke around the WMA and see some new areas. Then we grabbed some snacks, shed some layers, and settled in for a long drive west to meet the approaching work week.
Persistence Outdoors 