Rifle season has been a real breath of fresh air. The weather has cooled down a bit, and, despite the increase in hunting pressure, I’ve had more shot opportunities per excursion than I had any day during bow season. While still extremely challenging, hunting with a rifle gives me an extra boost of confidence. It’s just so much simpler and more effective than hunting with a crossbow. I’m also having a lot of fun breaking in a new .30-06. If you’ve ever bought a new rifle, I’m sure you know feeling.
Actually, I hunted the first day of rifle season on November 19th, but I got a little behind on the hunt log due to the Thanksgiving holiday. I had lots of action that day: I bumped a deer before daylight, saw two bucks in the morning, and I passed on a doe at midday. One of the bucks was well within range. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get a clear sight picture in the brush and didn’t want to risk a poor shot. I later ran into the doe as I eased around the corner of a CRP field. She was light brown and just looked small to me. I knelt down and settled my crosshair on her chest, but decided not to pull the trigger.
December 3rd turned out to be a great hunt as well. I arrived at my access point around 1:30pm. Just by chance, another hunter was driving by after I got out of my car. He rolled down his window and asked me where I was heading. I didn’t have a precise location in mind, so I gave him a general direction. At this, the guy looked at me and said, “hey, I’ve got a great spot. I’ve seen deer there every evening and I saw a big 8-point there the other day. Do you have onX?”
I was floored. I had expected a slightly uncomfortable conversation about how to avoid each other in the field. Instead, this man straight-up shared his honey hole with me. He told me that he’d already tagged two bucks, and now he was going to hunt with a friend who was having bad luck. Like the landowner I spoke with while searching for my lost buck in the previous hunt logs, he said, “if you get something, just send me a picture!” He gave me his phone number and was on his way.
The honey hole paid off. Right at sundown, I heard three does come sploshing across a river 100 yards to my right. Shortly after, they burst out of the bushes and came flying up the bank, right towards where I was sitting. I’ve hunted a lot this season, and I was starting to feel like I had seen everything. I hadn’t. These does were just about to trample me when I shifted to get a shot.
Despite the deer being feet away, I restrained myself from rushing the shot. Also, I had my scope cranked up to eight or nine, a classic rookie mistake. When I moved, the deer scattered. One doe peeled off to the left, stopping 25 yards away. Aiming quickly on her front shoulder, I pulled the trigger. Nothing! In my excitement, I had forgotten to switch off the safety. This is where my scope magnification came back to bite me. With adrenaline pumping, I punched the trigger, hard. The force of the pull on the immobile trigger completely bumped my sight picture off the deer. The deer moved slightly into the brush, and I frantically scanned to find her in a grossly overmagnified scope. Before I could locate her again, another doe snorted, sending my quarry running.
I felt so ridiculous! The odds were stacked completely in my favor, and I had blown it. I sheepishly texted my new friend, giving him a shortened account of what had gone down. While disappointing, it was a fun hunt and I felt exceedingly grateful for the unexpected hot tip.
I hunted the next day in a different area, but didn’t see any deer.
There are many conclusions I can draw from the weekend’s adventures. The most important takeaway by far has to do with the hunter who shared a spot with me. He’s out there modeling not only how to treat other hunters, but also how to treat people in general. After experiencing his friendliness and generosity, I feel inspired to go out and treat people the same way. Sometimes, in hunting and in life, I fall into the trap of a scarcity mindset. But that is no way to live. The people I want to be around cultivate a life of abundance. I will too.
Persistence Outdoors 