TAG FILLED!! Long Read and Lots of Pics!
It finally happened!! We left for her hunt Thursday morning with the intention of getting up to her unit (12A West) north of Grand Canyon on the North Kaibab National Forest in time to scout the areas I intended to take her. Going into this Tuesday and Wednesday, she started stressing over her school work in a big way. She was really worried about not getting her work done and falling behind, which we've always emphasized as important. When I picked her up after school Wednesday, we had a chance to visit with her teacher and talk about Syd’s concerns. Her teacher is awesome and assured Sydney that she had nothing to worry about and we should leave early in the morning and have a great time.
We got up to camp around 11 am (3.5 hour drive pulling our camper), got everything set up, and had lunch. After lunch, we decided to drive a couple of the spur roads I had in mind. About 200-300 yards from camp, at 1:45 pm, there were two muley bucks and three does feeding 50 yards off the road. I was completely surprised to see them on their feet at that time of day, but it certainly got our hearts racing! Down the first spur road, Syd saw a BIG mature doe with a yearling and she decided right there that she had no problem shooting a doe with a fawn or yearling, as long as they weren't still drinking milk. I assured her that they were eating grass and mast and that harvesting a doe like that wouldn't harm the fawns or yearlings with them. We drove down the next spur road and parked on the side to walk down in to a stock tank I knew was there. On our walk into the tank, we saw another mature doe with two yearlings feeding 30 yards from us, just staring at us. They had no intention of moving; they just gave us “the stare” as we casually walked on by, taking note of the time (3 pm) and place. We saw plenty of tracks at the pond and decided we’d seen enough. It was time to head back to camp, have supper, make a plan, and get to bed early. Like her elk hunt, I left the choice to her, emphasizing that there was no wrong answer.
4 am came early on opening morning, but she flew out of bed like a die hard, seasoned hunter! Hot chocolate, oatmeal, and a Pop-Tart for the road were all welcomed. On the drive out, she decided we should hunt the tank first thing. We ended up sitting in our parking spot for about 30 minutes before we decided it was time to work our way in to the tank. On our hike in, another dad with his two sons drove up to us, which was frustrating (but its public land), but we talked for a bit and worked out a plan to avoid ruining each other’s hunts. As we were working our way into the tank, I saw two distinct white butts race across the meadow towards the tank, but behind the big berm surrounding the backside of the tank. They had no idea we were there, so we decided to work back around the other side of the tank and find them again, watching the main lane into/out of the tank. We couldn't see them, so we sat down to wait them out with good shooting lanes. After about an hour, Syd was getting restless so I suggested we work another area of the ridge we were on. As we stood up, I saw one of the does leaving the tank, walking away from us at a leisurely pace. We grabbed our stuff and worked our way around to the other side of the tank to cut her off, but she disappeared like a ghost! We followed a well-used game trail with fresh tracks, but never found her. It was warming up, so we decided to work our way back to the truck and drive down the ridge where we’d seen the big doe the day before. Nothing panned out there and we couldn't find a good vantage point to glass opposite hills from due to the amazing regeneration after a fire about a decade prior.
We decided to make a quick drive back down towards the tank before heading back to camp, when I notice the sun shining perfectly on what appeared to be an antler about 100 yards off the road, along a fence line. I stopped, grabbed my binos, and realized it was the white ear tip of a doe and she had 4 other does with her! It was on! Unfortunately, they busted us on the stalk and we couldn't catch up to them. Feeling a little dejected, Syd decided she was ready to take a break. We talked about not giving up and how hunting is full of highs and lows and it can all change in an instant. After lunch, I made her lay down for a nap before heading back out. AGFD happened to stop during nap time to talk about the Condor program and using non-lead ammo (I only load Barnes TSX or TTSX) and it turned out to be a gal I’d worked with before. She told me about just seeing a buck and two does moving (at 12:15 pm) on another road. Not long after that, Syd woke up and I relayed the info. “Grab our stuff, dad, and let’s go see what we can find!” was her response. We jumped in my truck and drove down that road, but didn't see anything. She wanted to drive back to the tank area while we were out and about. Our afternoon plan was to sit on the backside of the tank where we could see into the berm, but she wanted to drive a bit first. After driving a short ways, I convinced her that we should head to camp, grab our camo clothes, all our gear, and just go sit at the tank. Everything happens for a reason, right??
On our drive to the tank area, we saw three mature does feeding 40 yards off the road at 2 pm! We just drove right on past them like it was no big deal and I noticed them return to their feeding. About 100 yards down, I pulled over and we formed a plan to sneak back around. We made our way back up, but I misjudged how far down they were and ended up directly across from them, about 50 yards away. One of the does started looking our direction, so we waited her out. She finally went back to feeding and we got the shooting sticks set up and ready. The doe started working her way across the opening and presented a great broadside shot. Just as Syd was getting ready to let her rifle speak, the doe turned straight towards us, taking Syd’s shot away. I was just getting ready to tell her to put the crosshairs on the front part of her close shoulder, when they spooked and ran off. It turns out another group of hunters were driving down the road and spooked them. Again, the ins and outs of hunting public land! As we were walking back to the truck, she was feeling bummed about the blown opportunity. Again, I reminded her that its all part of hunting and things can change in an instant.
We finally arrived at our parking spot to work our way into the tank and enjoyed a nice walk down the road, reminding her about not getting down and staying focused. As we were walking the final two-track leading to the tank, I happened to look to my right and saw the distinct figures of three mule deer does bedded down 30 yards off the road! It was the same mature doe with two yearlings from the day before. They were in the exact same spot at the exact same time! The doe and her two fawns were just lying there, staring at us like we weren't a huge threat. I quickly let Syd know about the deer. Syd turned around and saw them, and got doe fever instantly! I worked on keeping her calm while we set up the sticks to get her a good shot at the mature doe. Because of the angle, Sydney couldn't see the doe very well so we walked a few yards back down the trail. Still nothing. I was amazed that the doe just sat there watching us. After about 10 minutes of jockeying for a good shooting lane, the doe stood up and walked about 10 yards, stopping facing directly at us. We walked 10 yards down with her and got Syd set up. I whispered to Syd “If she turns broadside and you have the shot, don’t wait for me to say its ok.” Right after that, the doe turned broadside and at about 2:45 pm, I heard that 7mm-08 BARK!!! I was watching the doe and she did a perfect mule kick that told me a perfect hit in the boiler room. We watched her trot off as if nothing had happened. I was hoping those 140 gr TTSX would have dropped her in her tracks, but I also knew the shot was perfect. Syd instantly started screaming with excitement! I tried to calm her down, emphasizing that we’ll celebrate when we recover the deer, but it was hard for her to contain her emotions. Frankly, I couldn't blame her. I wasn't far off, but one of us had to keep calm just in case. We walked in and marked the spot where she was standing so we could start searching for blood. I tried to keep Syd calm and tell her we needed to give her 30 minutes, but I knew in my heart the deer was all ready done. I suggested we walk back to the main road and see if there was any blood where the doe may have crossed. As we were walking, she admitted that I was right in that she didn't feel the recoil one bit. Her adrenaline and that muzzle brake worked wonders! Syd was the first one who found good lung blood right away in the grass on the edge of the road and we found some more a short distance away. I happened to look up and saw the deer’s rump sticking out of a group of branches on a downed pine tree. Instead of telling her, I told her to grab her gun and I grabbed my phone to capture a video of her recovering her first deer! When I finally got her to see her deer, her reaction was PRICELESS! It was similar to the video posted recently of a girl and her first bow harvest, only this was my daughter and, in my mind, one of OUR IowaWhitetail kids!
We snapped a couple of quick pics with my phone since the batteries were dead in my small camera and I wanted to get the deer out of the sun as fast as possible and back to camp. My wife and our son (and dogs) were back at camp when we got there. They had planned to come up for the weekend to camp with us. They were so excited for her!! It worked out perfectly that Syd got her deer on opening day so that we could have the rest of the weekend to hang out, relax, and enjoy the moment! I tried to convince Syd to get up at 4 am to go look for more deer on Saturday, but she was ready to sleep in! We ended up driving down to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon for a few hours. We've never been on that side. It’s remote, but so much prettier and way less crowded. A definite must see for anyone who enjoys the Grand Canyon!
Sydney and I have talked quite a bit about her hunt since Friday. She’s learned so many lessons about not giving up, working hard for something you want, maturity, respect, support from friends and family (including all of you here), and finding success (both in tags filled and not filled). We dropped the deer off at the processor today and will be taking the hide to the taxidermist tomorrow to have a blanket or wall rug made for her to commemorate her first big game animal. She’s all ready planning for next year’s elk and deer hunting, but excited for her javelina hunt at the end of November. Thanks again, everyone, for following along and showing her so much support. I think she’ll be working on her own journal entry this week since she and her brother are off school for a week of fall break.
Harvest Pics
Recovery Video
http://vid1071.photobucket.com/albu...014 Elk Hunt/20141010_1457571_zps7581314f.mp4
Enjoying Campfire with Younger Brother
North Rim Grand Canyon
Tuckered Out on Drive Home
