bushman
New Member
I woke up around 4:00am on Saturday morning, excitement filled my stomach with knots as soon as my eyes opened. After getting dressed and packed for opening day of the Minnesota rifle season my fiancé’ and I headed over to my Grandfather’s house to meet up with the rest of our party. Once we got everyone woke up and out the door it was 6:00am, a little to late for my liking. We parked the truck and started to slowly make our way to our stands under the starlight. I dropped my fiancé’ off at her morning stand, made sure that she was set up and made my way over the knoll to my stand. By the time I got into the fifteen foot ladder stand it was about 6:20am. I was facing east over looking a draw to the east of my and a big funnel to my south. I could hear activity but could see nothing, the hill to my east blocks the sun for a long time and I don’t have shooting light until about an hour after sunrise.
About 7:00am I saw the silhouettes of to mature does walking on the hillside from the south headed north. They slowly made there way around the edge of the woods and out of sight. As soon as they disappeared down another draw I heard a strong grunt to my south. My heart jumped and I reached down and hit my grunt call four times. I waited anxiously for a reply but none. 60 agonizing seconds passed in silence. I looked up and saw the silhouette of a deer approaching from the south. He came to the draw that I was watching and I could see his antlers shine in the glow of the rising November sun. He started coming right to me, head in the air with an extremely swollen neck, looking for a fight. As he moved behind a tree I shouldered my Remington 11-87 12 gauge. I was waiting for him to wind me as the wind was swirling in the ravine I was hunting but he just kept coming. At about 30 he stopped giving me a perfect broadside shot. I took a deep breath, settled my crosshairs on his shoulder and gently squeezed the trigger. The roar of my twelve gauge broke the silence of the November air. The buck high kicked and took off, tail down but I could not get off another shot. I sat in my stand for five long minuets and then climbed down. I hung out around my tree and smoked a cigarette before going to look for a blood trail.
I found a good piece of blood and hair on a piece of brush and I knew he was down. As I followed the blood trail it grew increasingly stronger and stronger. After tracking for about 50 yards I looked up and saw tines sticking up from the hillside. I approached cautiously, gun ready but it was not needed. The single double lung shot did him in. I got up to him and checked out his nice eight point rack. I made sure that he had expired and then went to get my fiancé’ She came over and was just as excited as I was with my early morning success. She helped field dress the buck and drag it close to the truck under some brush so that he could be in the shade while we finished our morning hunt.
Pictures to follow soon.
About 7:00am I saw the silhouettes of to mature does walking on the hillside from the south headed north. They slowly made there way around the edge of the woods and out of sight. As soon as they disappeared down another draw I heard a strong grunt to my south. My heart jumped and I reached down and hit my grunt call four times. I waited anxiously for a reply but none. 60 agonizing seconds passed in silence. I looked up and saw the silhouette of a deer approaching from the south. He came to the draw that I was watching and I could see his antlers shine in the glow of the rising November sun. He started coming right to me, head in the air with an extremely swollen neck, looking for a fight. As he moved behind a tree I shouldered my Remington 11-87 12 gauge. I was waiting for him to wind me as the wind was swirling in the ravine I was hunting but he just kept coming. At about 30 he stopped giving me a perfect broadside shot. I took a deep breath, settled my crosshairs on his shoulder and gently squeezed the trigger. The roar of my twelve gauge broke the silence of the November air. The buck high kicked and took off, tail down but I could not get off another shot. I sat in my stand for five long minuets and then climbed down. I hung out around my tree and smoked a cigarette before going to look for a blood trail.
I found a good piece of blood and hair on a piece of brush and I knew he was down. As I followed the blood trail it grew increasingly stronger and stronger. After tracking for about 50 yards I looked up and saw tines sticking up from the hillside. I approached cautiously, gun ready but it was not needed. The single double lung shot did him in. I got up to him and checked out his nice eight point rack. I made sure that he had expired and then went to get my fiancé’ She came over and was just as excited as I was with my early morning success. She helped field dress the buck and drag it close to the truck under some brush so that he could be in the shade while we finished our morning hunt.
Pictures to follow soon.
