Best deer hunts

[DIRT Farmer]

Fly's thread got me to thinking (always a bad sign) and not wanting to trample on his thread. It seems like a lot of people have come the full circle on why they hunt and I was wondering if I was the only one who can be perfectly happy going deer hunting and not intending to shoot one. Now if a coyote comes by, the flint is falling.

So what is your favorite deer hunt. For me several come to mind, The top one would be getting Dad into position to get a shot after he was not really able to get around. He was really happy to get a really nice buck but the smile on his face wasn't nearly as big as mine.
Another was after a bird hunting trip with my sons. One of my granddaughters did not get to go but when we got back, she wanted to go deer hunting with grandpa. No deer were harmed but she pointed out the set up, showed me the trails including where the turkeys came through. I felt bad about having her out on such a cold afternoon but she froze me out.

So what is your's.

[kenyerian]

Helping my grandson's get their first deer.

[johnson1942]

my son getting his 9 by 6 non typical white tail 2 years age 1 mile south of our place. he never shoke on the other 5 deer he has taken, but this one he was trembling at what was in front of his sights. 150 yard shot. when we stood over him i said to him, look long and hard at him you may never get another one like this the rest of your life. it looked like a shetland pony with a record rack. he was just 11 years old. he wants to be a game warden when he grows up and he loves the outdoors.

[shredder]

My favorite moment is a deer hunting moment. This is not a big buck story although I have a few of those as well.
Early on in my muzzle loading career mule deer were very plentiful and you could get 2 doe tags if you were drawn(eveyone was). Each tag allowed 2 does to be taken, so the limit was 4.

While out spot and stalking in the rolling badlands and cactus country, I spotted a small group of Mulies feeding in long grass near a big depression in the ground. I made a long crawl across the cactus strewn ground to reach the long grass. After a very long time I reached the grass and slowly raised my head to see what was going on. I could not see any deer but could see 2 big boulders directly ahead and decided to try and reach them so I could have a better rest when I found the deer.

There was a low spot out in front of the boulders and I assumed that all the deer had wandered down into the wash while feeding. Slowly, I arrived at the boulders and got the shock of my life when one of the boulders lifted it's head while munching down a mouthful of long grass! The deer had not moved at all and I was right in amongst them. The wind had been perfect, but my heart was racing from the surprise. When the first "boulder " lowered her head to resume feeding I got ready and delivered a 400 grain Lyman great plains cast boolit through the boiler room. She dropped on the spot and so did I. As I lay flat in the grass slowly and quietly reloading I wondered what had happened since the smoke had obscured my veiw of the shot. After what seemed like an eternity, I finished reloading and slowly had a peek above the grass. Sure enough there were a bunch of bewildered mulies standing, looking around wondering how thunder could have happened on a clear day!

By some stroke of amazing luck, the hunting gods smiled upon me and I was able to line up another unaware mulie doe and drop her as well. It was finally too much and the rest of them blew out of there over the next hill and far away.
To this day it is the only double header I have ever scored and my most treasured memory. Funny how there are no antlers in my deer story.

[Boz330]

I have been on several including one as a guide that was really funny. But my favorite was when I took my 11YO Godson on his first ML hunt. He had worked all summer fueling airplanes and whatever earning a CVA Mountain rifle. He couldn't quite load it all by himself. He shot at a doe on Saturday morning and missed (buck fever). We didn't see anything Saturday evening or Sunday morning. In the evening we went to a different spot sitting on the ground in the woods.
It was really getting late and we were sitting against a tree when he reached around and nudged me. I eased my head around and here came several does and fawns in a line. He said he would shoot the lead doe and the distance was maybe 40 yrds. I went ahead and lined up on the same deer and was going to shoot as soon as he did since there was rain coming in and if we had to blood trail the deer it might get tough. After a long couple seconds he lowered his rifle and said that he just couldn't see good enough to be sure of the shot. I told him I was more proud of him for that decision than if he had taken a giant buck. He got his first deer later during the December ML season.
His first deer was a doe at the end of a very cold morning. He made a good 65yd shot and the deer dropped in place. I wasn't sure how he would take the field dressing thing since he was pretty much a city kid. After getting the deer open he stuck his hands inside the stomach cavity and commented on how it felt so good to get his hands warm again.:drinks: That was 23 years ago here was last seasons picture.

Bob

[waksupi]

It would have to be my last deer hunt with dad. A foot of fresh snow, and he got a Boone and Crockett buck. The antlers are here in my cabin.

[nekshot]

My 12 year old son and his first deer. From a little tyke on up he always said he was gonna shoot a big buck, alluding to the fact mine were not as big as the ones in magazines. And on his first deer at 245 yards I saw the deer and pointed it out to him and he did the rest as I was shaking thinking how he needed to hurry but wisely kept quiet. It scored as a 10 pt at 158 5/8 bc!

[richhodg66]

I have a lot of good ones, but one that stands out was the day my youngest son shot his first deer. The deer wasn't much and it wasn't a great kill, I had to anchor it with the '06, but it was a crisp, clear day and there was a lot of snow on the ground, so I carried a kid's sled and the tow rope from the truck to drag if we killed one instead of my usual fold up cart. The place on Fort Riley we went has a long, fairly steep two rut road going down into this area where we hunted and a decent sized creek to ford as well. I doubted my little two wheel drive truck's ability to make it, so we parked on top to walk in.

We arrived early enough that he got to make several runs down that hill on the sled I brought before we got serious and moved in. I still have the pictures of a little boy bundled up in camo hunting clothes and blaze orange smiling from ear to ear sledding down a hill. Seems like he was about 11 at the time, I'd have to think it through to be sure. He graduated high school the other day and is back home from the summer session he did at the college he's attending now. My older son was a better deer hunter, more serious and focused and didn't get rattled when one showed up, not even when he was very young, but he didn't really seem to enjoy the experience of being out like my youngest one did and still does now and then. It never seemed to become an obsession with either of them like it is for me, but my younger one just seems to be happy being out there and really couldn't care less about getting a deer.

[Hanshi]

Hard to pick out one but my last hunt on a private farm in Ga always comes to mind. We were scheduled to move to Va the next week and I'd be losing my great hunting state forever not to mention living only three minutes from a virtually exclusive and private honey hole of my own.

I was able to squeeze in a last hunt with my .45 flint Lancaster which had been my go-to for years. I had just gone up the metal ladder stand and and taken a seat when the dim light revealed a decent 6-point staring my way from a woods trail only about 25yds to my left. I slowly pulled the cock back and shouldered that fine rifle. The sights settled automatically on the deers vital spot and seemed to fire of its own volition. Although the smoke obscured all details it was obvious the buck had turned and run to his right into the pine thickets across the trail from my stand. I knew the shot was good.

As is my usual procedure I reloaded, primed and continued waiting. Often by just staying on stand another 30 minutes to an hour I'd gotten as many as three deer on just a morning hunt. Several friends of mine really love venison but don't hunt. I would basically take orders and fill their freezers.

The hour was almost over when movement to my right caught my attention. A very nice 8-pt buck walked up to the trail I watched directly in front of the ladder. As he began angling to go straight away from me I took the 20 yard, quartering shot. He bolted straight away and staggered out of sight around the corner. I heard him when he crashed and knew it was over. Staying another hour was a tempting option but dealing with two deer is enough chore for one morning.

Once down from the stand I tracked the short blood trail to the 6-pt and pulled him to the trail where I could load him in my truck. Only then did I follow the big boy. That blood trail was blazing. His staggered escape left blood on brush and trees waist high. As soon as I walked 25 yards I could see him lying there in the leaves. He was much bigger and so took quite a bit longer to get him the few yards up to the trail. I quickly dressed both, and driving my truck down to the spot, loaded them with some difficulty and took off to the processor. I'll always remember this hunt with a bit of nostalgia for my lost hunting grounds.

[mooman76]

I have many favorites also and we didn't get allot of deer or Elk but we did have fun. Probably the most favorite was when I was still in the military and quite a few people that I work with all went. We got there a day early and did some rabbit hunting and shooting some guns before heading up the mountain. Good times!

[DIRT Farmer]

Good stories, good times. I can remember only one football game with the family that stands out (little brother was playing) but many hunts.

[Guido4198]

I'm going to share a couple of my most favorite stories. What makes them a little out of the ordinary is that in neither of them do I take a deer. Nonetheless, they remain some of my most memorable times in the woods.
In Tennessee several years back, Mike was one of my best buddies. Mike was a champion pistol shooter. I was also doing a lot of handgun shooting at the time and had been scouting an area pretty heavily for the upcoming season. I planned to take my .375 JDJ Contender along to try and harvest a Whitetail. Mike wasn't a hunter. In fact, for a doctor...he seemed to have a total aversion to blood. Guess that's why he went into psychiatry. That year however, after hearing all my chatter about working up a good deer load, scouting, etc..Mike got interested. We took the big Contender out for some familiarization shooting and as always...he did REAL well with it. You know where this is going. When opening day arrived, I handed Mike the Contender since he didn't own a decent hunting handgun. I put him in the spot I had originally selected for myself and told him..."watch this trail...and a little after dawn, a deer or two is going to be coming through here". Sure enough...maybe 30 minutes into daylight...I hear the Contender go off. A nice little Tennessee buck had nearly walked right into Mike and one shot put him down. Couldn't be more proud of that deer if I had shot it myself.
My second favorite Deer story is the one I let walk on by. Hunting in S.E. Georgia. Sitting next to a big tree enjoying an absolutely perfect late-season day in the woods. In fact, it was the LAST DAY of the season that year. I saw the movement out of the corner of my eye..and sat still as a nice buck appeared out of the thick stuff, maybe 50-60 yds away. As he passed between trees which blocked his vision and prevented him from seeing me at times, I managed to raise my rifle and put the crosshairs on him. He was in no hurry...just kind of picking his way along. I was likewise, in no hurry. His path kept bringing him closer to me by just a little bit with each step. This went on for 20-30 minutes. I had the crosshairs on him in a perfect set-up for a shot several times...and never pulled the trigger. I had already put 4 deer in my freezers that season. He eventually passed on into the thick stuff once again. The pure enjoyment of just watching him walking by on that gorgeous, clear, crisp day in the woods remains one of my best deer hunting memories.

[bigted]

having a rather heated "discussion" with my wife I decided that the woods would be the best spot for me to be for an afternoon. having been married for 5 or so years at the time I still had no clue as to the saying ... YES DEAR...

so grabbing my double 12 gauge and a handful of number 6 shot and 6 or 7 slugs I headed out in the sunny Oregon afternoon. hunting was a pastime that saved a lot of hair pulling in those dayz. quail,., grouse,., deer,., squirrels ... didn't matter as they all ate well and if nuttin came from the walk then I seemed as happy.

walking down a trail I had walked dozens of times I stopped at a clearing that veered off to the right side of the trail and over a small berm I spotted a small blacktail doe and being the curious sort I wondered how close I could get to this beauty. dropping to my hands n knee's I began my stalk and when I finally made the berm I ... with great care ... removed my hat and gently peered over the berm. there not 20 feet from my spot were feeding 5 blacktail with 1 buck that had a small rack and maybe an late departure from its mom.

I lined up the sights on that lil buck maybe 6 or 7 times but the sheer joy of being in such close company with such beauty made me hesitate. not only did I not shoot that day but in my best sneak I began a retreat so as not to disturb them in their afternoon snack along side that trusty trail in a clear western Oregon afternoon in the Rouge Valley.

thanks for the opportunity to remember such a neat afternoon so long ago. the double is long gone and the "trail" is now a sub-division. I ate many meals with that old short barreled double but the fondest memory is of an afternoon with the blacktail and in the company of a well worn 12 gauge.

[johnson1942]

big ted, you have lived in some nice country. all of us here that live in and love the rual country wouldnt last a week in any city. this morning i went to all my garden spots and changed the drip hoses. saw several snakes enjoying my mulch. my new kitten was with me all the way. the neighbor just mowed his pasture and the smell of sweet grass is in the air. a mile south is a nice herd of deer waiting for my son and next dec. today i and the family are going up to a mountain lake about 90 miles from here and picnic. every one who cant handle the city say amen.

[Rojelio]

Amen, brother!!!

[dondiego]

AMEN! I just went out my back door and shot a cylinder of .45's!

[Boz330]

Just watching the antics that deer come up with especially when they think something isn't right is worth being in the woods.
Deer camp is the main reason that I enjoy deer hunting. Last year camp was especially good. My best friend dating back to high school missed the 2011 season because he was fighting stage 4 cancer, which he beat. That was the first season he has missed in over 20 years and it was good to have his presents as well as his lies, I mean stories, back in deer camp.

Bob

[Guido4198]

Hey Bob...
That's Awesome Pard....
What I've been noticing about a number of our "Best Deer Hunts"..is that it doesn't require a kill to make a GREAT experience in the woods. There's a lot more to hunting than putting blood on the ground.
For bona fides: let me add here that in my years, I've successfully hunted pretty much everything that walks, crawls, or flies. 4-legs, 2 legs, fur, fins or feathers.

[Boz330]

It was much more important when I was young, not so much any more.

Bob

[DIRT Farmer]

When Indiana went to the first kill them all season maby 20 years ago my oldest son and I were trying to fill our tags. My wife came home from the mail rout and said the next time she came home and found a dead deer hanging in "her" tree, we would be hanging next to it. We decided duck hunting would be a wise choice. We ran out of deer meat that year, now I get by on what is donated.
I spent several hours one morning last year deer hunting, mainly watching critters . A squrriel was eating corn letting several graims fall while it sat on a limb. Some quail found the loose grain and started eating it, the squrriel ran them off. 490 RB and 60 grains of powder put supper in the pot and was a lot less work than cleaning a deer.
Thanks for the storries, I was feeling a little nastoigic the other evening and knew I could not be the only one.

[Dennis Eugene]

75476 My son Mike and I. Dennis

[leeggen]

Always said that the first 8 point or bigger would go on the wall. 1995 missed a four point 30 minutes after setting down on a log. moved to another spot ggot a small rack 6 point. moved to another spot on friends farm shot a spike and 2 does. My friend wanted to walk a creek running thru his property Large 8 point was scared out of an apple patch of about 1 acrea and he ran right to us got him. Now I could hunt forever and never have that much enjoyment again. Yes his head and rack are on my wall an I have never buck hunted again. I just meat hunt now. Closest hunt to this was when I grunted and rattled a 5 point in for my 15 yr old son to shoot, was his first deer. God is good
CD

[1616s16]

30 years at deer camp. the good food and great people. the hunt is #2.

[Boz330]

30 years at deer camp. The good food and great people. The hunt is #2.

amen!

[1Shirt]

About 30 years ago, and with a kit built CVA 58Cal and roundball over 90 gr. of FFg, I shot a nice 3x3 whitetail that weighed over 225 near Anselmo, Ne. It was a running shot at over 110 yds, and I rolled it with a shot between the eye and the ear. Very lucky hunter, very unlucky deer. It was about 15 min after legal shooting time on opening day to boot.
1Shirt!

[357maximum]

I wasn't even present for first 1/2 of my favorite deer hunt as I was hunting at my place 20 miles away. Anyway my Mother shot a vary nice 8 point very early opening day. Her and my Dad tracked it for a long time and lost it in a standing corn field. They called me that evening to relay the events that transpired...Dad mentioned that they found an 18inch long piece of intestine tangled into a small cherry sapling in the fencerow about 150 yards from where Mom shot the buck with her Ruger/Louisville Slugger stocked 44mag. I told them I would be there at first light to pick up the track as I knew it was dead..somewhere, Dad was alot skeptical but I was pretty sure a deer cannot live without their guts.

The 2inches of snow melted over night and things looked bleak for recovery, but we pressed on. They showed me where they tracked the previous day even though all sign except a multitude of tracks was gone. 3/4 mile from where she shot the buck I saw running hard tracks cross a dirt road into another standing cornfield and felt it was the right set of tracks. We started slowly hunting for a dead deer in that field and I happened upon it about noon thirty. Mom had shot very very low and abit too far back and simply unzipped the belly of that buck and basically started field dressing it with that 44 caliber softpoint....it killed itself by pulling it's guts out along the way and died on a dead run by the way it was stretched out paralell with the rows.

The look on both my Parents face when I took em to that buck was the best trophy I have ever recieved while deer hunting. I do not think I have ever seen Dad that happy in fact.....it was a good day indeed.

[varsity07840]

Every one in which I took a deer with a rifle(or smoothebore) built before 1864.
1816 Springfield flint smoothbore musket
English percussion stalking rifle +/- 1836
1841 Mississippi Rifle
1842 Springfield musket(rifled)
1863 Springfield rifled musket

Duane

[missionary5155]

Greetings
Out scouting then hunting around Perrysville, Indiana many years back found a spot where several bucks were laying out in the sun early mornings in a thicket just off a creek bottom. Waited for the day when the wind would be right so I could slow crawl the creek bottom and come up the 15 foot bluff right where they would be. I was going to be in full cammo.
Took the 58 Zouave with RB and 85 grains 2F. Spent two hours slowly crawling the last 100 yards and finally up the bluff. It was an overcast day, all grey above and the thicket was hardly lit. As I got near the top I stood up slow till my eyes could see over the top.
There was a thick log laying parralel to the bank top about 25 feet away. As I took the first step higher I keep watching that log as I knew that was where the bucks should be. With the second step up I was about chest high above the lip and could see the log top. The third step took me high enough I could see past the log but there just was not enough light to see well into the thicket. The forth step up and I was almost standing on the bluff top. I noticed there was something on top of the log but could not make it out. Took the last slow step up and leaned on a tree looking at the thicket, musket at ready, and trying to see what that was on top of the log. Looked just like a dog's head looking right at me.
Stood there for a good 5 minutes watching, listening. Finally decided to move to my left to the next tree about 5 feet away and maybe figure out what that was on the log top or maybe get a better view into the thicket. To get to the next tree I had to get the muzzle around two 4 inch trees that were about 2 feet apart. So as I moved to my left I raised the muzzle to clear the first small tree and glanced to my left to be sure I was not going to trip over something.
That was the moment the nice racked buck who had his head laying on the log top decided he had enough and bolted up and started off to my left. I saw the movement, lowered the muzzle and brought the stock to my shoulder cocking the hammer. Started to swing on that buck and smacked that second 4 inch tree with enough force to make a very loud wack.
Well that buck could have stopped right there and joined in the great laugh I got out of the whole show. There were two other deer in there and they busted out away from me. I laughed out loud till I had to sit down.
Mike in Peru