Post by Carter Northcutt on Nov 15, 2006 8:38:42 GMT 12.75
Saturday was opening day of our modern gun deer season. I got asked to fish a bass tournament on the same day so I thought what the hey, I'll fish it then hunt the rest of the time. Well, my partner and I won the tournament. Then Sunday, my two boys, hunting buddy and I went deer hunting. My youngest sat with me. We saw a doe about 07:00 and when I told him to pick up his gun he just sat there with a silly grin on his face looking at it. (the goofball) Well the doe slips on down the hill and out of sight without a shot being fired. I could have taken it but I really wanted him to do it. So, later on we went to the other side of the farm where the cedar thicket is and sat till 16:30. A couple of dogs came running around in our area messing up the location. So, to break the monotony I picked out a target for my son to shoot at. If it had been a deer he would have killed it. I think that boosted his morale. It was about this time that my hunting buddy shot and he called me on the radio to say he got meat. We headed on up his way and saw that he killed a six-pointer. He said he tried to let my oldest son take the shot but as they were on one side of a deadfall and the buck was on the other my son was not able to get a shot and at the last second my buddy shot it. My two boys got the privelege of dragging out the deer. It practically all down hill so they had an easy time of it. We hung it in the backyard on my buckpole. Monday it was just me and my huntin' buddy as my boys had school. I went back to the same place as the day before. As the day went on it got warmer and I was worried about my buddy's deer getting too warm. I decided to leave at 12:30. Well, just as I was getting ready to get up to go I heard grunting from down in the draw below me. I looked and saw a doe running up the hill with a buck hot on her tail. I got my gun up and trained on the buck. But she was leading him all over the place through the thick tangle of trees. She headed for a densely wooded section where I would not be able to see them. I hurriedly blew once on my grunt call and the buck immediately came out of the thick stand of trees stopping broadside to me about 60 yards away. There was enough of him in the clear for a shot. I was carrying my 7.7 JAP. I aimed and fired. He ran straight then turned 90* running straight up the hill on my left side with the doe on his tail. I was not able to get another shot in him so I quickly blew on the grunt call. It was about then that he crashed just over the crest and out of my sight. The doe ran here and there looking panic-stricken and finally decided to leave. I thought about shoting her too but I thought if I didn't drop her in her tracks I may end up having to trail two deer if the buck was not down where I heard him crash. So, after a few minutes of waiting I slowly walked over to where I last saw the buck. Scanning the area I saw what appeared to be his body and then I saw antler. I blew on the grunt call again and he didn't move. I walked over to get behind him, poked him and he didn't move. Whew! I was happy. He had nine points, a five by four. Probably weighed about 150 on the hoof. As I was admiring him I was looking for where my bullet hit him. I saw no blood coming out of anywhere on his body except his mouth. He had a spot on his back where some hair was gone exposing hide but no blood there either. It was in the right area and position to be from my bullet as I aimed just behind his shoulder. (iron sights- peep sight in back and a triangle at the muzzle which covers up quite a bit). I decided I must have been using a magic bullet. I think I will call him the "Magic Bullet Buck" ;D