I have never desired to kill a yard deer. I like seeing them, and to me it's just not hunting, but they started hitting my new trees in my yard and that's when I decided that they needed to learn some respect…
I had seen 4 does in my yard late this morning, and they hung around to the point that I could tell that I could get a shot on them if I could get to my ML in fairly short order, but I was busy and had to let them pass. I finished up with my last meeting at around 4:30 and stepped out of my detached office to walk inside for some reason that I have since forgotten, when I happened to look over at my wood line and noticed multiple does looking at me.
Huh! Well I turned back around and returned to my office, grabbed my ML, put on a primer, then stepped back out expecting a 50/50 chance that they were gone. Nope, they were still there, and I could tell that the one behind the mulch pile was a big doe. I had to aim a little high, but ended up hitting higher than expected and she dropped. I didn't see her drop, but I did see three does run off into the woods behind my house, obviously unhurt. I knew if I had hit the deer then she should be laying just behind the mulch pile.
I walked across the backyard and noticed a deer on the ground barely moving. I stood there for a second and decided what to do next. Inevitably I chose wrong… I put down my ML and walked over to her, planning to use my pocket knife to speed her passing if needed. I could tell that I had hit her high, but I had hit even higher than I had meant to, and the exit wound seemed to deflect upward from the impact. I swung around behind her so that I couldn't get kicked, and stuck my pocket knife between her ribs right behind her shoulder. Her reaction was delayed, and at first subdued, but she kicked a bit with her front legs and stopped. I stuck her again, this time a bit lower. She started thrashing and bawling this time, flailing her head around so I had to step back. She's pumping blood and air out of her chest and her high shoulder wounds, so I expected this to be a last ditch gasp and then fall over. Nope.
She staggers up onto her front legs, starts to drag herself, then gets her back legs under her and wobbles towards my back property line. I swing in front of her, but she staggers right past me within mere feet and runs into the woods behind my yard pumping blood. She's wobbly, but trots down and back and out of sight.
To make a longer story short I was able to track down the contact info for the landowner and he gave me permission to track her, but it was dark by the time I obtained permission. My 7yo son and I went out with headlamps and followed a good blood trail for .4mi according to OnX, and we finally found her. Big old barren doe that won't be messing with my trees any more, and will provide good table fare. My son did a great job helping me track her, and was super proud that it was a successful track.
Moral of the story that I had learned before but learned again this afternoon: if the deer is still moving then reload and shoot again.
I had seen 4 does in my yard late this morning, and they hung around to the point that I could tell that I could get a shot on them if I could get to my ML in fairly short order, but I was busy and had to let them pass. I finished up with my last meeting at around 4:30 and stepped out of my detached office to walk inside for some reason that I have since forgotten, when I happened to look over at my wood line and noticed multiple does looking at me.
Huh! Well I turned back around and returned to my office, grabbed my ML, put on a primer, then stepped back out expecting a 50/50 chance that they were gone. Nope, they were still there, and I could tell that the one behind the mulch pile was a big doe. I had to aim a little high, but ended up hitting higher than expected and she dropped. I didn't see her drop, but I did see three does run off into the woods behind my house, obviously unhurt. I knew if I had hit the deer then she should be laying just behind the mulch pile.
I walked across the backyard and noticed a deer on the ground barely moving. I stood there for a second and decided what to do next. Inevitably I chose wrong… I put down my ML and walked over to her, planning to use my pocket knife to speed her passing if needed. I could tell that I had hit her high, but I had hit even higher than I had meant to, and the exit wound seemed to deflect upward from the impact. I swung around behind her so that I couldn't get kicked, and stuck my pocket knife between her ribs right behind her shoulder. Her reaction was delayed, and at first subdued, but she kicked a bit with her front legs and stopped. I stuck her again, this time a bit lower. She started thrashing and bawling this time, flailing her head around so I had to step back. She's pumping blood and air out of her chest and her high shoulder wounds, so I expected this to be a last ditch gasp and then fall over. Nope.
She staggers up onto her front legs, starts to drag herself, then gets her back legs under her and wobbles towards my back property line. I swing in front of her, but she staggers right past me within mere feet and runs into the woods behind my yard pumping blood. She's wobbly, but trots down and back and out of sight.
To make a longer story short I was able to track down the contact info for the landowner and he gave me permission to track her, but it was dark by the time I obtained permission. My 7yo son and I went out with headlamps and followed a good blood trail for .4mi according to OnX, and we finally found her. Big old barren doe that won't be messing with my trees any more, and will provide good table fare. My son did a great job helping me track her, and was super proud that it was a successful track.
Moral of the story that I had learned before but learned again this afternoon: if the deer is still moving then reload and shoot again.
that it was not a legal means of finishing a deer? That it was illegal and he could take it? So ever since ive just spent another round
