Hatchie Dawg
Well-known member
Well after a successful elk hunt in CO this year I found it hard to get excited about deer season here at home. We had sold a house and moved this fall and I came up with one excuse after another not to go hunting. I missed the muzzy opener here in TN then of all things the rifle opener. The following week I did not hunt anything over the Thanksgiving Holiday for the first time since in the third grade. My hunting buddy politely started considering other options and my wife thought about referral to a psychiatrist. I had a lot going on at work and there always seemed to be something to do around the new place. Hell, I was really just tired.
Anyway the weekend after Thanksgiving I decided I must get out to keep family and friends from institutionalizing me, so off I went. I've mentioned I hunt public bottomlands here in West TN and that weekend was no different. I went to my favorite spot a short boat ride up the South Forked Deer. We are blessed with several river systems locally with extensive adjacent swamplands. The areas are thick, boggy and hard to penetrate completely, providing sanctuary for all sorts of game. The first morning of the season for me, I saw mallards, woodies, and snow geese overhead. Duck season had opened and the bottoms echoed with volleys from various groups up and down the South Fork. I was mentally running the numbers of shots fired with the numbers of birds seen, trying to figure if a duck hunt was in order. Just when everything was reaching that critical mass the flight and the shooting dropped off precipitously. It was close but a duck hunt would be iffy. A small six point wandered around below my Vortex Summit and the morning passed. I got out of the tree about 11a, tooled up and down the river just to run the outboard for the first time in a good while.
At home that evening I considered my options for the next day. Return to the South Fork or maybe try the upper Middle Fork, where walk in was easy. About 4 years prior I had again started hunting a little late and during a flood in Dec I boated up a branch creek of the South Fork and killed a nice young buck on the back of the property. I still had the mark on my GPS and decided what the heck, I can walk in from the main river with as dry as it has been. One day away from the super moon, I didn't expect much but went anyway. I ran the boat up the South Fork again, kinda judged where I needed to park, then struck out across the swamp towards my waypoint. Heck I walked right to the spot and settled up a nice tree. Just before good daylight three deer walked right up on me but from behind. They froze when they got in my sent cone and finally blew out, then snorted at me forever it seemed. As day broke, turkey hens started clucking behind me and a gobbler sounded off 5-6 times in front of me. The morning flight of waterfowl began, not quite so thick as the day before but always enjoyable regardless.
About 7:30 an even younger and skinnier 6 point came out and again wandered around in front of me. I placed the crosshairs on his vitals and went through the process of pretend shooting him. I'm not a natural with a rifle and practice never hurts. The deer had been in front of me 15 min or more when his ears shot straight up and he turned his head around sharply, looking hard to my right. Just a few seconds later he turned and ran that way about 20 yards, looking and listening intently the whole time. I wasn't sure if it was coyotes or what but I got ready. Shortly a doe came running through the woods and never stopped. The young buck and I watched her go. I knew what was up then. Sure enough a few seconds behind her followed a thick necked buck. By then I had let several deer pass. I knew this was a big bodied deer and I could see some antler. I was going to shoot if I got a chance. I had one good opening through the timber and the buck stopped right in the middle of it. I knew he would not stay long, as my 6.5 Swede leveled and steadied just behind the animals front shoulder. I squeezed off the shot and knew the deer was hit. He hunched up an took off with his head low to the ground. He didn't make it far and I heard him crash. Well I had a deer and my season was over. I needed no more meat for sure. I got down from the stand and walked over towards the crash.
He was closer than I thought and chocolate colored antlers had hidden his size. I was looking at the largest deer I had ever harvested in over 40 seasons afield. Guys kill bigger all the time but he was a giant to me, taken on public, at an old waypoint. Mostly past whooping and hollering at such times, I quietly sat by the deer and just looked at him, an honest 12pt with one tine sheared almost all the way off and one split about half way.
Here are a few pics
The area
Untitled by jeff lansdale, on Flickr
Untitled by jeff lansdale, on Flickr
Untitled by jeff lansdale, on Flickr
My best
Untitled by jeff lansdale, on Flickr
Untitled by jeff lansdale, on Flickr
After a long drag back to the river
Untitled by jeff lansdale, on Flickr
and finally into the boat
Untitled by jeff lansdale, on Flickr
Well there are a lot of pics but the story was forty years in the making and a a high water mark for me, so there you go, my best swamp donkey.
HD
Anyway the weekend after Thanksgiving I decided I must get out to keep family and friends from institutionalizing me, so off I went. I've mentioned I hunt public bottomlands here in West TN and that weekend was no different. I went to my favorite spot a short boat ride up the South Forked Deer. We are blessed with several river systems locally with extensive adjacent swamplands. The areas are thick, boggy and hard to penetrate completely, providing sanctuary for all sorts of game. The first morning of the season for me, I saw mallards, woodies, and snow geese overhead. Duck season had opened and the bottoms echoed with volleys from various groups up and down the South Fork. I was mentally running the numbers of shots fired with the numbers of birds seen, trying to figure if a duck hunt was in order. Just when everything was reaching that critical mass the flight and the shooting dropped off precipitously. It was close but a duck hunt would be iffy. A small six point wandered around below my Vortex Summit and the morning passed. I got out of the tree about 11a, tooled up and down the river just to run the outboard for the first time in a good while.
At home that evening I considered my options for the next day. Return to the South Fork or maybe try the upper Middle Fork, where walk in was easy. About 4 years prior I had again started hunting a little late and during a flood in Dec I boated up a branch creek of the South Fork and killed a nice young buck on the back of the property. I still had the mark on my GPS and decided what the heck, I can walk in from the main river with as dry as it has been. One day away from the super moon, I didn't expect much but went anyway. I ran the boat up the South Fork again, kinda judged where I needed to park, then struck out across the swamp towards my waypoint. Heck I walked right to the spot and settled up a nice tree. Just before good daylight three deer walked right up on me but from behind. They froze when they got in my sent cone and finally blew out, then snorted at me forever it seemed. As day broke, turkey hens started clucking behind me and a gobbler sounded off 5-6 times in front of me. The morning flight of waterfowl began, not quite so thick as the day before but always enjoyable regardless.
About 7:30 an even younger and skinnier 6 point came out and again wandered around in front of me. I placed the crosshairs on his vitals and went through the process of pretend shooting him. I'm not a natural with a rifle and practice never hurts. The deer had been in front of me 15 min or more when his ears shot straight up and he turned his head around sharply, looking hard to my right. Just a few seconds later he turned and ran that way about 20 yards, looking and listening intently the whole time. I wasn't sure if it was coyotes or what but I got ready. Shortly a doe came running through the woods and never stopped. The young buck and I watched her go. I knew what was up then. Sure enough a few seconds behind her followed a thick necked buck. By then I had let several deer pass. I knew this was a big bodied deer and I could see some antler. I was going to shoot if I got a chance. I had one good opening through the timber and the buck stopped right in the middle of it. I knew he would not stay long, as my 6.5 Swede leveled and steadied just behind the animals front shoulder. I squeezed off the shot and knew the deer was hit. He hunched up an took off with his head low to the ground. He didn't make it far and I heard him crash. Well I had a deer and my season was over. I needed no more meat for sure. I got down from the stand and walked over towards the crash.
He was closer than I thought and chocolate colored antlers had hidden his size. I was looking at the largest deer I had ever harvested in over 40 seasons afield. Guys kill bigger all the time but he was a giant to me, taken on public, at an old waypoint. Mostly past whooping and hollering at such times, I quietly sat by the deer and just looked at him, an honest 12pt with one tine sheared almost all the way off and one split about half way.
Here are a few pics
The area
Untitled by jeff lansdale, on FlickrUntitled by jeff lansdale, on FlickrUntitled by jeff lansdale, on FlickrMy best
Untitled by jeff lansdale, on FlickrUntitled by jeff lansdale, on FlickrAfter a long drag back to the river
Untitled by jeff lansdale, on Flickrand finally into the boat
Untitled by jeff lansdale, on FlickrWell there are a lot of pics but the story was forty years in the making and a a high water mark for me, so there you go, my best swamp donkey.
HD
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