2009 Deer Season

Wow, it's been a long time since I posted anything here! But do not be alarmed nor surprised because I've been working my butt off chasing critters around in the woods.

After elk season closed (and after finding a cow nearly the day after cow season closed) I proceeded to focus my efforts on deer hunting. I haven't been roaming far and wide, rather I have been sticking to the same square mile on a little patch of timber company land. Shoot, it's 15 - 20 minutes from the house, I know the country, and it's relatively open for this part of Idaho. I've been in deer, just haven't gotten a shot. One morning I spooked a little 3-point out of his bed...unfortunately, he zigged and I zagged.

I've been seeing an increase in the number of scrapes finally, that began on about the 9th of November. Stories and photos of people killing deer are coming in at an alarming rate...why are they getting shots and I'm not!? I have been doubting my abilities as a hunter, I've been questioning my morals/ethics/techniques. It became apparent that I hunt with a rifle like most people hunt with a bow. I've had many encounters this season, and most all of those encounters were me spooking deer only when I was within about 20 - 40 yards. Of course, that could be the brush and understory getting in the way of any kind of glassing. Who knows.

I had to call my sister the other day to get a confirmation on how I hunt, why I hunt, where I hunt, and why I don't shoot. She gave a very good compliment. When people ask her about my hunting she says, "Well, him and my Dad are alike. They aren't just flat-out bloodthirsty. Tom's more of a tracker and likes to walk in the woods. He likes the stalk." (Sorry if I butchered that Kell, but it's what I heard.) I've been using Sarah a lot to confirm these sorts of thoughts and to bounce ethics questions off of. I believe I'm doing it right. I believe I'm being a good steward of the hunting community and presenting an image of the quiet, solo, reserved sort who, when people see me in my gear, don't view in a bad way.

I've heard many stories of people knocking down a lot of critters than using other people's tags for them. I've heard of cow elk and does getting killed out of their allotted season. Stories of hunting basically at night, from a truck/car, from a deck....

I can't do that.

Okay, so I'm frustrated. I was tired of my little chunk of ground (with, as far as I can tell... contains only two does and one buck) so recruited the help of some guys that have lived here all their life. Louis and Rod both grew up south of Coeur d'Alene in the Potlach / Plummer country. So that's where we went. Got up EARLY on Veterans Day, 0400, earlier than on days I'm headed to work! We made our way to Louis's property and hunted there for a couple hours. At one point Louis and I were going to split up. I had been watching this one little cat track and was going to head down it, Louis was going to head down the hill. I turned for one second to see him heading into the timber and when I looked back to the track...there was a three-point in a perfect broadside position and I swear to God he stuck his tongue out at me. Then he bounded up the hill, into the brush...never to be seen again. We all met up on the boundary of this land next to a wide open field (we didn't have permission to hunt on it) and down below us at about 150 yards a rather large buck chased a doe out into that cultivated wasteland. What are the chances?

Frustrated we decided to poke a little further down south. Louis knew of one more good spot on tribal ground. Luckily I had picked up a tribal permit the weekend before to bird hunt with Matt. (Again, that weekend, he shot three grouse and I never took my safety off.)

As we came to where we were going to start walking, we all took a little break to relieve ourselves. I heard Louis say, "Buck, buck, buck!" Haha, yea, just when I'm peeing...whatever. Then Rod comes running up, "Buck, buck, buck!" Then it was a flurry of guys grabbing rifles and running all over the place. I never saw it, but these guys both said it was a bruiser! Excited, Louis and I hunted down some green draws between winter wheat or bean fields. Perfect country! Brushy draws, open Ponderosa Pine and Douglas-fir overstory, bounded by acres on acres of fields! Well, we got in there about a mile and I heard three shots in quick succession come from where I figured Louis was. My first thought was, "Oh shit, he's hurt." So I instantly quit hunting and headed over there to help. That's when it happened. One final shot made me realize that Louis had gotten lucky.

I walked up to him and saw his trophy. He proceeded to gut it out and I tried to find a good way for us to drag it out. The good news to that ended up being that because it was so flat, we could basically drive most of the way there. Farmland is great. It was pretty nice, one of the first things Louis said was, "Tom, I wish it was you." Talking to Rod later, he told me that when he met up with Louis one of the first things L said was, "Rod, I feel bad. I wanted it to be Tom getting a buck today." He's a good friend.

But, we got into a lot of deer and I have some new country to explore....all things that get me excited to go back out. They are calling for snow and the rut is definitely gearing up. I will likely make some more trips down into that country and see what I can't come up with. It's not over yet!

Louis's monster. (In my book)

Louis and I

The gang

(By the way, I'm writing this now at 0930 on a Friday because I'm waiting for a guy to come fix our house. Water leak in the closet...from the outside coming up below the carpet...caused some mold damage. First call in to the property people was a month ago. Talked to them again on the 1st to remind them we were waiting for someone to come over. Had it inspected two weeks ago. Guy forgot to set up an appointment...so made it for today. For today between EIGHT and NINE! It's now NINE-THIRTY and I'm beginning to get slightely pissed. Either let me go to work or hunting, but don't make me sit here and wait. Ugh.)