Saturday morning dawned cold and frosty. After multiple uneventful excursions to my usual spots throughout the previous week, I decided to hunt a particular field on the north edge of our property. It's a rather large, rectangular field of about 14 acres that lies between my two food plots. If you recall the 7-point I shot with my dad's 300 Weatherby at the end of 2014, this is the field where I got him. Deer often travel north and south between two woodlots near the far eastern end, and I've come to appreciate a pair of hills on the western side of the field that shield the entrance and provide an elevated vantage point. Because it took us a while to get one of our dogs put up in his pen, shooting light had arrived by the time I crested the top of the first hill. It was light enough out that I immediately caught sight of a group of does near the eastern treeline. I got on my knees and crawled the rest of the way to the top of the hill, hoping I could lay prone within some of the grass and brush. I had to leave my 460 and its case behind, since it was getting in my way and I didn't expect a deer to get within a comfortable shooting range of either revolver. Once in position, I placed my backpack in front of me and set my 300 Winchester Magnum Encore on it.
As the sun continued to rise, I could more clearly see the group of eleven does eating fescue on the far side of the field. Although I ranged them at 248 yards, I felt quite confident I could take one of them if I so chose due to how steady my setup was. Unfortunately for me, I had decided not to shoot a doe that morning. We had to go to a Thanksgiving dinner at my grandmother's later that day, and I really didn't want to have to tend to a downed deer unless it was one of the big bucks that has evaded me all season. Soon, three more deer joined the group, bringing the herd to fourteen.
As I continued to watch the deer with my binoculars, I could easily tell which ones were fawns and which ones were adult does based on their size. Then, to my excitement, I saw a deer that was as much bigger than even the adult does. To my surprise, it didn't have antlers - it was yet another doe, albeit a massive, likely old one. She was clearly the matriarch of the group. Once the sun had risen a bit more, I decided to pull out my phone and take a few pictures.
In the second picture, the deer on the right in the scope was actually a yearling buck with one of its antlers missing. Amusingly enough, it tried to pick a fight with a button buck - that one on the left in the scope - and lost.
At about 7:20, all of the does left the field, and I saw nothing else that morning.
The next morning, a friend of my sister's came up for her first ever deer hunt. Summer and I decided that she would take Alyssa to the two-man treestand overlooking the large plot to the east of the 14 acre field. I wanted to set up in that same spot on the hill to see if I could encounter those does again, or possibly even a buck trying to find one last doe. Since I had some schoolwork that I needed to work on when I got in, I decided once again to wait on a buck.
I crested the hill and lay down in position on the hilltop, nestled within some grass and weeds. Within moments of shooting light, four does emerged from the woods to my right. I ranged them at slightly beyond 200 yards, and they slowly began moving away from me. The group was soon joined by three more, and the group fed in the far corner of the field for a few minutes. All the while, I was still debating whether or not to take one. I've never shot a doe, and I really wanted the meat. Once they moved beyond 300 yards, I decided to just let them walk. Soon, they disappeared into the woods, travelling toward Summer and Alyssa.
A gunshot echoed across the farm from Summer and Alyssa's direction. Alyssa shot one of the does, I figured. I quickly texted my sister to confirm whether that was them. She replied that Alyssa had shot a buck, and it ran off. She wanted me to come help look for it. I gathered up my Encore and backpack and began to quickly hike that direction. Once I reached the base of the hill, a doe ran into view from the far corner of the field. I quickly laid down in the grass and got my backpack and Encore set up. All seven does ran back into the field, spooked by the gunshot.
Since Alyssa had shot a buck, I knew I was already going to be busy tending to one harvested deer that morning, and my schoolwork would have to wait. With that in mind, why not add to the body count while I'm at it? I've wanted a doe since gun season opened, and here came my opportunity. Four of the does trotted up the treeline to my right, and I picked out the largest of them. She wasn't the matriarch doe from yesterday, but she would still yield plenty of good venison. I slowly scooted the Encore and backpack over and pulled the hammer back. Then, I made a slight mistake.
The doe stopped and was standing roughly where the first group had emerged earlier in the morning. I was still in my 200+ yard mindset, even though I had traveled a significant distance forward in the field, so I aimed higher than I should have. I firmly gripped the Encore, took a deep breath, exhaled, and slowly squeezed the trigger.
BOOM!
The does scattered, and I lost sight of the one I had targeted. The smell of burnt IMR 4064 filled the air. Since I had fired the only 300 Win Mag round I had on hand, I left the Encore, 460, and backpack behind as I stood to follow up on the doe. I caught sight of her as I approached the edge of the woods and drew my 41 Magnum Blackhawk. The entrance wound high on her side told me I clipped the bottom of her spine with the Barnes TTSX. I only checked to ensure she was not a button buck before I continued onward to go help the others.
Once I reached Summer and Alyssa, they recounted how Alyssa had taken a shot at a small buck. It ran off at the shot and headed for a nearby patch of woods. Unfortunately, we searched for the longest time but did not find any blood or hair on the ground. I was forced to conclude she had missed on her first ever deer hunt. Although she was initially disappointed, it seems the miss didn't dampen Alyssa's excitement for deer hunting. She wants to come back next weekend to try again.
After we gave up on our search, we went to take some pictures of my doe and start field dressing. Even though she didn't get her buck, Alyssa did get a look at what happens after the shot.
I had Summer stand over the doe while I retrieved the equipment I had left behind. When I reached my backpack and Encore, I measured 143 yards with my rangefinder between me and the doe at the shot. Had I known that, I definitely wouldn't have tried to aim high.
Needless to say, the 150 grain TTSX passed completely through the doe. The exit wound hinted at a decent amount of expansion, even on a broadside hit that only grazed the spine. I calculated the impact velocity at about 2570 fps.
Thus ended a very eventful weekend of deer hunting for me. I got my first doe, a first time hunter got a lot of experience, and now I know where to set up to get a shot with my 460. Now, if only one of those bucks or that big doe will cooperate with me . . . .
