Hunting Forum

After a rather dissapointing season last year, having hit one and searching for it for 22 hours to no avail. I must say this season treated me a bit better. I have hunted this 350 acre parcel of land exclusively for the past 13 years.I have not put in for a doe permit for the last 18 years and start every season optomistic on getting a buck. I have been sucessful in all but 2 of the 13 years I have hunted this land. I spend endless hours scouting and looking for sheds and feel as though I am just a part of this land. However after last years mishap, It was hard for me to find my MO-JO! and was woundering if perhaps I had jinxed the streek with the miss and was expecting a cold spell. I useually set my trail cam up at my bow season stand and get tons of photos and pics of some nice deer. This year I told my girlfriend I was not going to put my camera at that spot. In fact I was not even going to go near that spot till bow season in hopes of bettering the odds on tripping him up. I sat in that spot every Sat during bow season and saw only 1 60lb doe. I opted to treck the long haul during fire arm season seeings this location seems to be the hot spot in November. I have spent a total of 4 day's on this stand and have only managed a Bobcat sighting. This just added to my now turing pessamisem.I had made the decision to go back to the 1st of 3 locations I have ever sat on this land.(meaning in 13 years only stand up in 3 spots) However on Friday I got out of work @ 10:00am giving me enough time for 1/2 day hunt and on the way home was thinking of going to that spot to set my stand for a easier task on Sat am. But something told me to go to the spot my camera usually is set up.They have been in logging this land to the point of almost stripping on the back side and have a selective cut started on my side. I have been curious as to what this would do to the deer movement and this was again adding to the pessamisem building in my head. When I went into the woods the guy logging the land had left so I walked through his landing. I was in the tree @ 30min aprox 12:30PM and I heard his skidder start up and start heading out to where he started to fall trees.Just prior to the saw starting I could have sworn I saw a deer run through the thicket at the base of the hill I'm on, headed to my left. So I got on the grunt 3 times but nothing showed up. Well not till 3:20PM anyhow!! Have no Idea how he got so directly in front of me before I saw him??? @ 80 yds out there he was broadside! I pulled up and shot, saw him flinch and bound. He ran up the hill and turned in front of my tree not 20yds from me. I could see a fist size hole in his left front shoulder but it was not gushing?? I drop the sights on him again and squeeze>>>>>>>>NOTA!!! gun is jammed up, so I have to mannualy jack a shell in and get a shot off as he bounds into the thicket! My gun is hung up again!!!! I see him slowly walk away. I get a new clip in my gun and jack a new round in the chamber ( thinking spring on old clip is worn).I sit for 30 then get down and inch by inch follow the path. Not alot of blood and I'm bummin! I look in the direction he headed and see him @ 80 Yds out again moving extreamly slow. I let him have it for the last time. First shot: dead on shoulder shot just to high and with the trajectory of the stand and down hill, I hit way high. The bullet hit something solid though because that fist size hole was the exit wound, the bullet then grazed his neck and cut his throat and broke his Jaw. Second shot: Clipped his rear leg when he jumped into thicket and broke that. Final shot: just behind last rib but headed forward and wiped out lung's. I have that bullet because it was just under his skin. I am extreamly lucky to have gotten this deer and intend on getting some work done on my rifle and even buying a new one.