Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting Birth of a deer camp

Here is the buck I got on the last 1/2 hr of our hunt last year. I was happy to get him. I saw him coming at about 30 yards through a Red Pine plantation. He saw something he didn't like and started to bug out. Thankfully, it was down the shooting lane. Caught him in back of the onside lung and behind the shoulder. Exit the opposite shoulder between shoulder blade and neck. He ran about 50 yards. Shot with a M70 XTR 7x57 Mauser, 140gr Federal blue box bullet.

The funny part was I saw him hook to the right(North East) after I shot. Then, I saw a tail bounding back past the end of the lane, to the NW. I thought it was him. It wasn't.

I only found hair at the site where he was hit. Underbrush is very thick, knee high blueberry looking crap that has red berries on it. I couldn't find squat for sign other than where I found the hair. I had to have the kid come help me out. I assured him I hit the buck. After about 1/2 hour of looking for blood, I told him we were going to do a grid to try to just find the deer. Then I told him I saw the tail bounding back to the left and he told me about a deer that was by him, he was watching when I shot.

Jack said there was a doe on the old grown in logging road he was watching about 75 yards behind me. He said I HAD to have seen her, she came from my direction, nearly on the trail I walk in on. Well, I didn't see her. I may or may not have been catching a quick snooze about 1 min before I saw the buck.

So, I started looking back to the right where I originally saw him hook off to the NE. I still didn't find any sign of a hit or a deer. Coming back down the hill to start again from the hair...I saw him piled up under a Jack Pine blow down. We were happy campers. Until we realized we had 1/2 mile drag and it was getting dark pretty quick. We hustled and made it back a bit after sunset. No way the Otter Sled would have gone through that low down brushy crap. It would have taken twice as long.

The knife is from Jelky on the fire. It was the first time since I got the knife that I shot a damn deer. That is the entrance side.


The end of the sheath is pointing to the exit. In the background you can see some of that brushy crap.


Jack pulling him from under the Jack Pine.