Italichester 73' 44-40 6x Malcom scope, zeroed in for 265 yards (long story) 30-40 yard shot, 120 yard run/recovery
Probably the coldest I have ever hunted. Gun season was over for Burke county so the migration north to Wilkes county proceeded. Upon arriving to the public game lands, I discovered I was the only one there...go figure! The morning started out at -1 degrees and warmed to a toasty 13 degrees by noon. I had about a half mile walk in ( I wanted to go 1.5 miles) and I had to cross a partially frozen creek several times so I entered after daylight. I made it to an area I did not expect any big deer but was too cold and tired to proceed any further, really didn't even expect to see anything in this area so close to the trailhead.
As I was about to set the stand up, I saw hope...a small rub! It was cold but there was wildlife activity most of the morning. By 12:00 It maybe 13 degrees with a 10 mph wind at the ridge tops, and was trying to make myself get up and go home....but I was too cold to move. Less than 20 minutes after I took a range finder at 81 yards on video, I noticed movement 100 yards to my far right. A deer was coming down and crossed over a draw into the flat hollow. Eventually it walked right over to the tree that was 81 yards away. Still thinking it was a doe, I just sat back and watched "it" meandered around. When it came out in from of me from behind a small pine thicket, I dropped the scope on it at 33 yards and saw it was a spike and pulled the trigger.
If you remember, I had "missed" an 8-10 point on opening gun day in Buke count and let a doe and 6 point go the following week. It was time to get some meat in the freezer. I thought I missed this one too but it was a good passthrough double lung hit but he ran 120 yards and lay where he stopped trying to get back up the draw from where he descended.
Desired stand placement was to be a 1.5 mile hike in but I settled for only a half mile hike in the freezing cold. Total was a 2 mile hike (in and out [equipment] and in and out [deer])
I don't feel like trying to resize all of the photos so thy fit the forum.
