I've always hunted with rifles since I'm in the rifle zone of Michigan. I always sat in open fields with mostly long shots and typically kill my deer at around 200 yards, although they can range from 40-400 yards. Last year I was doing a late season drive on state land with some friends. They kicked up a nice buck that ran out in front of me at 40 yards. I missed twice with my scoped 30-06 turned all the way down to 4 power. This was a kick to the gut since I'd had a tough season already. I also realized I need a better setup for doing drives like this through brush. My new fancy long range scope was not my friend in this situation and I learned that lesson the hard way. After this experience I did what I normally do and figured out how I could remedy the problem in the most extreme fashion. I dug out some ancient buckshot of unknown origins I had tucked away in my pile of miscellaneous old ammo. Since I've never shot a deer with a shotgun, the best gun I could think of to put the buckshot through was my Remington 887 pump that I use for waterfowl (don't ever buy an 887, mine is garbage but it's what I got). I carried this combo back to the same state land I'd failed on. The spot where we'd jumped the buck before is a surprisingly short distance from the intersection of two main roads. You can see passing cars from the bedding area. I worked my way in from downwind and sure enough jumped 5 deer in the same spot, but couldn't see antlers and had no shot opportunity. I stalked around a bit longer before heading to another piece of state land that I know holds deer. This spot requires a stream crossing that probably contributes to it's consistent deer holding qualities. I made a loop through the area, which is also very close to a main road. As I came up to a low lying, open area, a doe jumped up on the other side about 60 yards away. My grouse hunting instincts took over as I quickly shouldered the shotgun and let loose on two shots, leading the running deer as I would on feathered upland critters. After the shots, I heard and saw nothing. I reloaded and struck out toward the last spot I'd seen the deer. I heard a faint rustling and took off running. When I crested the far side of the low, wet area, I saw the doe laying stone dead! Not only was this the first deer I've ever taken with a shotgun, but also my first deer with factory loaded ammunition, and my first deer on state land. Three firsts all at once! I was elated to have this doe and was as excited as I would normally get with a buck!
After my shotgun success, I again reacted in an extreme manner by ordering 9 boxes of buckshot. My plan for next year is to tromp around all over the place on state land with shotgun in hand. This is a far cry from the last 22 years of sitting in a blind on a private land agricultural fields. I'll still sit the fields on opening day, and with my kids, but I can't wait to get more active in my hunting pursuits. I plan to keep my ventures between the 10am and 3pm time frame so as to not disturb anyone else who may go out for a peaceful morning or evening sit.
Has anyone else become a shotgun convert so late in the game like I have?
