Larry A. Smail's Blog

Monday, the 21st of October was a day with predicted warm temperatures. I elected to go out for a couple of hours to try to locate turkeys on the roost. The early muzzleloading season for deer is in, but I didn’t want to hunt deer due to the warming temps. (I butcher my own deer.) The other reason I chose not to hunt was due to an unexplainable pain in my left leg. I walked about one mile only that morning seeing some deer (I, also, saw a pie-bald deer.) and turkeys.                                                                            

Pie-bald deer

Today, however, I decided to chase deer around for my step-father, Bob and scout for turkeys.  I was loaded for white-tails. I was armed with Jeremiah, my .62 caliber smoothbore. We bumped some turkeys from the roost while walking into the woods early. Bob posted and I walked about still in pain. Pain pills allowed this!

The irony of the morning was the hope  of not taking a deer. I didn’t wish to butcher at this time. This was my first day to hunt deer and, of course, the pain.     

Bob would see a couple of small-racked bucks during his time on watch. Later on in the morning hours I met up with Bob. I told him to watch a different area and I would sneak around and hopefully move some deer past him.

   I was sneaking around and could see a doe about 80 yards from me. I closed the gap to about 50 yards. I could see the deer and had a shot, but allowed the deer passage. I saw this same deer three more times in this brushy area, but it eventually went the opposite of Bob’s stand.

Bob-O-Lantern with my deer

Bob and I were sneaking down a gas well road and saw another deer and later saw two more. I asked Bob if he was interested in climbing the hill. I figured we may be able to circle the two deer. The plan worked!

I spotted the two deer feeding along below us and gave Bob the shot. He missed. We spent about an hour  searching about just in case.

   I had Bob walk a gas well road and I went farther uphill and searched for the deer. I eventually spotted a deer in the crab apples. I called Bob via cell phone, but had to hang up quickly. I was going to try to move the deer to Bob. The deer turned and started walking towards me. The thirty yard shot was true.

I wasn’t trying to take a deer this day. I was just flowing through with my heritage I guess. I passed up four shots. The hunter mode kicked in and my first tag was filled. The shot was at noon.

  I saw turkeys, several grouse and lots of squirrels. I saw one red fox as well.