Larry A. Smail's Blog

I was part of our usual morning visit and breakfast at Bob and mom’s home prior to heading to the familiar haunts. The single digit temperatures never felt all that cold as I climbed the grade in search of whitetails! In less than 15 minutes I spotted 4 deer along a field’s edge. Yep, as the sun and temps were rising the deer would be feeding.

Over the next 40 minutes I passed up two doable shots in hope of better shots. Another instance found me creeping over a round top ridge and spotted a deer at about 35 yards, Old Jacob (My flintlock rifle) was aimed, but several pine branches were interfering and the extra second trying to find an opening unnerved the deer. I stalked another deer in the brush only to have a slight change in the breeze cause my stench to move the deer out!

The buck

I walked through a spruce and aspen woodland to check a bedding area without any luck. As I circled around I could see a deer’s body at about 50 yards distance. As I moved I could about the head became visible and WOW!!  I remembered this deer! This nice buck was traveling with the buck I harvested  during the regular deer season. He antlers are wide and actually much better looking antlers than the one I got! I managed some photos hoping for a better opportunity as the deer was among some goldenrod and briars! An antlerless deer was feeding around and I decided I wouldn’t shoot this deer in hopes of photos! The better shots never happened as the deer refused the openings.                                                     

I walked back around and I spotted the doe. She walked diagonally and started walking back on my earlier tracks. I followed her at about 30 yards on average but the deer never offered anything but a facing away shot until I cracked a small limb under the snow and off she went.

Later, I spotted a deer feeding in high goldenrod and multiflora rose brambles. The distance was close. I leveled the sights, but all I could see was the very head and white throat patch at times. I estimated the front shoulder and missed! The deer had moved her body enough that I totally missed. The deer moved about 8 yards and stood. I expected her to fall at any moment when she walked away. I hadn’t completed loading for another shot when she stopped. This is when I knew I had missed!!

I met Bob coming up a gas well road. he decided to come out as the weather improved. I circled around seeing more deer, but they went opposite the direction  I had hoped. As I continued circling I spotted a deer among some tree tops. The shot would prove to be 100 yards give or take. (I walked it off at 98 steps.) The deer turned and ran downhill. I quickly loaded and began tracking. A few drops of blood told me the story. The deer went over a hundred yards. I crept closer and shot again although I wouldn’t have had to do so. the front shoulder shot was true!

I saw a lot of deer this day and several grouse sightings. it was a good say to be in the woods!

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Suzie track

Early Christmas morning, around 2:30, I was awakened with another bout of Vertigo. The extreme dizziness and nausea is acute. Christmas day found me knocked out because of the medication I take for Vertigo. Of course, the following day we witnessed freezing rain and about 7-8 inches of snow. I spent much time keeping the drive clear. This day is the first day of Pennsylvania’s primitive deer season. I didn’t make time to be woods

Grizzley Track in a size 10 and a half!

bound.

Today, the 27th of December, I headed for the woods early. The snow depths made for a little more difficulty with walking , but the quietness of this new snow made for excellent sneaking about the woodlands.

The Snow monster

About 40 minutes into the hunt I was walking along a field to check out a great place for bedded deer when I spotted my step father, Bob at the other end of the field. He had said he wasn’t hunting today so I was surprised to see him. Of course, this would change much of my hunting style. I would be sneaking around trying to  push deer towards Bob.

I had seen two deer before meeting up with Bob again. Another attempt to move deer to Bob was planned. I eased along a ridge watching an open hollow for bedded or feeding deer. Eventually, the hunt would find me checking out an area of windblown trees and extreme brush. I immediately spotted some rich brown and the back of a deer. I couldn’t see its head. I had to shoot an antlerless deer since I had harvested a buck earlier. I eased backwards and slightly circled to get into a better position, all the while watching the deer’s actions.

I watched the deer’s nose ease out from behind a cherry tree and I noticed there was no rack of antlers.  I raised the flintlock trying to get a good shot. I could see the body of the deer and the shot was taken. Instantly, I lost the view of the deer. I loaded up!     

     I began to unravel the tracks and soon found one deer running directly down a steep slope. Seventy or eighty yards later I saw signs of a hit. The deer crossed Cherry Run and became emerged into the bottomland jungle aways found along woodland watersheds!

I started working in S-style walks through this area following the easiest and quietest routes. Suddenly, I spotted a head and neck about eighty yards  away. This was the only opening here and I lucked out to be viewing the deer. The deer appeared big. I thought the deer I had shot didn’t seem to be so big. I was puzzled believing that this deer may not be the same deer. I wouldn’t shoot!  I went in reverse and crossed the stream again and elevated myself on the opposite side of the water. This worked for I soon could see an entire deer. Yes, this was a big deer.

I pretended not to see the deer and circled around again and not finding any tracks or blood I began to believe that this deer must, indeed, be the same deer. The deer stayed in place. I backtracked again preparing for the shot. My approach found me slightly lower and as I eased along the stream again I suddenly spotted the deer very much hidden in the underbrush and only about 12 yards away. The head was down and quickly up as was Old Jacob, my 50 caliber long rifle in the Andrew Verner school of gunbuilding.(Around 1780) The rifle “poofed”! I had been trying to keep the moisture away since the underbrush was covered with snow cover. Apparently, a small amount of moisture from snow had found its way to the vent hole. I cleaned it out and the gun shot well.

Old Jacob and the deer

I loaded up and began to stalk the deer. The deer turned 90 degrees to the right to circle me. I walked around too and spotted the deer laying in a brushy gulley. The shot was good. Now the car was over a mile away. I located Bob and we drove around until we could get a couple of hundred yards from the kill site. The drag was rough because of the brush, but the snow did aid in pulling it along. The first shot was slightly farther back that I had thought.

Notice where the antlers were.

I am thinking more jerky and canned venison! The deer was bigger than I had believed at the first shot. The deer was a buck  and both antlers had already fallen off. I thought this might be a little early since we have had a relative mild winter.

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