Today is the last day of the Indiana gun deer season.
Opening day started well, but turned out as stated previously. I hope the deer is either alive or was recovered by someone else. My anterless tag is still good for the muzzle loader season. I don't think I'll use it, but I didn't think after my last post that I'd go out again.
Friday (the day after Thanksgiving) was a glorious day. It started a little cloudy, and then cleared and turned very warm and breezy. After finishing some stuff around the house, I went back to Mike's around 2:00. At this point, the temperature was over 60F and it was sunny. I decided that since I needed to "change" something prior to going out, I would use my Super Redhawk. I realize my shotgun probably still has better range, but I just wanted to use it this time. It has been a few years since I used it for deer hunting.
I parked the truck and packed my stand down to the second ravine. The creeks were up, but still passable. Since I was using a handgun, I decided to put my stand right in the ravine, instead of the hill to the South. I hiked the tree stand up about 15 feet. By the time I was in the stand and ready, I was hot. After a few minutes, I put on my hat and gloves as I knew I would get colder. I could hear the wind in the trees, but low in the valley, there was virtually no wind. The noise did mask noise of the critters however.
Since it was warm, I never got cold and took a very short semi-nap. I had picked out my maximum distance in likely areas where deer could show. As it started to get dark, after sunset, a deer came out from the north past one of my shooting lanes. At first I thought it was a small buck, but couldn't see any antlers. A second smaller deer followed it. I had pulled my gun out of the holster when the first deer came out, and was now trying to figure out what to do. The first deer was not nervous, but definitely aware (normal after getting shot at for two weeks). The second deer seemed happily oblivious. The first deer was cautiously walking toward me, head on. It came right near my maximum distance and stopped, stared, but didn't do any of the other typical deer-fear behaviors such as head bobbing or stomping. I started to think about how I could get the gun lined without causing panic from the motion if the deer came closer, or moved broadside, and it continued to get dark. At some point, I decided, there will be no shooting tonight. I watched the deer for several more minutes. I did have two very brief instances where I could have shot. The first deer turned broadside as it decided that heading further into the ravine was not the right choice. The smaller was also broadside for a longer amount of time. After a few minutes, they left away from me to the north, calmly.
There are probably several reasons I didn't shoot. The smaller deer was outside my maximum decided range (barely but still within range if I were target shooting...). The larger deer was within range, but only broadside for a few seconds. It was also getting almost too dark to shoot, but with the clear skies, it would have been doable. I guess the end result of opening day was also playing a role. Lastly, I just decided it wasn't the right thing to do. It was a absolutely beautiful evening and I left knowing I did the right thing.
I stopped to talk to Mike just to say hi on the way out. Went home. And, for the second time, put away most of my hunting stuff. I've deer hunted more this year than the last few. I do wish I would have gotten a deer. There is still the muzzle loader season, but I think I'm done for the year, just like I was a few days ago.
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