Traded Work for Hunting

[ronlaughlin]

Two seasons ago i put my name and email on a list of hunters interested in killing does that were eating farmer and rancher profit. I was called and responded, but the fella insisted i didn't use my muzzle loader, because i would probably get long shots ~400 yard. So i used my 'swede', and a doe and it's fawn followed me home. I didn't enjoy using a center fire that day, and haven't used one since.

This year has been frustrating, because of the temperature, and the fact that wherever i hunted government land there were a jillion others doing the same thing. A couple of days ago, luck prevailed, and i managed to get one. Yesterday i walked more government land; saw a deer on full gallop, and nothing more. This morning i had no interest in repeating the same scenario, and swung by that ranch i had hunted 2 seasons ago. Fella wasn't home, so i drove over to his ma' house, and there he was. She had me in for coffee, and we all visited about gardens, late frost, wolf, lion, grizzly, drought, cows, mineral, feed, and such. He mentioned the hunt 2 year ago had decimated the whitetail, and he almost thought they were done, but they were back in full force.

I mentioned if they had sticky doors or whatever, my work career was doing carpentry. Ma lit right up, and suggested he take me over to his trailer and look at his new door. He had grown tired of tracking onto the carpet by the front door, and removed the old back door from his trailer, and installed a new pre-hung metal door from a big box, so he could walk in on linoleum. He said the door jambs were sized for 2x4 wall, but his trailer had 2x6 wall, and he couldn't return it, because the store didn't have the correct size in stock. He was nervous about how it turned out, and was happy for me to look it over. I had my doubts, and wondered what i got my self into; we went over to his place.

It turned out he had installed the door near perfect. We removed 3 screw, move the jamb ever so little, and he installed new screw, and the door was working the way a door should. We took measurements, and agreed that tomorrow i would mill some jamb-extenders for him. He then showed me how the deer walked across the county road to access his alfalfa, and showed me where to hide, and my hunt was all set up. Then he took me back to my truck over at Ma', and showed me how to open the gate of the electric fence and pointed out where i could wander until later. He instructed me to be sure to be at his place by 4:30. He also mentioned i might as well sit on his deck, and do my shooting from there.

So i wandered off with the 45 elite, but wasn't really happy, because the wind was near exactly wrong. Whilst walking down wind, i day dreamed about sitting on his deck sipping tea, and killing deer. About a mile out i came to a stack of round bales perched on the edge of a ravine. It turned out there were 2 buck, and perhaps a doe snoozing in the shade. They ran off, and i returned to dreaming of sipping tea, and killing deer from the fella' deck. A way off yonder i watched 4 deer bed, couldn't tell for certain, but it seemed 3 of them were antlerless. I wondered if i could drop into the ravine and make a sneak on them deer. Laser said they were 360 yard.

After i had dropped into the ravine, i stumbled onto 4 deer grazing, and they ran off, but stopped at a measured 173 yard. The bipod was with; the dial was set at 173, and i tried to get steady on the obviously largest of them deer. They were nervous; i was nervous; i did my best to squeeze a good shot, but failed, and the bullet hit her high, too far back, and broke her down. It took a second shot to kill her. I was almost able to drive right to her, but the grass was chest high. GPS say deer was 950' out. I saw no evidence the fella had ever driven through that grass, so i couldn't; what i did was take the deer cart and haul the deer out on it. The doe was mighty large, and it was with great difficultly i managed to load it on the cart, and pull it through the tall grass. Then it turned out loading the deer into the truck was near impossible, but determination prevailed.

As i drove out, i no longer day dreamed of killing deer off the deck whilst sipping tea.

Tomorrow i will be in the shop milling jamb-extenders.

[Semisane]

Great story Ron. I really enjoyed it.

But why didn't you man up and throw that deer over your shoulders and walk out with the deer over one shoulder and your gun in the other hand like they do in the old movies.

[bronko22000]

That was a good story Ron. Great read and congrats on the doe. And you may have cemented a relationship with this rancher which may last for years to come. Just to be safe and for some continued hunting on his place, when you fix his door, give him your number and tell him if he ever needs anything done in the future to give you a call.