to he11 and back...
10-07-2012, 03:24 PM
#1
Typical Buck
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Helenville WI USA
Posts: 900
to he11 and back...
I went out to a very remote island in a large cattail marsh yesterday evening... I would guess its close to 2 miles. I can get to it by either kayak or foot... Pretty tough either way. When there is leaf cover like now, there is one dry land section where its pretty easy to loose track of where you are so I brought a compass. One of those ones you pin on.. Just bought it. Works great... I wasn't to keen on the whole wearing orange thing with it being opening day of youth gun deer season in Wisconsin. Especially considering the whole woods is blaze orange with the hard wood leaf colors...
Anyway, ran into several youth hunters on the way out. All near the road... When I got to the cattails for the last 1/2 mile they were dray and I think that had something to do with the fact that the trail was almost grown in and really tough to navigate. That thick heavy cattail wall I was pushing my way thru, is probably what ripped off my compass...
Anyway, eventually after about an hour and a half, I reached the tip on the island and started navigating my way to my tree. I jumped a big doe bedded right below it... I was surprised to see fresh marks on the tree from it being climbed and hunted, and fresh cut limbs... No turning back now.
I noticed the marks were from Lone wolf sticks, and being that they were on my exact tree makes me wonder if it was really a coincidence?
I quietly climbed the tree and set my stand... It was a long wait with no action till just before dark when a doe came out and was feeding her way to me. She did not get underneath me till just before closing. I thought about how nice it would be for the hunter using my tree to find a gut pile under it and thought it would be a piece of cake to get the deer out with my kayak. Was also questioning whether it was a smart move trying to get out thru those cattails and across that big forest with all my equipment and no compass... So, I could boat in, get the deer and my packed up stand in the morning. I shot the doe and she bolted to the front of the island. The arrow shaft was sticking out of her back and the lit nock could be seen from my stand as she ran a circle and then all went silent... I went to lower my bow and camera arm and the rope got tangled. I jiggled it a bit and my bow detached and fell over 20 feet to the ground. My quiver smashed and arrows and pieces flew every where.
I think my eyes are getting old, cause, again, I thought the hit was great, but when I got down, the broadhead was busted off in the ground and green stomach slime was around it... I new better than to track any deer stomach hit till the next morning. There was no way I was carrying my bow and all those arrows out with no quiver so I pulled the stand and sticks and hid my bow and stand and headed off into the cattails with it already getting pretty dark with a long walk out with no compass... Right away I lost the trail in the cattails and got into cattails so thick it was almost impossible to penetrate. I was wearing out quick and the cattails were so high it was hard to see the trees. I eventually found the trail and made it to the woods... At that point I headed N.E. and tried to navigate straight. I came out at an edge of the woods I did not recognize and decided to follow the transition knowing it would either take me to something I could recognize, or to the spot I navigate across to get to the next piece of high ground. after 30 minutes of walking I new something was wrong and was tempted to turn around and go back the other way. Good thing I didn't I came to a place I recognized minutes later, it was a point I have hunted a few times in past years, but it was a 1/4 mile from where I needed to cross over. But at least I was not lost anymore, or should I say misplaced? I don't get lost. LOL.
I got to the truck pretty late and headed home...
This morning I got up sore, but ready to head out and find the doe and retrieve my equipment. I called a friend and we loaded up the kayaks and a rubber boat and headed into the swamp...
I noticed right away that there were about 15 trucks in the parking lot with trailers. These guys were out duck hunting. They don't have to wear orange, but I do.
The water was cold, and shallow, we got into some 1 inch deep water a few times.
In this image you can see where we went thru 1 inch deep water push the kayaks with the oars against the mud. See the mud clumps that were pushed up from the oars?
All the duck hunters got mad when they seen the orange team coming thru and left. You could see they were not happy. I said to my friend James, they should be happy, we will be kicking ducks to them when we get into the swamp deeper... Sure enough, we kicked up tons of mallards and even some woody's but never heard a shot... Well, thats cause they all left.
Man was I sore by the time we reached the island... We went back and got my stash of equipment and got on the blood trail. It was heavy.
We found the deer in minutes... But a pack of coyotes found her 1st.
Looking at the deer it was pretty obvious the coyotes had destroyed all salvageable meat off the deer, and I decided not to take it... It would of been just to get a buck stamp at that point.
It was one of those times when you wish you could go back and not release the arrow... Thats the thing with hunting. No "take backs"... You gotta just live with your choices and try to learn from them.
We headed back to the boats and headed the long trip back to the truck...
Sure enough, when we got back every duck hunter was gone...
Anyway, ran into several youth hunters on the way out. All near the road... When I got to the cattails for the last 1/2 mile they were dray and I think that had something to do with the fact that the trail was almost grown in and really tough to navigate. That thick heavy cattail wall I was pushing my way thru, is probably what ripped off my compass...
Anyway, eventually after about an hour and a half, I reached the tip on the island and started navigating my way to my tree. I jumped a big doe bedded right below it... I was surprised to see fresh marks on the tree from it being climbed and hunted, and fresh cut limbs... No turning back now.
I noticed the marks were from Lone wolf sticks, and being that they were on my exact tree makes me wonder if it was really a coincidence?
I quietly climbed the tree and set my stand... It was a long wait with no action till just before dark when a doe came out and was feeding her way to me. She did not get underneath me till just before closing. I thought about how nice it would be for the hunter using my tree to find a gut pile under it and thought it would be a piece of cake to get the deer out with my kayak. Was also questioning whether it was a smart move trying to get out thru those cattails and across that big forest with all my equipment and no compass... So, I could boat in, get the deer and my packed up stand in the morning. I shot the doe and she bolted to the front of the island. The arrow shaft was sticking out of her back and the lit nock could be seen from my stand as she ran a circle and then all went silent... I went to lower my bow and camera arm and the rope got tangled. I jiggled it a bit and my bow detached and fell over 20 feet to the ground. My quiver smashed and arrows and pieces flew every where.
I think my eyes are getting old, cause, again, I thought the hit was great, but when I got down, the broadhead was busted off in the ground and green stomach slime was around it... I new better than to track any deer stomach hit till the next morning. There was no way I was carrying my bow and all those arrows out with no quiver so I pulled the stand and sticks and hid my bow and stand and headed off into the cattails with it already getting pretty dark with a long walk out with no compass... Right away I lost the trail in the cattails and got into cattails so thick it was almost impossible to penetrate. I was wearing out quick and the cattails were so high it was hard to see the trees. I eventually found the trail and made it to the woods... At that point I headed N.E. and tried to navigate straight. I came out at an edge of the woods I did not recognize and decided to follow the transition knowing it would either take me to something I could recognize, or to the spot I navigate across to get to the next piece of high ground. after 30 minutes of walking I new something was wrong and was tempted to turn around and go back the other way. Good thing I didn't I came to a place I recognized minutes later, it was a point I have hunted a few times in past years, but it was a 1/4 mile from where I needed to cross over. But at least I was not lost anymore, or should I say misplaced? I don't get lost. LOL.
I got to the truck pretty late and headed home...
This morning I got up sore, but ready to head out and find the doe and retrieve my equipment. I called a friend and we loaded up the kayaks and a rubber boat and headed into the swamp...
I noticed right away that there were about 15 trucks in the parking lot with trailers. These guys were out duck hunting. They don't have to wear orange, but I do.
The water was cold, and shallow, we got into some 1 inch deep water a few times.
In this image you can see where we went thru 1 inch deep water push the kayaks with the oars against the mud. See the mud clumps that were pushed up from the oars?
All the duck hunters got mad when they seen the orange team coming thru and left. You could see they were not happy. I said to my friend James, they should be happy, we will be kicking ducks to them when we get into the swamp deeper... Sure enough, we kicked up tons of mallards and even some woody's but never heard a shot... Well, thats cause they all left.
Man was I sore by the time we reached the island... We went back and got my stash of equipment and got on the blood trail. It was heavy.
We found the deer in minutes... But a pack of coyotes found her 1st.
Looking at the deer it was pretty obvious the coyotes had destroyed all salvageable meat off the deer, and I decided not to take it... It would of been just to get a buck stamp at that point.
It was one of those times when you wish you could go back and not release the arrow... Thats the thing with hunting. No "take backs"... You gotta just live with your choices and try to learn from them.
We headed back to the boats and headed the long trip back to the truck...
Sure enough, when we got back every duck hunter was gone...
10-07-2012, 06:27 PM
#5
Super Moderator
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: South Central Missouri
Posts: 3,112
Thanks for the story. It happens, that deer will be lost to coyotes. I have seen it many many times. Sometimes it is just a matter of hours before they get to it. It is always a shame to lose good meat to them, but at least they don't eat antlers.
10-08-2012, 11:49 AM
#6
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location:
Posts: 2,186
Love these type of stories. Sorry you lost the meat. Look at it his way, the critters need meat too !
Swamp hunting can be terrifically effective, mainly because it is typically tough to get in/out, and therefore not worth the effort to many deer hunters. So pressure can be a lot less than the "easier" places to hunt.
Swamp hunting can be terrifically effective, mainly because it is typically tough to get in/out, and therefore not worth the effort to many deer hunters. So pressure can be a lot less than the "easier" places to hunt.
10-08-2012, 01:35 PM
#7
Fork Horn
Join Date: Oct 2004
Posts: 182
Looking at the deer it was pretty obvious the coyotes had destroyed all salvageable meat off the deer, and I decided not to take it... It would of been just to get a buck stamp at that point.
It was one of those times when you wish you could go back and not release the arrow... Thats the thing with hunting. No "take backs"... You gotta just live with your choices and try to learn from them.
We headed back to the boats and headed the long trip back to the truck...
It was one of those times when you wish you could go back and not release the arrow... Thats the thing with hunting. No "take backs"... You gotta just live with your choices and try to learn from them.
We headed back to the boats and headed the long trip back to the truck...
You killed it, even if you decided not to pack it out because the coyotes got it. I'd have marked it as a dead dear regardless. Not sure if I have to. But I've lost a couple of deer over the years and that's just what I've done.
