Rifle season has started. My very first rifle season. I can't put into words the excitement that I have had going in. I purchased a Tikka T3X 6.5 Creedmoor earlier this year. I am so incredibly happy with the gun. The comfort, ease of use and there is very little kickback. I picked up a Vortex scope and had it mounted.
First up was Mule Deer season. I will be honest all my studying has been on elk. I have not spent time understanding deer but that wasn't going to stop me from trying. I went out opening day. I have learned how entirely different your hunting strategies have to be to hunt deer. My tag was for a buck and no doe. I was shocked by the number of hunters out for deer compared to what I had seen out for elk. It was triple the amount. So I looked over my onX maps and found a more secluded area and sure enough it paid off.
Right off the side of the road I found this herd of 11. This spike was right up front. He just stayed and watched me. Question is why didn't I take him? This group was walking a fine line of private land. It had me nervous. Had I shot him and he ran across on to private land, things can get hairy. So I let him have his way, he needs a few more years anyways.
I went out one more time in the snow by myself and saw a few doe but that was it. So the next time Peyton decided to go with me. His one request, no hiking. I said fine we will stick the roads and walk in just a little. We hiked a lot during archery. Funny thing, you see that picture of him? Not a road in sight.
We glassed. We hiked. Every decision I left to him. This was his hunt. He found a herd. so we hiked across to them. By the time we got there, a group of hunters on horseback had beat us over there. We let them have the area and I could tell he was disappointed. So we went to find a place to nap and eat lunch.
Once he woke up from his nap, he was glassing again. He found a herd so we drove closer and hiked in. Once we were in he couldn't find them. He spotted two moving quick and they went around the range we were on. So we decided to follow them. Once he got up and walked over to the ledge that he couldn't see down under us was the herd. He spooked them. In all the deer we saw maybe one buck. The rut had not fully started and the bucks were not around until..
I see this beauty on closing day. On private land just about a mile from my house. They would. He was in full rut. Sparring with another buck and moving the does around. We sat and watched because it was incredible to witness so closely.
Deer came to a close for 2021. I learned a lot and have a lot still to learn but I would be lying if I wasn't waiting for Elk Season to open on October 25. Part 2 coming soon!
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