It was a rainy Tuesday, about 50 degrees. Some leftover moisture, from hurricane Ian that reaped havoc on Florida and other areas of our country, had moved up and met a different low pressure system that came off the coast. With the swirling winds and unsettled atmosphere, the afternoon was looking like a nice time to hunt. I was hoping the rain was going to stop around 3pm and let up throughout the evening.
Once I got home from errands and a quick brainstorm session with my buddy about still hunting in the rain, I got ready to hunt and walked onto the property. Where I was headed I walked past two large fields, and many other visible areas where Whitetail deer will be grazing and going about their day. I walked about 3/4’s of a mile on a dirt road and dipped into the woods beyond the fields. As I walked past those fields, the deer were onto me, I had been bowhunting the previous two days and unsuccessful. There are a lot of deer on this almost 200 Acre parcel I am fortunate enough to hunt. It has creeks, cut corn, hay, goldenrod, milkweed, pines, and oaks. It has forests full of swamps and barberries that require tactical outerwear and knowledge of navigation. Red and Gray squirrels, Raccoons, Opossums, Timberdoodles, Turkeys, and much more roam the woods, with Eagles, Hawks and Vultures in the skies. It is a beautiful place to enjoy a hunt.
On this day, I was sure to play the wind accordingly and planned to walk into a headwind up a creek bed. My plan was to walk or still hunt from 3:30 until sunset around 6:30. It was a walk up a creek along a swamp and in between fields, basically an ideal set up for deer habitat. Once I got to my farthest point, I began walking into the wind, and along the creek bed, this is when the rain faucet turned on. It rained hard, I have a good rain jacket and technical layers, Muck boots, and soft-shell/ Semi waterproof pants. I was carrying some warm gloves that I was very thankful for after about an hour. I realized my hands got stiff and cold, so I managed to slide my wet hands in some gloves and hunker down under a large leaning hemlock. I look for dry bark on large trees to find the driest spot to sit or stand through heavy rains. As I waited for the rain to stop, I contemplated the option of sitting at my desk, dry, tying flies and drinking beer. It rained hard for 45 minutes. I moved maybe two trees during the heavy rain, then spotted a mama doe and a yearling crossing the creek. I stalked them as they worked up the creek, and they surprisingly came back into my view some 40 yards ahead of me.. They were on the move, maybe they heard my big feet clunking in the woods.
I continued up the creek bed getting more wet as the rain never stopped, but went through small waves of heavy to steady rain. It was one of those days where you can’t decide if under the trees where large droplets are falling off of the leaves onto you, or the steady small rain drops in the open are getting you more wet, there was no avoiding it. I continued up the creek thinking, “I wanna get home, and dry”. I walked up to a creek junction, and past it, the field I am coming up to is where I shot my deer last season, and where I had sat the night before and seen many deer. I think “I may as well take a look into this field and see what’s happening”. I slowly walked up the small creek bed embankment up to a cut grass field with cut corn on the far side about 150 yards away. My first glance was a few deer at about 80 yards on the right edge of the field. The next sight was two small deer in the center of the field, also far away. I stood up a little taller, and saw a dark horizontal line and dark shadow, close to me, within 20 yards. I crouched down, took two steps closer, stood up and drew my bow all at once. I looked at the deer while its head was down, I had to identify its gender/size before shooting it. I took my sight and looked at her head, and confirmed it was a doe, a good size one at that. At this point I regrouped with my bow, because of adrenaline and my position, I drew with a straight arm, and poor grip. Thankfully the wind was helping me, and she was busy chewing grass and clover. I aimed on the front quarter, and let the arrow fly. It sounded like the arrow hit a brick wall, she bolted forward, she ran about 30 yards and into the field edge along where I was standing. At that moment in the pouring rain I took a deep breath, watched where she had gone, and thought about giving her time to pass away. I slowly walked across the field, caddy cornered to where she went, and back to my house a few hundred yards away. I regrouped in my garage, took my wet gear off, put dry pants on, and an extra rain jacket on. Thanks to technology and loyalty two of my local buddies were there within 30 minutes of my shot. In the pouring rain we crossed the now muddied creek from rainfall, and back onto the field. We approached where I shot her, and had previously located the bloody fletching and broken arrow. It had fully passed through, and was sticking out of the loose muddy dirt.
I walked into the field edge toward the creek bed, looking for the fallen deer, and looped back up to the field edge over about 20 yards of thick brush. I looked down the field edge, and there she was, laying whitetail up toward me, on her side. She was a beautiful deer, and died quickly. The arrow had gone right through her shoulder, and severed heart arteries. The Phathead 100 grain from SteelForce Broadheads is a great broadhead, I was using a Bear Threat bow, and Easton Arrows, it got the job done.
Overall this hunt was wet, cold and miserable. Once I got into the flow state of stalking, drawing, aiming, and shooting, I was thankful for my determination in continuing my hunting outing throughout the rugged weather. I had a sense of confidence leading into that day that led to my success. I am thankful for the deer who gave her life, my friends who helped me get her out, and everything that led up to this kill. We will be enjoying this meat for the fall and winter seasons, and I am hoping to get an opportunity at a larger buck than I shot last year.
