Another year and another Fall Blacktail hunt here in Western Washington. I’d been scouting at The Snoqualmie Tree Farm for a few months and had all my sits picked out. Then, the first week of the three week season, I was at the farm overseeing the solar instillation, and could only get out for evening sits, which is not ideal, but hunting none the less. The first week was sunny, not a great atmosphere for hunting blacktail, because they love heavy rain, and prefer to bed down when the weather is nice. No surprise I saw nothing on my first two sits. By Thursday, the weather was preparing to change, and I was getting psyched up to hunt in the rain- at last. Then, on Wednesday evening, my neighbor texted me this picture of a nice buck in her yard, and darn if I didn’t see her text till it was too late that evening for a hunt. I asked if I could come by the next morning, and she and her husband said yes, so I planned on a hunt at first light Thursday morning.
It was cool and crisp out as I pulled up at the bottom gate of my generous neighbors’ land. Quietly, I took out my shotgun, shooting sticks, and put on my hunter orange vest. Camley, I hiked along the road, then turned up hill towards the gardens and open yard where the deer were said to be hanging out in morning and evening. As the raised garden beds came into view, so did this buck. He was standing there, as if waiting for a meeting, I was right on time. Taking a moment to walk past him and up the hill a bit, I knelt down slowly and raised the barrel of my gun onto the shooting sticks for support. The buck had not moved, so I took aim and breathed in my three grounding breaths. Then, I gently squeezed the trigger. BOOM
The deer took a few stiff steps and turned to broad side from the other direction at me. I shifted over to where I could realign with his movement and took aim again, just to make sure he would go down. I then fired a second shot, because I could not see if my first shot (on the other side) was enough. If the deer is still standing after your first shot, and you can get a second one in, do. I’m glad I did, because the second shot sent him bounding a few steps, then down in the field. With relief, I slowly cleared the chamber of the used cartridge and made sure my gun was fully unloaded. Picking up the spent round, I looked for the other one, but could not find it in the moment. My eyes went back to the deer, who was still down, but more active than I would have liked. One of the neighbors came out to join me, we watched together as the buck continued to raise his head, so I stepped a little closer to get a clear head shot in to end any suffering.
That was my mistake- I came in from behind, and that triggered the deer to get up and run. I was not thinking the deer had this in him, as I’d shot twice with slugs and that should have been enough to keep him down. My assumptions were far from what was actually happening. As the deer rose up to run, I made out my second shot, which had been aimed just behind the shoulder, in the middle of its chest for a double lung target. Well, I was shooting down a steep slope, and had forgotten to raise the barrel a little more to compensate for the angle. When I sight in my guns, I shoot level. I’ve not had any range practice on angles, and am now sure I need to set up some from above and below targets to work on my aim. The buck was gut shot, the last thing you want as a hunter. I was appalled at my bad aim, but pressed to make sure I tracked the animal and didn’t loose him.
Another mistake. It’s never good to chase a wounded animal. They are looking for nearby thick cover to go into for relief. I was worried I’d loose track of him if I could not see him, so I began trailing too close, thus pushing him further into the woods and away from easy access. It’s a common mistake made by armature hunters who don’t want to loose their deer. But it’s counter to what should be done. After pushing the buck up from his lay twice, I suddenly realized what I was doing and backed off. I used OnX to mark where I was and the direction I had last seen the buck going. Then I left the area, leaving my deer to his painful, slow death. It was hard, I cried at my bad shot and poor acruacy, and knew the animal was in pain and scared, but I could not chase him. If the deer left the property, I would have to track down neighboring land owners to ask permission to go in to get my deer. If I left him alone, he would bed down and stay put, allowing me to come back and trail him later.
I spent the day mushroom hunting with a friend, then talked extensively with two of my hunting mentors, who encouraged me to wait at least 5 hours before going back to trail him. That afternoon, I returned to the woods where I had last seen the buck. I had my gun, in case he was still alive, and I had my focus, I was determined to find a blood trail, then track down my animal to retrieve the meat. I’ve never had to trail a deer I’ve shot, because I’ve never had a gut shot before, but most hunters will encounter this at least once in their hunting career. Any ethical hunter will do whatever they can to get the animal back- within legal guidelines. You can’t trespass to get your deer. If it does go onto property you don’t have permission to hunt, and you can’t get the owner on the phone, you have to report your loss to a game warden and hope they can get permission to go onto the private land to retrieve the animal for you- if they have time. The other ethical thing to do as a hunter, if notch the tag, even if you don’t find the meat. I did so, knowing I had shot my deer for the season, and taking responsibility for my actions. Still, there was a good chance I would find him, so I continued my hunt.
This is the screen shot of where I was when I left the deer in the field, and the direction it was heading. I returned to the spot and began looking for any sign- especially blood drops on the ground. Weaving around the area, I became a little confused by all the game trails and recent deer tracks all around. I wondered if my buck was still on the property, but focused in on the trailing and soon, found a fresh blood trail. It was light, only pea sized drops here and there. My mind went into a primitive place, ancestral and raw- I could only think in single words: “blood” “no blood”. That was my mantra. A red drop on yellow leaf, two more on a stick, pointing the way. As I trailed, I also began to see the dragging tracks of the buck, willing himself over logs and through thick brush. I kept following the trail, loosing the blood droplets, doubling back, starting again from the last sign, moving forward. Every once in a while I would look up and around to see where I was. It felt like I was moving vast distances until I referenced some small groves of evergreen trees I’d made a landmark out of. I was only about 30 feet from where I had marked the map. OnX was priceless in keeping me informed about the property lines and where I was. Still in bounds of the property where I had permission, I kept on trailing.
At one point, some mushrooms tried to distract me. The trail did go right through them, and I stopped to take one picture before continuing on the trail. These amanitas were the size of dinner plates, and there were many of them, it was a sight, but I had to stay focused on my deer and finding its body. No mushrooms, only blood, drops of blood that were sometimes bright red crimson, and sometimes the dull dry color of rust. Then I came upon a scattering of red berries, the same size as my blood trail, that was a strain to sort out, but I found the dragging tracks and soon, another blood droplet to confirm I was on the right path. Coming to another clearing, I heard some flies, then I took a deep breath. I could smell the intestine bile, the buck was close. Another few steps and sweeping view lead my eye to him. He was laying in the brush, dead. I was thankful I did not have to shoot him again. As i approached the carcass, I saw that he had not thrashed in place, he had fallen and gone still. It had not been a long, drawn out death as I had worried, but the gut shot was plain to see, and as I began gutting in the field, I observed that the shot had grazed the liver, thus speeding up his death, which I was thankful for.
I also took a moment to check where I was, doubling down on remaining legal in my search. I could not believe where the OnX showed the deer had gone down. It was very close to where I had marked my initial spot on the map, but the trail had wound all over before coming to its end. Luckily, there had been a blood trail, or I would have been searching for a lot longer. There was some pride in my trailing, but mostly the haunting knowledge that I had taken a bad shot, which led to an animal suffering. This is always a risk in harvesting an animal, and should not be taken lightly. The agony of waiting had been some punishment, but I did find the deer, and I was relived I’d not wasted the animal. That was some consolation, and that my neighbors, who had been so generous in allowing me to hunt their land, understood what had happened and were not angry with me. They were so glad I found the buck, and helped me drag him back out of the woods. That teamwork was also priceless. I reflected that people helping other people harvest food was what built tribal connection in our distant past. They also asked for the hide, and some ground venison when I butcher. Its a pleasure to give back, and thank them with free labor and farm sitting support. Access to private land for hunting is a rare gift. I am so grateful my neighbors are supportive and understanding.
Blacktail deer are mysterious forest animals, who live in small territories they do not migrate from. This buck was born here, lived off this land, and probably ate off my fruit trees more than once. In the cycle of birth and death, his time has come, and he will feed me and many others. Then I too will one day return to this earth, and my body will become the land once more, helping to grow vegetation to feed future generations of deer in return. This is that great circle of life we sometimes talk or sing about. When I first found the buck, I sat with him and gave thanks, thanks for a safe hunt, thanks for his gift of food. Gratitude for his staying on the land where I had permission, and letting me find him. The blood trail had started where I marked the map, so I am glad I trailed him to that spot, though I would not push an injured animal like that again. Everything ended up working out, but I learned a lot of new lessons, even after 10 years of hunting, I still have a lot to learn. Thanks to all who helped in this hunt, from my mentors and their encouragement, to the neighbors who support my harvest, to the deer nation allowing me to take another for my survival. May this sacred relationship between hunter and the deer people continue with honor, and ethical guidance. I will work on my aim on slopes, and take a little more time in lining up my shot before pulling the trigger.
Above left is where I left off tracking the buck in the morning, and above right is where I found my buck that afternoon. Amazing how vast spaces feel when you loose something in them. Thankfully, the deer stayed close, and I chose the right path in leaving him time and space to die. It will be a strong memory in my hunting experience, and an important lesson to carry in future hunting opportunities. I cannot stress enough how important it is to follow through with your shot and find the deer you harvest. Though I only had to search for about an hour, I would not have stopped, except to sleep, and been right back out the next day. One of my mentors said he trailed a gut shot doe for two whole days before tracking her down. She was still alive, and made a final effort to escape, crossing a broad river before dropping into the rushes on the other side. My mentor went back to his car, called the land owner, and drove around to the other side to retrieve her. Experiences like this remind us to take time in lining up our shots, not to rush, and to follow through on our commitment to these animals, and honoring them.
EEC Forest Stewardship 