I chose to take a break from the slow hunting thus far and try my first upland hunt...and a first with my rookie GSP. I've done 4 dawn to dark sits in the past 5 days with little action. I knew in the back of my mind I'd probably see deer running everywhere. Go bird hunting, leave the bow at home, something like this is bound to happen, right?
Here is a youtube link..hopefully it works https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4hT-sctTbpg&feature=youtu.be
The dog and I were walking a field edge when I caught this guy just ahead of me. Mind you he was down wind, so not only should he have smelled us, but definitely seen and heard us long ago. He had every way which he could bolt without us even knowing he was there, but he did not. This went on for what I thought was 15 minutes. It was actually 25 minutes between first and last pix I took.
Kept thinking he would have a hole in him on the other side. But when he finally turned I saw no blood, no wounds to explain this odd behavior. My only guess is he was standing his ground to the dog, but I don't know. This ended with him turning into the woods where I lost him for a few seconds. Then my dog started going nuts growling. The buck half circled, came out of the thicket, to the field edge probably 15 yards head to head with my dog. He was growling like crazy, I'm yelling at him to stay, hoping this thing does not charge my dog. He ended up chasing this deer a couple hundred yards before I could start nicking him with the e-collar.
It's not saying much, but it's the largest wild live deer I have encountered. Had 7 points on the right side with a funky layed forward brow tine, 5 more typical points on the other. Probably a 150" gross with my not so good field scoring. I have been able to walk up to a the nature park does like this, but never a buck. Let alone a heavily pressured, mature, public land buck. Cool experience...made my day.... for the bird hunting did not go too well either.
Trebarker's Link
J/k. That’s pretty wild. Cool experience.
Wonder if it's worth walking the area tomorrow? Still a little conflicted the thought of shooting him. I guess it's the humane thing to do if there is something wrong...not very sporty of a kill though.