What would you do #71
Mule Deer
This happened to me 3rd rifle season this year. I hiked in from a well known trail head in a decently busy unit. Nobody was at the TH when I left an hour before shoot time. At first light I glassed a buck and some does 2-3 miles off. I made my move.
I got to the deer, a smallish 4 point, a couple forkies and 8-9 does. They were right on a private property fence line. I could have shot the buck but all the does were on private and I was scared if I shot him he might jump the fence and I’m not that guy.
I decided to sit on them in hopes I could get the buck to come 50-100 yards onto public. I was on top of a knob laid out prone with all my gear around me and I settled in for a long day.
About 3 hours later I see 2 guys skyline across the bowl from me, about 500 yards away. They glass me and get out the spotter. The deer were bedded down and they didn’t see them, but finally the deer started moving around and they spotted the buck. They got “ready”, but the buck was on private.
About 2 hours later one of the guys moves down into the bowl and spreads out his orange coat on a sage bush, I assume to let me know he was down there and not to shoot toward him. He was down in the bottom and didn’t have the ability to see the deer until the deer moved close.
Another hour and the does start funnel up the saddle between me and the partner on top of the other knob. If they hadn’t been there that buck would have walked by me at 100 yards.
Finally the buck starts moving. He jumps the fence and watches the does funneling up toward me (my wind is good).
Hes 150 yards from the hunter in the bottom, another 50 yards and the hunters going to shoot. The hunter isn’t between me and the deer, we made a triangle. He’s in “that direction” though. Hes broadside, within your effective range but toward the limit. You’re prone, bipod, rear bag, you have him ranger and your turret is set.
What do you do?
I would remember why I quit rifle hunting.
Matt
I had a bow hunter move in and cut me off from a bull I was bugling with last year. We were moving in and he came in from our right. He heard the action and thought he could move in on a distracted bull. Are you giving up archery hunting too?
Nope. I enjoy a challenge. Rifle hunting just didn’t do it for me any more.
Matt
The more of these I hear, the more I realize the Comanche had the right concepts…
Gg if you’re the guy that can grind it out day after day, week after week until you succeed then more power to you! Lots of guys will hunt a few day, won’t find anything, won’t see anything and then give up and go post on the internet.
I enjoy the challenge of archery, but shooting stuff with a rifle is lots of fun too.
If it's a safe shot I'm taking it. If it's questionable I'm not.
Puh pow! I’m dressing the deer out while they watch.
Shoot the guy on the ridge first...
Yup, dead deer --- for sure. John, I also enjoy rifle hunting.
Shoot. Had an almost identical thing happen when I was guiding a rifle pronghorn hunter. I told him to shoot as soon as the buck came on our side of the fence. We waited for hours, were obviously visible sitting up on a sagebrush point in orange, when some guy who looked like Jesus gone bad came in and set up right across the draw, acting like he didn't see us, or didn't care. My hunter eventually shot the big buck when he crossed the fence. Jesus jumped up, threw his hat down on the ground, glared at us with his hands on his hips, then picked up his pack and trudged off.
Lou, these guys did similar. They called the game warden on me too. Said I shot over their heads. Warden came at me with all kinds of attitude until I told him what happened. Told him to ask the guys why they’d move in on another hunter that was sitting on a buck and try to move in front of him. I never got a response.
I would shoot if safe as mentioned above.
No wonder noone wants to play your game GG. Good grief...
If shot is safe he's toast. Their dumb prerogative to move in on me. That's public land for ya. They're the idiot not you. Why in the world I've had people follow me when going in beats me. It's super annoying, I'm already ahead of you, and just don't be an asshole. But if you want to watch me shoot something then fine.
In Pa it’s legal to shoot over a road as long as traffic is below your line of sight. Those guys would have chit their pants if I turned the .300 Ultra Mag loose over their heads… which I wouldn’t have hesitated to do.
After gutting out the deer I'd of asked for help packing out. It's the only Christian thing to do
