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Hunting for us takes on several meanings. First and foremost, we love the outdoors.
There's something that burns inside us each and every year that continually drives us to the woods. Secondly, hunting is
something that has provided us brothers and our father with quality time together; time which is hard to come by these days.
Thirdly, we're always after that monster buck. We won't try and hide it from anyone, nor should we have too, it's pretty
obvious that we LOVE big bucks. And finally, venison is our main source of red meat each and every year so we always set
out with the goal of shooting some big bucks, but also some tasty does. Shooting does is more than just providing meat for
the freezer though. Shooting does is good for many deer herds in Ontario. There are still a good number of regions in Ontario
which have low to modest deer numbers but many others are stretching above and beyond "modest". These are the areas where
hunters really need to adopt a new principle of shooting more does.
While our area is certainly not carrying a high number of deer, we have a modest population and rather
than allow it to get out of whack, we always try to shoot a couple does each year to stay on top of things. With the use of
trail cameras and our own sightings, we can get a decent idea of how many does are using the property and thus decide which
areas to do some thinning.
For fear of having to go in with a couple guys and drag a doe out of one of our sanctuary's, thus
spooking our big bucks, we do our doe harvests very selectively. This year we chose a bedding area that we'd been seeing a
lot of does coming from but has never provided a big mature buck sighting. Furthermore, we waited until our season was
winding up and the odds of spooking a big buck were less by going in during the December muzzleloader hunt.
It was the last Saturday of the hunt and Kevin was out of town so Keith and I got together with our good
friend, and OMW staff writer, William Lowes to push this bush. It was a bitter cold morning so we were confident the deer
would be nestled in tight to the thick cedars. Will and I got into place at opposite ends of the bush while Keith started
meandering around inside. He'd only been in the woods a couple minutes when he heard movement coming his way. Usually on a
drive they're fleeing but this time they were walking towards him. He knelt down low in some cover and out into a small
clearing stepped a 3.5 year old crazy looking buck. Keith described him as having an 18-20 inch spike with some other junk
coming off his left side and his right side dropping down beside his face. Right away visions of a 1.5 year old buck he'd
pass on two years before came back to his mind. This was a deer he knew well. We'd first layed eyes on him during a
late-summer scouting trip and caught several minutes of him on video. He was very odd looking even at that young age and we
marveled at what he might look like later in life. Keith passed on him twice at 15 yards that year with the bow hoping he'd
see him again someday. The next year went by with no sightings and no trail cam pictures and another year later, here he is!
We have no idea where he's been or how he's eluded us but it just goes to show how tricky these creatures are. Our additional
muzzleloader tags in this area allow us to harvest a buck so Keith had a decision to make. I think he made the right one when
he let this guy walk on past at about 30 yards. Though he would have made an interesting conversation piece, he's still young
yet and we can only hope one of us will be rewarded with the opportunity to see him again in a year or two.
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This picture was taken in the late summer of 2004. Keith passed on him twice that year with the bow but he wasn't
seen the following year. Then, out of nowhere, he stepped into Keith's view at only 30 yards, now as a 3.5 year old with
an 18-20 inch spike!
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As Keith continued his journey through this bedding area he was moving slowly and methodically so as not
to move them too fast but also in hopes of getting a shot himself. When done properly, it's not uncommon for the pushers to
get as many or more shots than the standers. Before long he caught glimpses of what looked like a few antlerless deer making
an exit straight ahead of him. It took them about 30 seconds before coming into my clearing. It was the tall grass parting as
they ran that caught my eye first. As they emerged from the high grass, all the blow-downs and golden rods still made it
difficult to see them well.
I could see three deer but it wasn't until they stopped that I was able to accurately identify a doe. She
was of course in the lead and at 20 yards, a high shoulder shot dropped her to the ground instantly while still taking out
the tops of both lungs making for a very quick and humane kill, but best of all, not requiring any tracking!
A small 3-man push had worked to perfection and we had effectively secured some good meat for the freezer
as well as helping to keep the ratio's in that area a little more in check.
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