Early ML hunt in Ohio.

[olegburn]

Oct.19 found me going to the Wolf Creek Wildlife area for Ohio early ML special season.
First time in an area-no clue where to go.
Got there before dark,park my van in little parking lot for hunters and slept in it til legal light.
Hunted real rough country and whole time wondered:
If I get big deer in the bottom of this ravine-I'm in for a long drag!
Didn't see a thing all day.
In the PM moved to a different area accessible via gas-line clear cut.
Lot of deer sign.
Found nice spot where I could cover 200 yards on my three sides with the thicket at my back and sun setting that way also.
Perfect for ambushing any deer that would be coming into that natural bowl that DNR folks made even better by planting food plots and mowing.
I'm on a high ground,nice weather,beautifull view,cover from wind -just add some deer... ;D
2 hours by and still no deer,saw big turkey come out and spotted me. Oh,well.
At the same time I can't stop thinking about dragging deer to the truck. Half-mile,by yourself is long ways going up and down.

Anyway,decide better leave early so I can find way to the truck(thanks God for GPS-it guides me back with scary accuracy.(I parked it in one spot and then walked about half mile to the gas line on a road and then hiked in country that never been to before.My trek back I calculated entirely using GPS )

On my walk back see a lot of scrapes and rubs,thinking about possibly coming back sometime.
Find truck.It is 15 yards away and see movement to my left.
Medium size doe walked into a mowed lane and grazing 100 yards away. I just couldn't believe it!
I get down,take my time,turn up the scope to 9x and checking it out. Doe. Take it!
My first deer of the season and I can't stop the crosshair!
I relax and lock in. Deer now sees me and locks into me too.
Muzzle blast reflects off of both sides of the lane into my ears and doe jumps and goes down right on spot.
This is incredible!
I thank God for such perfect arrangement and get back to work.
Threw my stuff into the truck,got the knife out and got busy.
Doe is real dead now with .45" hole in her chest(she was facing me at the shot).
Bullet must've blew-up when hit the ribs as the intestines were intact with some large shrapnell getting liver,I believe.
Lung were done,heart hangin on what was left of arteries.
No pictures as I was getting in a hurry,but I hope some find this write-up inspiring. Go out there and shoot deer!
My load was 300 gr. Rem .458"JHP ,68 gr.H4198 CCI209M.
HCR sabot.
One gotta love the easy drag ! ;D Big thumbs up!
P.S. Lost my venison when electric went out in August.I'm good now.

[whyohe]

now thats the way to do it. get to the truck and shoot the doe. short drag!! nice story.

[tar12]

nice story and ending! Thats the way it should always be!

[tdillinger]

Oh is that cool, that is an awsome story. I was relating all the way because i have to drag 3/4 when i shoot deer at my stand. Excellent...

[olegburn]

Every once in awhile I get treats like that.
I never mention ones that make one grind teeth and say bad words... I had one when I hunted with the bow that I hit nice and square and it(button buck) ran and died in the very steep ravine.
It was in the last light and by the time I field dressed it-it was dark and started raining. I tried dragging it with the rope and couldn't make it up the slope(which was about 60 degree).
Wet leaves and dirt was worse than ice.
Ended up putting it over the shoulders and crawl and claw my way out of there on all four like an animal.
Don't think I ever heard my heart bit that hard before .
Thanks for kind words,friends!
Oleg

[DBinNY]

That's the way to do it! Good story too.

[dans]

Uh was that drag downhill to the truck? I always shoot mine uphill.

[dannoboone]

Pray tell us how ya train your deer to come out close to your
vehicle like that!! ;D

Nice goin'.

Last year I had to drag mine a half mile through 2 & 3' of snow
and across a creek. This ol' pup is gettin' too old for that.

[smokeless77]

Oleg, Way to go, Nice way to end the hunt, 100 yards from the truck.
I liked the story too. Almost like I was with you.

John

[olegburn]

Guys,thanks for all kind words!
I,indeed,was fortunate one.
Deer was around 100 yards from the truck and fell at the shot,DRT.
Kicked maybe twice.
Drag was not downhill ;D,though it was the easiest one ever.
Nicely mowed lane was covered with leaves and that doe was sliding like on ice,nice and smooth.
Training deer will be my next step...
John,your ventliner was involved in this story.It works,belive me!

[killitgrillit]

congrats and thx for sharing the story

[pposey]

Thats cool, few years ago I was hunting with a badly broken toe,,, shot a deer 300 yards from the truck and that sucker ran almost all the way to the truck, within 25 yards