Saturday night's hunt was especially unique.
I had a couple of teenage boys with me, we started out about 6:30 pm. There are several boys in the troop who want to learn to hunt and have taken their safety course and are ready to get their hunting licenses. That and long talks with their parents and I have agreed to help them learn the what's, where's, and how's of hunting. Pig and Deer are the first animal goals, but right now they are on a twice a month out at the range poking holes in paper to show that they can do it, the new season just started on the 1st, so figure we will get into the field after deer in mid August when the hunting season is underway.
I had a couple of teenage boys with me, we started out about 6:30 pm. There are several boys in the troop who want to learn to hunt and have taken their safety course and are ready to get their hunting licenses. That and long talks with their parents and I have agreed to help them learn the what's, where's, and how's of hunting. Pig and Deer are the first animal goals, but right now they are on a twice a month out at the range poking holes in paper to show that they can do it, the new season just started on the 1st, so figure we will get into the field after deer in mid August when the hunting season is underway.
But on this particular Saturday night, deer season was yet to be so we were out hunting for wild pig.
I issued the boys binoculars so they had half a chance to even up the mis-match in visual accuity and as we walked along I was busy talking about what they needed to be looking for, looking at, how to move, all of the misc stuff that goes with a new activity. I was using the scope on my rifle instead of binoculars. About 400 yards ahead I saw a doe moving down in the creek under some trees and so stopped the boys where we were and told them there was a deer within sight, then settled down to wait for them to find it.
Funny thing, but deer never seem to stand directly sideways in front of a big white sheet...they just don't look the same out in the wilds. Especially when they are down under some tree in the shade and not doing much other than twitch an ear now and then. After they finally located her, we broke away from the creek so as not to spook her and arced around and back to the creek some 300 yards past where she was. A bit farther downstream, I picked out a nice knoll right on the riverbank and we settled into the tall grass near a couple trees to sit a bit.
Didn't do anything fancy. After all, we were hunting pig and their eyesight is less than spectacular. So we just settled into the grass and got comfortable, close enough to a couple tree trunks and a bush or two This was a chance to teach the boys about being still. The boys started to notice the birds, and rabbits and squirrels across the creek on the flat of an inside bend. While they were focused there I noticed different doe had come down to water some 200 yards downstream from us.
I pointed her out and we went to watching her. She slowly browsed her way upstream towards us and ultimately came to just under 40 yards away on the other side of the creek. She started walking straight away from us and one of the boys saw a discoloration on her rump and asked me what it was. At the time she was directly opposite a tree trunk from me, and as I slowly leaned out to see what he had noticed, she was looking over her shoulder in our direction. Now, I hadn't covered my face, nor my arms, since as I said, hogs don't see that far very well and she zeroed right in on the white skin that was showing. I froze in position.
I issued the boys binoculars so they had half a chance to even up the mis-match in visual accuity and as we walked along I was busy talking about what they needed to be looking for, looking at, how to move, all of the misc stuff that goes with a new activity. I was using the scope on my rifle instead of binoculars. About 400 yards ahead I saw a doe moving down in the creek under some trees and so stopped the boys where we were and told them there was a deer within sight, then settled down to wait for them to find it.
Funny thing, but deer never seem to stand directly sideways in front of a big white sheet...they just don't look the same out in the wilds. Especially when they are down under some tree in the shade and not doing much other than twitch an ear now and then. After they finally located her, we broke away from the creek so as not to spook her and arced around and back to the creek some 300 yards past where she was. A bit farther downstream, I picked out a nice knoll right on the riverbank and we settled into the tall grass near a couple trees to sit a bit.
Didn't do anything fancy. After all, we were hunting pig and their eyesight is less than spectacular. So we just settled into the grass and got comfortable, close enough to a couple tree trunks and a bush or two This was a chance to teach the boys about being still. The boys started to notice the birds, and rabbits and squirrels across the creek on the flat of an inside bend. While they were focused there I noticed different doe had come down to water some 200 yards downstream from us.
I pointed her out and we went to watching her. She slowly browsed her way upstream towards us and ultimately came to just under 40 yards away on the other side of the creek. She started walking straight away from us and one of the boys saw a discoloration on her rump and asked me what it was. At the time she was directly opposite a tree trunk from me, and as I slowly leaned out to see what he had noticed, she was looking over her shoulder in our direction. Now, I hadn't covered my face, nor my arms, since as I said, hogs don't see that far very well and she zeroed right in on the white skin that was showing. I froze in position.
She put on a grand show.
She turned to face us and bobbled her head back and forth to see if she could identify what was over over here on our side of the creek. I think she probably had heard the question and was looking as I leaned out from behind the tree, so had heard something, and saw some movement, but couldn't be sure of what was there. She went into the whole stamping of the feet routine, and when that didn't get any results she started "chuffing" and stamping. Still no response or movement from us so she tried the "run away and then stop to turn and look" routine a couple three times. Back to stamping and chuffing, and finally decided that she had imagined it all. She turned and walked off.
All in all, we watched her graze towards us for about 20 minutes and then watched her and her theatrics for about 15 more before she headed on up creek.
By this time it was heading towards dusk and I figured we should start working our way back towards camp to arrive there just about end of shooting light.
As we were getting ready to go, one of the boys saw movement with his binoculars in a field some 1/2 mile off. When I put my scope on the area I realized that 5 big bull elk had come down into the field. We decided to see if we could sneak in closer.
We dropped down into the creek bed to use the bank as cover and moved quickly downstream until we were close to even with where the animals had been. Then quietly climbed the bank and moved along a berm at the edge of the field. Crouched low and moving careful, we cut the distance down to a couple hundred yards from where we had seen them. They had vanished in the mean time, but I thought I knew where they had gone.
Across the field they had been in runs a small creek that is cut pretty deep. I figured that they had dropped down into the creek for water and would come up the other bank, so we crept up to a large old oak tree and waited simply leaning against both sides and the front of the trunk. Within a minute of getting into place, the lead bull eased up out of the creek pretty close. I used my rangefinder on him and he was 138 yards away, nice broadside target, full 5 points on each side, in velvet still.
The other 4 bulls came drifting up afterwards all of them at least 5 points or more. Beautiful animals. They started across the field headed into the wind and we fell in behind them. Stalking low and watching for any movement of the neck that would tell us they were about to turn their head and look behind. We followed them for a few minutes, but the light was getting very low by then and I knew it was just a matter of time before they busted us, so we broke off and walked back to camp.
The campfire stories were colorful that night.
She turned to face us and bobbled her head back and forth to see if she could identify what was over over here on our side of the creek. I think she probably had heard the question and was looking as I leaned out from behind the tree, so had heard something, and saw some movement, but couldn't be sure of what was there. She went into the whole stamping of the feet routine, and when that didn't get any results she started "chuffing" and stamping. Still no response or movement from us so she tried the "run away and then stop to turn and look" routine a couple three times. Back to stamping and chuffing, and finally decided that she had imagined it all. She turned and walked off.
All in all, we watched her graze towards us for about 20 minutes and then watched her and her theatrics for about 15 more before she headed on up creek.
By this time it was heading towards dusk and I figured we should start working our way back towards camp to arrive there just about end of shooting light.
As we were getting ready to go, one of the boys saw movement with his binoculars in a field some 1/2 mile off. When I put my scope on the area I realized that 5 big bull elk had come down into the field. We decided to see if we could sneak in closer.
We dropped down into the creek bed to use the bank as cover and moved quickly downstream until we were close to even with where the animals had been. Then quietly climbed the bank and moved along a berm at the edge of the field. Crouched low and moving careful, we cut the distance down to a couple hundred yards from where we had seen them. They had vanished in the mean time, but I thought I knew where they had gone.
Across the field they had been in runs a small creek that is cut pretty deep. I figured that they had dropped down into the creek for water and would come up the other bank, so we crept up to a large old oak tree and waited simply leaning against both sides and the front of the trunk. Within a minute of getting into place, the lead bull eased up out of the creek pretty close. I used my rangefinder on him and he was 138 yards away, nice broadside target, full 5 points on each side, in velvet still.
The other 4 bulls came drifting up afterwards all of them at least 5 points or more. Beautiful animals. They started across the field headed into the wind and we fell in behind them. Stalking low and watching for any movement of the neck that would tell us they were about to turn their head and look behind. We followed them for a few minutes, but the light was getting very low by then and I knew it was just a matter of time before they busted us, so we broke off and walked back to camp.
The campfire stories were colorful that night.
I am 53 years old and started hunting when I was 12. I am willing to bet, even though we didn’t see a pig, those two boys will remember that hunt as one of the best of their lives, it’s one of mine.
Copyright © 2011 - Marty Vandermolen - All Rights Reserved
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