Yesterday, we went back to the same place that we got the big buck. Got about an inch of snow overnight, and with the ground frozen before the snow, the traction was still great.
We left with the snow falling and flat calm seas for the half hour or so boat ride down to the place we’d anchor off the boat. Took a thermos of coffee share on the ride down. The tide was also perfect, with high tide at 1:30 pm and a big 18 footer.
We decided to walk north on the beach to where we came down with the big buck, since it would avoid the blowdowns near the beach where we went up the hill on Monday, and it would allow us to hunt into the wind if we went up the hill then headed south towards the boat hunting.
We saw tracks here and there on the way up. Not as many good places to call with good vision as we saw on Sunday. On about our third stop to call, we had a pretty good 360 view – at least as good as we’d seen – so we stopped to call. I put Matt uphill from my about 25 yards and in sight.
I saw him looking through his scope after about the third series of bleats. Then he looked at me and motioned he had a deer coming. I saw him pointing slightly down while facing uphill, so I knew the deer had to be close and slightly below him in a little depression 20 yards in front of us. Even at that close range, I could not see the deer.
I kept calling softly and watching Matt, with a finger in my ear on the side the gun blast would come from. Minutes passed and still no shot. Finally, the deer had turned and started walking away, and Matt got a little excited, then got up from where he was and shot. Then I saw him quickly walk in the direction of the deer, which I had seen bound away. A few seconds later, he said the deer was down, and I grabbed his pack and walked over to the deer.
Matt said the doe had never seen him, but was focused on my call. The deer just didn’t give him a great shot through the brush. We dressed the deer and hung it in a tree and put a waypoint on the GPS and continued hunting.
We did not see any more deer during the day, and seemed not to have found as good of spots to hunt as we had on Sunday. A great thing to know for future hunts at this site. Saw tracks here and there, but no more deer in the great visibility that the snow adds.
We got home as light was fading about 3 pm, and hung the deer in the garage next to the other 2. I went to bed early, and was up at 5 am this morning. Got the big buck skinned, and we plan to butcher today.
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Mark Stopha
Alaska Wild Salmon Company
4455 N. Douglas Hwy
Juneau, AK 99801
www.GoodSalmon.com