Back Back in Whack

My back was hurting even before I went out early yesterday morning with a buddy to hunt for deer. As we got into this one canyon, we started getting into deer. We spotted one looking at us at about 300 yards, quite down in the canyon. I tried to get a bit closer, and since it was still just watching us, I decided to consider the shot. I had a rest consisting of moving basalt cobble. I figured that if I didn't take the shot - and we didn't get any other shots that morning - I would regret not having tried - so I tried. The deer was not a big deer (even in 4x) - and was standing facing us. I figured it would be a (solid) hit or (complete) miss.

At the shot it bolted into some brush. But not many seconds later it (she) reappeared. Not only did she appear unscratched, but her tail was flitting about merrily, and she was even browsing a bit. And this time a bit closer. She was actually LESS afraid, now that we had shot at her. Subconsciously, I figured that whatever contributed to missing the deer on the first shot would naturally contribute to missing the deer on any subsequent shots, so don't even try. And then my conscious mind considered it, and agreed with my subconscious. So we just watched. She browsed in and out of some brush, going this way and that - giving us the ability to examine her thoroughly for a wound - and indeed she was unscratched. And in fact had resumed her morning business. Hmmmmmm. And though she had been watching us, and had bolted at the bullet impact (quite near to her), fear, if there had been any, had passed. And so us and the deer went our ways as though never even having that morning met.

We decided to walk down a logging road that diagonaled down into the canyon rim toward a spot I had seen another deer earlier in the morning. Had I known how perfectly the road was delivering us to a natural game crossing / loitering area - I probably would not have even tried on the earlier deer. And so as we rounded a bend I felt pretty confident we'd get into something. Where the road emptied onto a flat area there was water, cover, recent logging, nearby dense timber, and formidable canyon, and yet not far (for a deer) from farmers fields with various `groceries' Indeed in the spring I had seen big flocks of turkey at this place, and stories from the landowners suggested several elk were killed there several months earlier.

And sure enough, rounding the bend, a deer was feeding broadside about 125 yards away from us across from where the road emptied out and turned. I motioned my buddy behind me to stop, and quickly got prone. The deer was perhaps ten yards on the other side of no doubt a property line marked by a couple marked trees. But it would be okay. I put the crosshairs behind the shoulder - the target quite large in the scope compared to the deer shot at earlier - and as I verified legality of the deer and as the scope was quickly fogging (and before it could fog completely), ... I squeezed off the shot.

The deer went immediately down - whacked hard. Candace's M77 Compact 260 Rem whacks again.

We dragged the deer over (the `line' and) to a spot where we could work with her. Actually her turned out to be a him with horns barely hair length. We took pics, de-meated her him and loaded the majority of meat in my pack. I decided to venture over to where the first deer was, just to make sure. There was the slightest chance that perhaps I had hit that first deer - maybe there were two, and after the shot we were seeing an untouched twin. Indeed no sign whatsoever I hit it, or any other, deer. We got back to the stuff and headed up the logging road.

(Selah.)

Doug offered to switch to carrying the pack - but I needed the exercise. Had I known then the conversation we would get into with my bachelor friend at the rig - I would have let Doug carry. Once out of the canyon I figured I could use a little more exercise and continued to carry the pack all the way up the (other) road to the rig. But just before getting to the rig - the `Bachelor' met us, and we started chatting. Normally I really like talking with the bachelor - but this time I was anxious, even a tiny irritable. I wanted to get home, plus I had a deer on my back. We chatted, and chatted, ... I figured any minute the conversation would end - so I never did take off the pack. As minutes clicked by in five, ten, fifteen and larger minute chunks, my back was reporting with increasing volume that it was getting tired of standing there with a deer on it. Finally, we broke conversation ... I felt momentarily bad because I may have even been a sliver rude. We made it the rest of the way to the rig, and headed home.

We had a great steak fry when we got home - but Ughhhh my back hurts.

I feel quite blessed - I have shot a lot of stuff lately.

Now I need to get a handle on finances, and get my back back in whack.