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Disappearing Deer

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Loyalist Dave

Cannon
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On a different forum, a fellow asked about times when you see deer moving toward you that will hopefully present a shot, only to be blocked from your view, by a tree from time to time, then oddly they never present that shot, and are never to be spotted again that day.

Once, I had something almost like that...

I am blessed with better than 20/20 distance vision, and very good night vision. I need reading glasses at my age, but thank God I can see distance very well.

So there I was...with my trusted .54 caliber flinter "Trudy" loaded with 70 grains of 3Fg and a patched, all lead, .530 round ball. She is accurate and hard hitting out to 100 yards, nor worries. Yet I normally have shots at under 75 yards with the majority of shots coming at under 50 yards. The front sight post on my flintlock is a thin silver blade. It reflects light well in low light conditions, and the thinner blade gives me more precision.

I had hunted all day, and could hear and catch glimpses of deer to the North of where I was hiding in a hedge row. I was on the southern edge of the site of a failed vineyard, so I had about 50 yards of mostly open area leading up to the woods, looking North, over several rows of posts where the grape vines never grew up. This open area sloped gently downwards to the North and the wooded area, and I, myself, was in a hedge that had grown up between several "marker" trees that showed where this open area "vinyard" began.

It was just as the last bit of the sun dipped below the horizon, but hunting regs said I had 30 minutes of legal hunting time left to me after that. Well I figured I might as well start packing up. I made sure the stopper in the water bottle was secure, and hadn't put down anything important like my pipe. I'd be back in the morning, after all, so no disappointment at all. The vineyard was in shadow, with a little bit of sun still kissing the tops of the trees on a hill a good distance to the north. Although I had heard deer, and seen some movement at different points in the day, catching a glimpse or two of doe, I didn't get a clear shot.

THEN I heard it. The telltale sound of something coming over the wire fencing to the East. I saw nothing moving so whatever came over crossed inside the woods. It was about ten minutes after sundown. I had 20 minutes legal hunting time left. Meanwhile, a mist had started to form down below in the woods, where the creek bed lay. Mist began to form in the vineyard, too.

Then I saw him. He had crossed the fence, and his hind toes had probably brushed the top of the fence as he passed, making the faint noise. He was big. He was undoubtedly the patriarch buck in the general area. The rack was bigger than six points, for sure, but exactly how big in that fading light I could not tell. The vineyard was in shadow, and he was gray brown, but I could see his front leg at the shoulder against his torso, so I had my aiming point just a bit toward is tail, and just a bit lower..., He was the biggest buck that I'd ever had a possible shot on, ever.

..., so I quietly shouldered Trudy, and leveled her muzzle toward the buck. My left hand was fingers up, palm forward against the trunk of a young tree, and I put the rifle into the crook of my left thumb and forefinger. Super steady like a tripod as my right hand held Trudy at the wrist of the stock against my shoulder..., which was good as my heart was pounding a bit in my ears ;)....

As I looked over the barrel with my head up slightly, I saw the buck's breath come from his nose as he exhaled,.. but he didn't move. I lowered my chin and rested my cheek on the comb of the stock, closing my left eye and acquiring the full sight picture.

AND he was gone..., he simply just up and disappeared...

What the hell? :confused: I opened my left eye and raised my head off the comb about an inch...he was still there. I tried again to sight in...., he was gone. OH I could see the sights fine, but try as I may, I could not see that buck through my open, iron sights in that light, even with both eyes open with my head down. Raise my head, he was there, lower and sight-in, gone...The lighting condition had gotten worse as I tried and tried to make my eyes and sights work, until I could see his outline but not a spot to use as my aiming point.

I laughed out loud, and he turned his head, perhaps to acknowledge me, or perhaps with disdain at my foolishness. After all a buck in my area doesn't get that large by making a mistake of being that exposed when there's enough light for a shot, right? He then sauntered off into the wooded area, probably to collect his harem of does that had been moving about just out of sight all day.

Later I realized in that lighting, the center of my eye, the area that sees color and day vision did not have enough light, especially when I tried to focus on the front sight post and an object beyond. When my head was lifted and both eyes were looking but not trying to pinpoint a tight area on the buck, the peripheral part of my retina, where the rods give a person some low light vision...DID have enough light, so I could see the buck without a problem. Put the head down and use an eye through the sights, NOPE.

It's the same situation you get at night when you look right at a star, it's dimmer than if you look slightly off from it and it seems to gain in brightness, only to dim once again if you return your gaze directly at that star.

So he was there but I could not sight him in and he really did appear to disappear each time I tried to use the sights.....

I saw him other days after that. And that was years ago so now I see his son or grandson from time to time. I don't shoot the patriarch on the old vineyard, though. OH I will shoot a younger small rack buck, and normally I get a nice, fat, mature doe. But the dominant fellow I leave, since he seems to like to keep the does and young bucks on the land where I hunt.

And I can't eat horns.:D

LD
 
I've had deer pull a David Copperfield on me many times. They are very sneaky.
 
On a different forum, a fellow asked about times when you see deer moving toward you that will hopefully present a shot, only to be blocked from your view, by a tree from time to time, then oddly they never present that shot, and are never to be spotted again that day.

Once, I had something almost like that...

I am blessed with better than 20/20 distance vision, and very good night vision. I need reading glasses at my age, but thank God I can see distance very well.

So there I was...with my trusted .54 caliber flinter "Trudy" loaded with 70 grains of 3Fg and a patched, all lead, .530 round ball. She is accurate and hard hitting out to 100 yards, nor worries. Yet I normally have shots at under 75 yards with the majority of shots coming at under 50 yards. The front sight post on my flintlock is a thin silver blade. It reflects light well in low light conditions, and the thinner blade gives me more precision.

I had hunted all day, and could hear and catch glimpses of deer to the North of where I was hiding in a hedge row. I was on the southern edge of the site of a failed vineyard, so I had about 50 yards of mostly open area leading up to the woods, looking North, over several rows of posts where the grape vines never grew up. This open area sloped gently downwards to the North and the wooded area, and I, myself, was in a hedge that had grown up between several "marker" trees that showed where this open area "vinyard" began.

It was just as the last bit of the sun dipped below the horizon, but hunting regs said I had 30 minutes of legal hunting time left to me after that. Well I figured I might as well start packing up. I made sure the stopper in the water bottle was secure, and hadn't put down anything important like my pipe. I'd be back in the morning, after all, so no disappointment at all. The vineyard was in shadow, with a little bit of sun still kissing the tops of the trees on a hill a good distance to the north. Although I had heard deer, and seen some movement at different points in the day, catching a glimpse or two of doe, I didn't get a clear shot.

THEN I heard it. The telltale sound of something coming over the wire fencing to the East. I saw nothing moving so whatever came over crossed inside the woods. It was about ten minutes after sundown. I had 20 minutes legal hunting time left. Meanwhile, a mist had started to form down below in the woods, where the creek bed lay. Mist began to form in the vineyard, too.

Then I saw him. He had crossed the fence, and his hind toes had probably brushed the top of the fence as he passed, making the faint noise. He was big. He was undoubtedly the patriarch buck in the general area. The rack was bigger than six points, for sure, but exactly how big in that fading light I could not tell. The vineyard was in shadow, and he was gray brown, but I could see his front leg at the shoulder against his torso, so I had my aiming point just a bit toward is tail, and just a bit lower..., He was the biggest buck that I'd ever had a possible shot on, ever.

..., so I quietly shouldered Trudy, and leveled her muzzle toward the buck. My left hand was fingers up, palm forward against the trunk of a young tree, and I put the rifle into the crook of my left thumb and forefinger. Super steady like a tripod as my right hand held Trudy at the wrist of the stock against my shoulder..., which was good as my heart was pounding a bit in my ears ;)....

As I looked over the barrel with my head up slightly, I saw the buck's breath come from his nose as he exhaled,.. but he didn't move. I lowered my chin and rested my cheek on the comb of the stock, closing my left eye and acquiring the full sight picture.

AND he was gone..., he simply just up and disappeared...

What the hell? :confused: I opened my left eye and raised my head off the comb about an inch...he was still there. I tried again to sight in...., he was gone. OH I could see the sights fine, but try as I may, I could not see that buck through my open, iron sights in that light, even with both eyes open with my head down. Raise my head, he was there, lower and sight-in, gone...The lighting condition had gotten worse as I tried and tried to make my eyes and sights work, until I could see his outline but not a spot to use as my aiming point.

I laughed out loud, and he turned his head, perhaps to acknowledge me, or perhaps with disdain at my foolishness. After all a buck in my area doesn't get that large by making a mistake of being that exposed when there's enough light for a shot, right? He then sauntered off into the wooded area, probably to collect his harem of does that had been moving about just out of sight all day.

Later I realized in that lighting, the center of my eye, the area that sees color and day vision did not have enough light, especially when I tried to focus on the front sight post and an object beyond. When my head was lifted and both eyes were looking but not trying to pinpoint a tight area on the buck, the peripheral part of my retina, where the rods give a person some low light vision...DID have enough light, so I could see the buck without a problem. Put the head down and use an eye through the sights, NOPE.

It's the same situation you get at night when you look right at a star, it's dimmer than if you look slightly off from it and it seems to gain in brightness, only to dim once again if you return your gaze directly at that star.

So he was there but I could not sight him in and he really did appear to disappear each time I tried to use the sights.....

I saw him other days after that. And that was years ago so now I see his son or grandson from time to time. I don't shoot the patriarch on the old vineyard, though. OH I will shoot a younger small rack buck, and normally I get a nice, fat, mature doe. But the dominant fellow I leave, since he seems to like to keep the does and young bucks on the land where I hunt.

And I can't eat horns.:D

LD
You have my upmost respect sir, not only for your pursuit of the better quality meat over horn or antlers, but for not trying to force the shot while under such a level of excitement. Hats off kind sir.
Walk
 
Great story, Dave. You must be commended for not just taking a "Hail Mary" shot since you knew he was right there even though you couldn't zero in on a specific shooting spot.

I have had the same thing happen in that same kind of light. Unfortunately, while my acuity at long range is still excellent, my low-light vision is slowly deteriorating, which makes it worse. While I haven't actually laughed out loud at such situations, I do chuckle inside and silently congratulate each game animal that defeats me.
 
Thanks for the compliments, and this was intended to be a story about a weird hunting situation rather than a lesson about not shooting...but truth be told...

I WANTED TO SHOOT.
..believe me. I CONFESS I really really toyed with the idea because he was a musket's shot from me and muskets don't have a rear sight..., I've shot muskets live....So if I only used my front sight post, raised my head a bit, and then aimed "low"...and the round itself would fly a lot straighter than a musket ball...,

TEMPTATION.JPG

BUT then I figured I'd probably hit him, and even if a good hit, I'd spend a lot of time in the dark trying to find him, and more than likely the hit would be poor, so I'd track and track but never get him, and then he'd have a slow painful time passing... and he was pretty spectacular.....so....



LD
 
I've had the same thing happen on woods walks.

I'd be able too see the target but can't find it in the sights.

I went to a german silver front sight which is great in low light situations...
 
I understand your plight, LD. My similar experience occurred in morning half-light. Saw him clearly but he disappeared when viewed through the peep I was using.
 
Good for you for making the right choice! I often think the DNR should rethink the half hour rule. I think there is a difference between legal light and ethical light. Ethical light usually ends about 15 minutes after sunset or before sunrise. On overcast days, it is often even less. For me, the risk of a wounded animal ALWAYS outweighs the potential reward of a quick kill. I don't recall a disappearing deer, but I've had disappearing front sights a few times.

Good story, Dave, and I appreciate your ethical choice. :thumb:
 
I often think the DNR should rethink the half hour rule.

Thanks and that rule is really for duck and goose hunters. Sometimes the DNR gets regulations that they try to keep simple for the officers to enforce. Too complicated often = a mess. So they don't use a different rule for deer hunters vs. waterfowlers. There's plenty of light right after sunset on that bird silhouetted against the brighter sky. Heck since that buck disappeared, I've been in wooded areas where the sun wasn't even set, and I couldn't see the muzzle even without lowering my head down onto the stock. :confused:

LD
 
Hey Dave and all, Yes I can relate to the eye issues now 59. like yourself I have great distance but need readers. I have passed up many shots just because there was not enough light and I will not sate my selfishness over the possibility of a wounded and non recoverable Deer.
Its funny from my hide I can scan and stare at a wooded hillside for an hour look away for a sec and theres that pop up deer! I swear they come out of the ground! I take a breath, sight in, and its gone!
So Dave, you are not alone.....

SM
 
Thanks and that rule is really for duck and goose hunters. Sometimes the DNR gets regulations that they try to keep simple for the officers to enforce. Too complicated often = a mess. So they don't use a different rule for deer hunters vs. waterfowlers. There's plenty of light right after sunset on that bird silhouetted against the brighter sky. Heck since that buck disappeared, I've been in wooded areas where the sun wasn't even set, and I couldn't see the muzzle even without lowering my head down onto the stock. :confused:

LD
Exactly. Heavy woods, draws and valleys change lighting, where open fields are still lit right up.
Comes down to your ethics for sure.
Walk
 

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