View Single Post
Old November 26, 2001, 10:20 PM   #9
keano44
Senior Member
 
Join Date: June 12, 2001
Location: Lafayette LA
Posts: 177
I know how you felt!

Last January I hunted a spot where I hadn't been in a couple of years. Boat is the only way to get there, and I was alone. From the main bayou, took an old, man made, straight canal, down to where it ended at an old oil well location. Took off on foot before daylight, half hour walk to an oak ridge, near the northern boundary of the state reserve I was hunting. I didn't know exactly where I was going, only the general area I wanted to be in (the rut was at peak, and across the boundary was private land where they run dogs.) At 9:15 AM a doe and yearling ran by me. As soon as they passed, I heard the buck coming, nose to the ground, trailing her. I shot him, a six pointer, at 9:15 AM. Because I wasn't at a marked spot, or trail, I knew I had to drag the deer, and carry my climber stand, rifle, everything, until I reached a place I recognized. Then my plan was to leave the deer and go back to my boat, where I had a "wheel" assembly which I made to attach to one half of my climber, which could then be used as a sort of wheelbarrow to roll the deer out on. Until I reached a place I knew I could come back to, I had to carry everything. Well, my memory was a little off, and I took a slightly wrong compass heading, and missed the end of the canal where my boat was. I thought it was taking me long to reach the canal, but I figured it was because I was dragging a deer, slowing me down. After two hours on the same (wrong) compass heading, I came to a deep slough, about thigh deep. At this point I realized what had happened, but was too exhausted to turn and drag the deer to the canal. I knew this slough went back to the main bayou, but at an angle which would take me far from where I had left my boat. It was not too cold that day, so I floated the deer down the slough as far as I could. It was much easier than dragging. Two more hours passed, and I'm still hauling this deer over logs, or around log jams. When dragging on the ground, I can't even go fifteen yards without the deer pushing up a huge pile of leaves in front of it, which stops me dead. So I continue going in the slough, until I finally reach a boundary line, before the bayou, which I know leads straight back to the canal where my boat is. I left the deer on this line, walked to the canal, one half hour solid walking, then another twenty minutes one mile up to my boat. I drove the boat back to the boundary line, attached the wheel to my stand, and went back to the deer, another half hour. The carcass was completely stiff at this point, so I had a really hard time tying it to the cart. The platform part of the stand makes the carrying part, and the blade which goes around the tree makes the handle. The wheels, on a frame, attach to the bottom of the platform. Now I had two hours of daylight to get back to the boat. To lighten my load, I had left as much stuff back at the boat as I could, including my fanny pack with my flashlight in it. (When I had left the boat, to go back for the deer, there were three and a half hours of daylight left.) With the soft swampy ground, the cypress knees, roots, branches, etc. it took all of the two hours of light left in the day to reach the boat with my deer. It was 5:30, and dark when I got the deer into the boat, to head back to the landing, load the boat on the trailer, and drive one hour back home.

I learned a lot about myself that day. I especially learned to trust the compass, because it was one of those days, when there was no sun, gray and overcast all day long. I learned how out of shape I was, catching charlie horses in my calves, and front and back of my thighs, so bad I would holler out loud in pain. But no one could hear me, as I didn't see a soul all day. I never stopped, and I never considered leaving anything behind. I learned to never go out like this again without a roll of trail marking ribbon, which I could have used to flag my trail from where I killed the deer, to the boat. It got spooky out there , I didn't even hear a boat in the main bayou, which normally would be common, on this state reserve, or the train pass to the north, to assure me I was headed in the right direction. Have you ever been at the point when you start doubting the compass? Your mind begins to play tricks on you.

I've since considered what could have happened, if it had gotten really cold that afternoon, with me being soaking wet, from walking in the slough, floating the deer. Or what would I have done if this had been a really big deer (heavier). The best thing that came out of this experience, was all the sign I saw on my four mile excursion through the woods (I later checked it out on a map.) I walked through areas where no one else hunted, virgin territory, for a public reserve. I saw awsome buck sign, scrapes, rubs, and more deer droppings, on the ridges I crossed than I ever remember seeing before. I know just the area I want to hunt this year. But I think I'm going to hunt with a partner, if I can, or at least have marking ribbon, or a GPS with me.
__________________
I've seen good, and I've seen bad.
I've seen fire, and I've seen rain.
I've seen war, and I've seen peace.
I've seen mountains, and I've seen desserts.
I've seen the world, and thought I'd seen it all. But of all the scenes I've ever seen, I ain't never seen no scene, like the scene I'm seein now!........keano44
keano44 is offline  
 
Page generated in 0.03953 seconds with 8 queries