The dashboard clock read 2:24 am as we rolled in to the motel parking lot a quick unloading of the truck making sure to set out the hunting clothes for a 4:45 conversation with an alarm clock.
I was fortunate to be asked to join my son and two of his good friends on our first ever South Dakota archery hunt.
The goal was to get a buck in velvet. Something we never have an opportunity to do in Wisconsin. My goal was to take it easy watch them hunt and share with them my contacts of the landowners I have gotten to know and consider very good friends from my 20 plus years of hunting pheasants and having whitetail deer startle us as we looked for roosters. Dale the primary land owner was excited to have us come out and helped us place six Stealth Cell Cameras on prime spots over the summer during two sling shot scouting trips. The slingshot trips were 11 hours of driving 6 hours of scouting all in 24 hours.
The preliminary work has been done including the 5:30 hour road trip. Now all that was left was to sleep fast for 2.5 hours and get in the truck. We preset each hunter’s stand location on the trip out. Evan, Jordan and Alex picket their spots much like they did when I was coaching them during football and baseball some 10 plus years earlier.
The stand location was spread out much like everything in South Dakota. I would make a large half circle dropping Alex off 35 minutes down the road, Jordan next 20 minutes later, and last drop was only a 15 minute drive to drop Evan and I would make it my stand with just enough time to get there before morning light. The morning cell cam pictures came in as we drove to Alex’s stand and a very nice 10 point was in front of the camera at my location. I asked the guys if they would like to switch stands and take advantage of known traffic near that stand. They all declined. Excitement was climbing and “Big” racked buck stood in the ditch near Alex’s stand when we arrived to drop him off
The 35 minutes turned into 45 and 20 turned into 35 so by the time I got Evan dropped off he had good light to see where to set up.
I wasn’t disappointed I would not be in before daylight. The morning sunrise was spectacular. I would be walking in due east right into its show. I might have a hard time keeping my gaze low enough to see deer.
The purple blooms of alfalfa gave a hue over the green field kind of like the glow of the bright blue Holiday gas station signs only with more of a purple cast. I enjoyed this section of property. It brought back some very fond memories. One being our first trip out to and a pheasant hunt with my Dad. That was our first field on our first hunt ever in South Dakota twenty some years ago. From that time on my friends Todd and Brian always made a visit to this section. I was silently pleased that this stand was left on the draft board when it was time for me to pick. Not because it held deer. It usually did not and the trail camera normally had few deer on it. But because it held so many great memories. The real reason we all hunt. To make memories.
This year the square mile was part alfalfa and part soybeans with the drainage runs that ran into the wooded pond was full of tall grass. Lines of first crop round bales were neatly scattered across the alfalfa field with the second cutting bales scattered about the field yet to be lined up.
My most valuable cargo were in their stands according to the group text we set up to keep us all on the same page I would check in and reverse my route at 9:15. We usually set our exit times off the top or bottom of the clock to take advantage of other hunter’s traffic. Most set their time to rendezvous with their hunting parties at that time and it usually pushed deer to us. I am positive there were no other hunters with 25miles of us but old habits die hard. I was still in my truck enjoying the sun peek over the horizon when I read all their messages making sure they were in and ok then grabbed my bow and stood by the truck to glass the 1-mile section for likely path to my chosen stand. A lonely bush on a fence line on the east side of the property line just 75 yards from the camera set up that gave up the 10 plus point’s location. I mapped out a path in my mind. The long rows of round bales would make good hiding places to keep me from being busted on the way to my stand. Would walk from one line to another until I reached the small bush.
A habit I learned long ago was to always look behind you after the first couple of steps kicked in. I glassed the field behind me a brown and white flash caught my eye in the jumping the soybeans. I stopped and watched it. The brown and white face stood out above the soybeans and it looked like it did not have a body. A head just floating down a soybean row. Spooky but entertaining.
I was on row 3 of a scheduled 4 row round bale adventure and right in front of my stand stood a nice racked buck. I quickly dropped down and leaned against the bales and watched. It was just 150 yards away. I thought it was quite likely the deer on the camera. Some movement to its left and a doe was moving up and down the fence line. Followed by another smaller racked buck. What a show! I wasn’t even in my stand yet and 4 deer where there to welcome me back to a favorite spot in South Dakota.
I watched the trio go back and forth in front of my stand for 45 minutes. I was settling in, I hope they would pop into the corn field or drop into the valley long enough for me to cover the 150 yards and get into my stand and the deer into range. I brought my binoculars up to my eyes careful not to look into the sun now totally visible above the few trees in this part of South Dakota. The large buck and doe dropped down the valley as I had hoped. The smaller buck was due east of me along the fence line. I had already placed an arrow on my string since this was more than likely by final destination for the morning. The smaller buck lifted it head and locked his vision on me.
I slowly lowered the binoculars to my chest. The buck started a slow casual walk to the row of round bales that I was hiding next to. The other two deer were still out of sight. I wondered if the doe behind me had caught his attention. I couldn’t turn and look.
He covers the distance in just a about 15 minutes I am guessing, it felt much longer not moving. He never took his gaze off me. Casually curious I thought. Was he checking me out? Did I look like another deer? Did my binocular lens reflect like deer eyes in the light stream of a headlight? Or was it the doe behind me? I wondered.
My hand was on my bow ready to quietly and smoothly bring it up in one motion to launch an arrow if it were the bigger buck. The season was less than two hours old. Should I tag out when there was so much opportunity close by?
The young buck would decide this for me. He continued eyes locked on me never once looking back or down or over. Never a chance to get my bow at full draw. At 10 yards he stops for a split second and decides I am not what he expected and I was uninteresting. He quartered off. I brought my bow up and the movement startled him slightly. Something about this deer was off as he came toward me I couldn’t peg it, but something wasn’t right. His rack was odd for one like two capital Y’s were stuck on top of his head. The answer bolted to the front of my brain when the deer easily bounced off in a four legged hop that reminded me of cartoon drawings of a deer. He then looked back at me at 50 yards. The ears were bigger, the face was colored differently and the neck patch was not distinct, the tail was smaller and darker. Whitetails seldom if ever once being startled look back at 50 yards. Five hundred yards or 1000 yards but never 50. It was a MULE DEER.
YES, A MULE DEER! 20 years of hunting this part of South Dakota and I have only once encountered a muley. I had mentally made up my mind to pass on the smaller deer and I was glad I did. I wanted to reread my regulations to make sure “any deer” included Mule deer. Obviously, it did but I was kind of rattled and kind of in shock. An extremely positive shock.
With all the deer out of sight I reached my stand at 8:45. My phone lit up and the text messages started. A go for the 9:15 departure. I would enjoy my stand for a few minutes then get on the road.
The cab of the truck was full of excitement and stories of coyotes and skunks and of course some deer. Unfortunately for me the conversation rolled back to me and too bad you didn’t get to shoot. I shared my experience again with the guys and to a man said “shoot it”. I confessed that I probably wouldn’t have shot at it anyway if it gave me a chance. A small whitetail I thought. It being a rare encounter with a mule deer and that it was in velvet changed my opinion slightly but not whole heartedly sold. But sold enough to promise the group I would close the deal if he showed up again. A bet that was easy to make. The buck was educated now and more than likely a few miles away on ground we could no longer hunt. Alex, Evan and Jordan were very supportive of having this deer fill a first for us and assured me if it were them they would definitely fill their tag with it.
The evening stands were discussed and Alex and Evan were to take my stand of the morning and hopefully get the big one to come into range. Jordan who had some excitement at his opening morning stand chose to take another shot there. It was a bright hot late summer day with a very light breeze from the west. I would set up across the valley from Alex and Evan. I could glass the fields behind them and they could do the same for me. If we had to we could see each other but it would mean breaking our cover.
I walked the fence line settling in on another row of round bales. The sun was starting to cast long shadows. Shadows as in cool comfortable shade. I knew which side of the north south string bales I would be sitting on. The east side, the cool comfortable east side. The north end of the east side to be exact. I was moving quietly as possible through the tall dead grass along the barb wire fence. I decide the grass was too noisy the green succulent alfalfa would be quieter plus the bales would give me good cover from the pond and trees I had thought the deer were bedding in.
The alfalfa that breaking off under my feet with quiet snaps like that of a nice piece of lettuce beign prepared for a salad. Three steps in and there she was standing right where I wanted to sit. A doe. I was just 5 yards from the south end of the bales but standing like a flag pole in a football field. I didn’t belong there but if I did not move maybe she would not run off and take every deer in the square mile with her. I stood there avoiding eye contact and she walked slowly around the north end of the bales. I took that opportunity to get to the south end of the bales. I desperately wanted to get to the shady side of the stack. I stuck my head around the corner to see if I could make it. To my dismay she had decided to lay back down. There I was on the wrong end and the wrong side of the bales. It was a light breeze that came and went and kind of swirled a bit. I dropped some doe urine where I was standing to cover my sent.
The bright sun scalding my bare arms and sweat running down my forehead on to my cheeks. One might think I was crying if they didn’t see that I was really just frying. I played peek a boo with the doe a few times. Each time I was hoping she had disappeared but no, she liked the shade. Damn this was fun if I wasn’t getting such a sunburn. I saw a fawn still with spots walk to the north. 5 minutes later the doe left too. The sun had now settled in the sky and it began to cool. I had stood with bow and chair in my hands for almost two hours. I took that moment to get into my chosen destination in the shade.
I leaned my bow against the bales and set the chair into place and was all set to enjoy the last 45 minutes of daylight. No wonder the doe liked this spot. You had great vision of all the approaching traffic did I mention it was in the shade too?
Just minutes into sitting I was getting nice and relaxed. I checked my arms for burns or blisters. It wasn’t that bad. Probably end up being a nice late summer tan. I was still unable to forgive that doe for taking my spot. First come first served I guess.
Giving into habits, I checked my back. There it was, a deer. Had the doe circled to reclaim her spot? No, this one had a rack. It was 100 yards out. I could see the rack with the naked eye. I pulled the binoculars up. Oh no, it was the alphabet buck two capital y’s staring back at me.
Maybe he will just stay away and I can pass on him again and no one will know.
My phone vibrated. Alex texted me “dad a nice buck is behind you do you see it?” I didn’t answer. Ok. Now he needs to stay out of range.
The nice looking muley walked to the fence line and was grazing on alfalfa. Each time I peeked around the edge of the bales he was closer. Still at 40 yards I was conflicted, I kind of wanted to shoot him, he checked all the boxes except one. That being an older deer. I decided that if he came in range I would keep my word and try and take him.
4 more times I peeked around the bales. Each time he drew closer. He was now at the other end of the 8 bales line. He was starting to get nervous. He was standing were I was sweating not 40 minutes ago. I was positive he knew what kind of deodorant I was wearing. He started to walk away showing me his “nonwhite tail” Confirming again he was the muley I had promise to shoot if an opportunity was given.
I took two quiet steps back from the bales, so I could pull back if he would turn and give me an opportunity.
The young buck had turned now and was giving me a quartering away shot at what I guessed to be twenty yards. My bluff had been called and it was time to show my cards. I pulled back, my peep sight centered the 20-yard pin. Set and steady behind the left shoulder. I squeezed off a shot. The whoosh of the arrow leaving the string and the thud of a solid hit.
It was a high hit. I remember the deer ducking and turning as he saw me step out and squeeze. Later I found out 8 bales is closer than 20 yards. I saw the neon green fletching bobbing from the buck and he took just two steps and dropped.
I don’t think he knew what hit him. He didn’t spook just took a few muley jumps and tipped over.
What great first day! More memories. I am grateful for these young men that I had a chance to coach as boys. They are fun to be around just like the old days when I was lucky enough to coach them. I am grateful they invited me along to share their hunt.
When they played for me they were young boys of high character that have grown into young men of high character. Their parents should be proud of the boys they have raised. Thank You Alex, Evan and Jordan. Thank You Dale for sharing your farm with us.
TAGGED OUT IN SOUTH DAKOTA
