MinnesotaChuck
32 Cal
I want to start by saying these boards have been awesome in helping a newbie learn how to shoot and hunt with my .54 caliber Hawken style Cabela's (Investarms) percussion gun. I hunted a special state park hunt for does only and would have had one if I only has remembered to pull the hammer all the way back before I shot! Frustrating but a funny story and learning experience now.
I also wanted to share my story about a recent hunt I conducted in the woods in my back yard essentially and how things went terribly wrong. I'll start by saying we only own 3 acres of woods behind our house but deer pass through it daily as part of larger, subdivided parcels that add up to about 40 acres and borders a large cornfield. Houses around but on the lake and I hunt deep into the woods. I triple checked and I'm legal to hunt (as do many others on neighboring properties) and I am a careful, responsible hunter. I know my target and I only would really ever take 30 yard shots or less given the terrain. And with no houses behind shooting lanes for miles.
Anyway, I slipped down into the woods for the last hour of light last Thursday and before I knew it, a group of big does heads my way. I get a great shot on the lead one at 25 yards in what I believe to be the lungs. Lots of blood spray on the snow and for several hundred feet before it headed for my neighbor's property and slough. So this is where it starts to go downhill, I call the neighbor, my wife's dad's cousin - and my son's confirmation sponsor - and his wife answers and she says sure and doesn't say much.
Ten minutes later, I see the neighbor's truck pull in to his property and the phone starts ringing. As soon as I pick up "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING DOWN IN "OUR WOODS?!?!?" I shot a deer I calmly told him. "You're shooting a gun? God-d#mmit! What the hell?!?!?" Yes, I was ML hunting I told him. I was careful and knew my target and shot a doe. He just lost it, going on and on about how irresponsible I was. He called me irresponsible probably a dozen times and I bet you he said God-d#mmit about 20-30 times.
He said "all you're shooting is a patched roundball, do you know how inaccurate those are. You're going to kill someone. You could have killed my wife who was just about to go for a walk in the woods. I don't care if you think you're careful, roundballs richochett all over the woods. You're luck to hit a deer shooting one of those things!"
Next he goes on and on about how they like to watch the deer and feed them from their birdfeeders. You're feeding deer, I said? I believe there's a ban on right now because of CWD. He told me to quit trying to change the subject and then said "God, look at you, you big hunter. How unethical. Shooting tame deer. I wonder what your FIL would have thought of you (he died of cancer 2 years ago, thanks for brining up)? He was a real hunter. I'M a real hunter, not like you shooting deer down in a neighborhood!" Then he told me he couldn't stand to talk to me anymore and hung up.
I forgot, he reminded me at one point that he clearly told me two years ago he doesn't like guns anywhere in "our woods." And believe me, this is the cliff notes.
Why am I sharing this? I don't know, just to get it out. lol. What did I do? So I called the guy the next day. I told him I'm sorry if I scared him and his wife or made him uncomfortable in any way. I was excited to try my new ML but since most of my shots are under 30 yards, I can just use my bow from now on and if I do use my ML, I will give them notice. However, know that I am a very responsible hunter. I don't take chances period. My family lives down here too. He apologized profusely and said you can tell he has a temper. He then told us he loved us and that I can hunt his farm anytime I want to. He then asked if we're all good? Yes, I said and hung up.
But it ate at me since then. And really started pizzing me off. Especially as my wife thanked me for "being a man and sucking it up." She suggested maybe no more shooting, just archery, but that her relative was totally out of line for acting that way. Or rather treating me the way he did. "It's settled," she said, "but he could have just calmy asked you not to do it anymore. Things will never be the same and now you know what he truly thinks."
I'm almost over it, but it's hard to even look at the guy in church I'm so sick about it. I felt totally disrespected and my first ML deer is laying dead, rotting in his slough. I could have looked for it the next night as temps were in the 30s all day but as my wise wife said, just let it go. No need for round two.
Thanks for listening. Just thought it was worth a share.
I also wanted to share my story about a recent hunt I conducted in the woods in my back yard essentially and how things went terribly wrong. I'll start by saying we only own 3 acres of woods behind our house but deer pass through it daily as part of larger, subdivided parcels that add up to about 40 acres and borders a large cornfield. Houses around but on the lake and I hunt deep into the woods. I triple checked and I'm legal to hunt (as do many others on neighboring properties) and I am a careful, responsible hunter. I know my target and I only would really ever take 30 yard shots or less given the terrain. And with no houses behind shooting lanes for miles.
Anyway, I slipped down into the woods for the last hour of light last Thursday and before I knew it, a group of big does heads my way. I get a great shot on the lead one at 25 yards in what I believe to be the lungs. Lots of blood spray on the snow and for several hundred feet before it headed for my neighbor's property and slough. So this is where it starts to go downhill, I call the neighbor, my wife's dad's cousin - and my son's confirmation sponsor - and his wife answers and she says sure and doesn't say much.
Ten minutes later, I see the neighbor's truck pull in to his property and the phone starts ringing. As soon as I pick up "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING DOWN IN "OUR WOODS?!?!?" I shot a deer I calmly told him. "You're shooting a gun? God-d#mmit! What the hell?!?!?" Yes, I was ML hunting I told him. I was careful and knew my target and shot a doe. He just lost it, going on and on about how irresponsible I was. He called me irresponsible probably a dozen times and I bet you he said God-d#mmit about 20-30 times.
He said "all you're shooting is a patched roundball, do you know how inaccurate those are. You're going to kill someone. You could have killed my wife who was just about to go for a walk in the woods. I don't care if you think you're careful, roundballs richochett all over the woods. You're luck to hit a deer shooting one of those things!"
Next he goes on and on about how they like to watch the deer and feed them from their birdfeeders. You're feeding deer, I said? I believe there's a ban on right now because of CWD. He told me to quit trying to change the subject and then said "God, look at you, you big hunter. How unethical. Shooting tame deer. I wonder what your FIL would have thought of you (he died of cancer 2 years ago, thanks for brining up)? He was a real hunter. I'M a real hunter, not like you shooting deer down in a neighborhood!" Then he told me he couldn't stand to talk to me anymore and hung up.
I forgot, he reminded me at one point that he clearly told me two years ago he doesn't like guns anywhere in "our woods." And believe me, this is the cliff notes.
Why am I sharing this? I don't know, just to get it out. lol. What did I do? So I called the guy the next day. I told him I'm sorry if I scared him and his wife or made him uncomfortable in any way. I was excited to try my new ML but since most of my shots are under 30 yards, I can just use my bow from now on and if I do use my ML, I will give them notice. However, know that I am a very responsible hunter. I don't take chances period. My family lives down here too. He apologized profusely and said you can tell he has a temper. He then told us he loved us and that I can hunt his farm anytime I want to. He then asked if we're all good? Yes, I said and hung up.
But it ate at me since then. And really started pizzing me off. Especially as my wife thanked me for "being a man and sucking it up." She suggested maybe no more shooting, just archery, but that her relative was totally out of line for acting that way. Or rather treating me the way he did. "It's settled," she said, "but he could have just calmy asked you not to do it anymore. Things will never be the same and now you know what he truly thinks."
I'm almost over it, but it's hard to even look at the guy in church I'm so sick about it. I felt totally disrespected and my first ML deer is laying dead, rotting in his slough. I could have looked for it the next night as temps were in the 30s all day but as my wise wife said, just let it go. No need for round two.
Thanks for listening. Just thought it was worth a share.
