Deer Hunt 2023

Middle of November Marion and I decided to hunt behind Mert’s Pond. For those of you who aren’t from central Maine, Merton was Marion’s brother and while he wasn’t much of a housekeeper, his lawn, garden and swimming pond were always immaculate. Our kids and dozens of others learned to swim there and a few of the nieces and nephews hunt there on occasion. Every year, on the 4th of July, extended family gather to remember that “The Fourth is The Fourth!”

Anyway – back to the hunt. We had been over to the Pond the prior afternoon and found quite a lot of fresh sign on the flat between the brook and the ridge. Marion decided to sit in one of Mike’s tree stands where he had put in a food plot several years ago. I went up along an old skidder trail to where we would be out of each other’s shooting ranges. I set up the pop up blind and trimmed out my shooting lane and settled in for a nap. At about 4pm, after a good nap, I stood up, stretched and got the kinks out so I could get serious about the last bit of daylight. At 4:20 I saw a bit of movement by the brook, got my gun up, pulled into my shoulder just as a small deer stepped into the shooting lane. Cocked the hammer, put the red dot just behind the shoulder and squeezed the trigger – CLICK – I had not jacked on into the chamber. As I hunkered down jacking one in as quietly as possible, a BIGGER DEER took one step from behind a tree, presenting her head, neck and about 10 inches of her shoulder. I put the red dot as close to the tree as possible and squeezed the trigger! Down she went! She was kicking quite a bit, so I scrambled out of the blind for the finishing shot. As I was going down the steep hill, she got up. I threw the rifle up to my should and down I went – sliding down the damp hill on my ass. She went down again after about 10 yards, and Up I got. I shot her again.

I was using the Henry my son Dustin and his wife Michelle got me, they knew it was one I had wanted for a long time and knowing I’d never buy it for myself – so they got the first picture – My gun laying on the deer.

Next message was to my nephew Mike – he was hunting nearby and had told us earlier he would be dragging crew. After shooting lite ended, I went to get my gutter – Marion. By the time she was done gutting, Mike and his buddy Bert were there to drag!