Outdoors: Determination pays off with deer hunt
Though I’m no better deer hunter than any of today’s readers, I recently enjoyed a deer hunting season that was readily accessible to any South Dakota sportsman.
It began for Mike Hall, my hunting partner, and me in West River Unit 45A. Mike and I failed to draw our first or second choice West River tags, so we went to “leftover” tags and discovered that Lyman County’s Unit 45A offered the opportunity to hunt “any whitetail.” As I was somewhat familiar with the area through prairie dog hunting, I secured a place to stay overnight and a place to hunt. Mike bagged a fine whitetail buck, but I didn’t have the opportunity to take a deer I wanted.
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My drawing luck for East River Deer was more of the same. I failed to draw first choice in my home Charles Mix County. My second choice, Unit 13A in Brule County, could have been drawn by anyone in the 1st round. Brule County is great deer hunting country. Not only that, Chamberlain, straight up I-90 from Sioux Falls, has an abundance of motels and eating establishments.
Opening morning, Nov. 17, found me perched on a knob at the top of a draw that emptied into the Missouri River. A brisk north wind and single-digit temperatures chilled me to the bone in spite of long underwear, insulated bib overalls, and a heavy jacket. I toughed it out until 9 a.m. when I toyed with the idea of returning to my pickup. Then a glance to the north revealed three deer, one considerably larger than the others. My old eyes thought doe and fawns until I turned my Leupold 3X9 scope on them. Antlers – sizable antlers!
I first dismissed the shot as being too long. Then I realized that I’d be shooting directly into the wind, making the wind a non-factor. The rut was apparently still on as they paid no attention to me whatsoever. I cradled my Steyr-Mannlicher .30-06 carbine into the yoke of my tripod. At my estimated 300 yards I’d be eight inches low with my 100 yard zero, so I put my horizontal crosshair directly over the buck’s back. My vertical crosshair rested just behind his left shoulder. I set my rear trigger, took a deep breath, exhaled, and touched my front trigger. In spite of ear plugs and poor hearing, I heard the WHUMPH of the 180 grain Barnes Triple-X bullet striking. He ran 40 yards down the side hill and piled up.
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The 4x4 buck appeared to be the biggest whitetail I’ve ever killed, including a dressed buck that weighed 218 pounds after hanging for a week. As I couldn’t move the deer, I went for help. Without that rancher and his son, I would have had to carry the buck up the hill to my pickup piece by piece. I don’t know that I could have handled it.
My deer hunting wasn’t yet over for the year. I had a Unit MZD-LM1 “antlerless” muzzleloader tag, a tag available to anyone who applies for it. In the past I have criticized SDGF&P for not permitting the use of telescopic sights on muzzleloaders. I felt it was discriminating against senior hunters like me whose eyes couldn’t readily adjust to open sights. I’ve learned to live with it. Through practice at the range, I’ve learned that my maximum effective range with my Thompson-Center .50 caliber Hawken is 60 yards at best…..preferably 50 yards.
For the most part, one can muzzleloader hunt any county he/she chooses. I chose nearby Gregory County, as my home Charles Mix County was off limits for the time being. Wednesday afternoon, Dec. 12, found me in a long-abandoned farm house on the south bank of Ponca Creek.
I had to be patient and wait for a standing, broadside shot at 60 yards or less. Thirty minutes before sundown, I could see two does standing broadside at 50-plus yards. Resting my Hawken on the frame of the broken north window, I cocked the hammer, set the rear trigger, and touched off a shot with the front trigger. I found her piled up 20 yards from the point of impact, the sign of a successful hunt.
My point is that the current deer license system works. I question why we need to fix something that isn’t broken. Even though I failed to draw my first choices for West River, East River, and Muzzleloader, I went on three hunts by exploring “leftover” options. A compromise that permits the applicant to make two choices is currently being considered by sportsmen and Game, Fish and Parks. I can accept this if it is best for all concerned.
Roger Wiltz is a freelance writer based in South Dakota. His book, "A Dakota Rod and Nimrod", is available at both Amazon and Barnes & Noble websites.