I had travelled to Northern Maine on my vacation to hunt with my dear friend RGB. RGB has inspired me to become a more efficient and more patient hunter and I believe him to be the most successful tracker to set foot in the Maine woods. I have learned a great deal from him and am fortunate to share my hunting experiences with him. The weather up north where we were hunting was extremely cold and windy. The snow conditions had become hostile to put it mildly. There was about 3 to 4 inches of hard crusty snow on the ground. Walking quietly was an impossible task. The pace was so slow that patience was my saving grace.
I followed this bucks track from the high northern end of a hardwood ridge, into a thick area of poplar and spruce, and then over into a tightly knit area of spruce and cedar mix. I was moving so slowly due to the noise factor that I did not think I would ever close the distance between the buck and myself. The wind was blowing into my face and the buck was walking directly into the wind. Suddenly a bit of luck smiled upon me. The buck encountered some other deer tracks and started to check them out. I am sure he was hoping for a "hot" doe in the mix. None of the tracks seemed to interest him so he broke away and started walking into the wind again.
I followed his track for about 20 or 30 feet more and immediately froze in my own tracks. 3 startled Bluejays and 4 Partridge had been spooked up ahead of me and had flown back in my direction passing by me. I knew something had flushed them so I patiently waited to see what was up. I could only see about 20 yards out in front of me due to the thick furs. It was then that I picked up on some movement up ahead of me. I saw a brown body take one jump over a couple of small trees that were on the ground and it was then obscured by the furs again. I kept watching and saw the head of the buck pass by a small opening in the furs and I noticed the antlers.
I immediately shouldered my Rem 7600 carbine pump and snapped off the safety. The buck then stepped partially into the path that I was on. It was as though we were in a tunnel or hallway. I was at one end and he was at the other. The buck was dismayed to see me standing there. He was looking directly at me, wide eyed and ears cupped forward. His forward movement had completely stopped. His head and neck were turned to his left slightly, facing in my direction and part of his front shoulder was also exposed. I sighted through my peep sights and fired one Rem 180 gr sp into the bucks neck just below his throat patch. The buck absorbed the impact and shuddered as he took a step backwards. He then fell sideways to his right against a small spruce tree and slid to the ground. The buck kicked with his hind legs in an attempt to regain his footing but I had closed the gap and immediately fired another round into the side of his neck killing him instantly.
The distance from where I shot to where the buck lay was (17) paces. Up close and personal is how I put it. I cannot stand to see any animal suffer especially one as magnificent as the Whitetail deer. We as hunters owe it to the game we pursue to shoot cleanly and precisely and dispose of the animal as quickly and humanely as possible. I knelt beside this downed King and thanked God for allowing me the opportunity to harvest this spectacular buck. The buck field dressed at 245 lbs. (Weighed at Kokadjo) and carried an average 7 point rack. The buck had made the fatal mistake of backtracking himself and disregarding his ally "the wind" in hopes of locating that receptive doe. Procreation was his downfall. Patience was my virtue. Hunt Maine!! You will never be disappointed.
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