# Do you think sometimes a deer is given to you?...



## NDTerminator (Aug 20, 2003)

I've been hunting a long time and every now & then I wonder if God, The Spirit Of The Wild, or whatever you want to call a higher power, lends a hand and gives you the deer you are supposed to shoot...

I've had it happen several timess over the years and it happened again this afternoon, to my wife. Toni has been hunting hard every day since opening afternoon and despite our best efforts just hadn't had a shot opportunity at a good buck.

This afternoon the wind switched out of the north, so we walked about half mile in on a PLOTS near our farmstead. Because it has been a wet year it is riddled with deep sloughs making getting in a real chore and the only way to hunt it this year is with a north wind.

I just had a feeling so I put together the deer cart and pulled it in.

We hadn't been set up 15 minutes when we saw the first buck come out of a cornfield about 650 yards away across the slough. Within another 10 minutes there were three bucks and a doe over there. They showed no interest in leaving that side of the PLOTS and really there was no good reason for them to come closer; I wasn't even sure there was enough dry land between us to make it possible.

The second best buck starts chasing the doe around along the edge of the corn when she dives off into the cattails. I can see glimpses of them and can hear the buck grunting. I tell Toni to get on her rest & be ready; next thing I know this doe has broken out of the cattails and is leading the buck straight to us across a good 250 yards of open ground!

I start doe bleating at them when they are 150 yards out, and they don't even slow down until they are at 100 yards. Toni makes a pretty front quartering shot & dumps the buck, a nice 6x5 with double drop tines!

I have now seen a grand total of two drop tine bucks on the hoof in all the years I've hunted. Toni has wanted to take one her entire life, and here one gets put in front of her. Not just put in front of her, but literally runs to the optimum position for her to take it. Of course, I said a little prayer to the Spirit Of The Wild for this buck.

We were back home & had the buck skinned as the sun went down.

This kind of thing sure makes a guy wonder. Anyone else have similar stories?


----------



## Sasha and Abby (May 11, 2004)

I demand pictures!!!


----------



## NDTerminator (Aug 20, 2003)

Just posted one on the 2009 buck pictures thread...


----------



## ImpalaSSpeed96 (Aug 25, 2008)

No...

I've hunted to long, to hard, and to smart to have not shot a book buck by now. Actually, I change my answer to yes. I just think god, the spirit of the wild, or whatever you choose to call it, hates me...


----------



## SDHandgunner (Jun 22, 2004)

ND Terminator please extend my heart felt CONGRATS to Toni, and thanks for sharing the story.

Yes I had a similar experience in which I know someone or something up above brought the deer to me. It was the very first year I hunted with Speciality Pistols. I had a Remington XP-100 that had been rechambered to the 7mm IHMSA Cartridge (.300 Savage necked down to 7mm). We had watched this certain Buck for 2 days. Each day the buck would emerge from the Rice Cane to the south of us out of range.

On the 3rd day we decided to move as far as we could to the south end of the meadow. As we set up my hunting partner and I flipped a coin to see who got the first shot. I lost the coin toss. I asked my buddy how many shots he'd need to anchor the buck with his Remington Model 700 7mm Remington Express. He said ONE. I told him since I was such a good sport I'd givve him two shots and then it was anybodys buck.

Well the Buck came out to the south of us again, but within range this time. My buddy lined up and fired. The buck took a few steps and started feading again. My buddy fired again and the buck jumped a little, sprinted about 40 yards and started feading again.

I whispered to my buddy "that's two" and I asked if he wanted me to shoot the buck. He said go ahead. Just as he said go ahead I had the crosshairs of the 4x Redfield Pistol Scope on the bucks shoulder and squeezed the trigger, dropping the buck on the spot.

I swear a higher power caused my buddy to miss to give me the opportunity to shoot that First Buck with a Speciality Pistol at 200 yards. For the record I did give the buck to my buddy.

Larry


----------



## iwantabuggy (Feb 15, 2005)

NDTerminator said:


> I've been hunting a long time and every now & then I wonder if God, The Spirit Of The Wild, or whatever you want to call a higher power, lends a hand and gives you the deer you are supposed to shoot...


Absolutely........ I had a very similar experience when I shot this buck. God loves us all and wants good things for all of us. We just don't always get what we want. The important thing in my mind is that we recognize when God does give us the things we want, acknowledge it, give credit where the credit is due, and give much THANKS. Thank you for sharing your story. Hopefully you won't mind if I share mine.

Monday: I was hunting up a ridge a dropped through a saddle. The whole time, I am thinking about God, his beauty, etc, and I am feeling very close to him. As I dropped through the saddle, I saw some does. As I was watching the does, I heard a couple of elk coming my way, so I hunched down, watched them come, and as they got close I cow called to them. They stopped about 50 yards or less from me for a few moments, then moved on. I returned my attention to the does, when I heard a very large animal running down the hill towards me, but in the next depression over. It was so loud that I was certain it was another elk, and elk season was open. I hurried over just in time to shoot this buck. I caped and boned it out and hung the meat in a tree and carried the cape and horns back to the truck. It was a 4 hour pack, so I couldn't make it back for the meat for a couple of days.

Wenesday: When I went back for the meat with horses there was fresh snow on the ground and fresh elk tracks everywhere. I thought it best to tend to business first, so we dealt with getting the deer on the horses. On the way out we crossed more fresh elk tracks so I went after them. There was a mis-communication between me and my brother, so I ended up alone without a jacket, pack, knife, or anything. My jacket was on the horses.

After arriving back at the truck (without and elk) I found that my brother had lost my jacket. To make matters worse, my digital camera was in the pocket.

Saturday: 5 more inches of new snow has fallen. I decided to head back into the same area to see if by some miracle I could find my jacket. While walking in I spotted some elk. I began stalking the elk looking for a bull. I shot a small 5pt from the group, boned it out, and started carrying out the meat. On the way out I stopped under some trees for a breather and I thought to myself, I my brother came through here on the horses, my jacket should have fallen off right here. I looked around and didn't see anything. I started moving on and I noticed some snow that didn't seem quite right to me. I felt prompted to kick the unusual pile of snow. When I did, up came my jacket/camera! And the camera still worked!

It was an incredible hunt where I felt guided by the hand of God, the Holy Spirit, or whatever you choose to call it, the whole time. I try to thank God often for that wonderful experience.


----------



## MSG Rude (Oct 6, 2003)

YES I do. I told my wife that although his horns were not stuck in a bush on a mountain top (if you don't know the story, ask me and I'll tell ya) it was a gift from the God.

This deer crossed 300 yards of clear-cut forest to come to 20 yards from my tree stand with out me seeing it. I heard it as it was parallel to me and shot it and got a lung and heart shot. It was 0645...10 minutes into legal shooting time on opening day.

It was a once in a life time scenario. I believe that ALL animals are a gift from God and I thank Him each time I harvest one that He gives me. I even thank Him for NOT getting one (sometimes, although grudgingly I admit) because I was able, physically and mentally, to be out after game.

14 points 195lbs dressed


----------



## Chinwhiskers (Jan 13, 2008)

Nothing is coincidence. :wink:


----------



## njsimonson (Sep 24, 2002)

Here's my 09 buck story...right along these lines.

And to spur Huey to get my stories up sooner. 

http://www.nicksimonson.com//index.php? ... 7&Itemid=1


----------



## TwoDashNine (Nov 8, 2009)

Nice stories..
For me, not even sure. Haven't shot a buck in 3 yrs and it looks like this will be number 4. Let alone a wallhanger in my 20 yrs of hunting. Just on the depressing side of the hunt as this weekend is the last weekend and I'm out of places to hunt.


----------



## Bug Guy (Jul 19, 2009)

No question about it. Every deer I get is a gift, pure and simple. Congratulations to your wife on a great deer.


----------



## CJofWolfcreek (Aug 12, 2008)

Regardless of any particular religion, yes providing for your family is a gift from above. I filled my buck tag on a heavy bodied 2x3 and the next weekend I was given the gift of kicking up a magnificent buck that had bedded down with a doe. My buck tag filled already, I got to admire him run and the near 2 foot spread of his antlers. My wife wasn't in position for a shot at him, so he lives to continue spreading his genes.

Sitting in a blind I'm often given the gift of observing quite a bit, hawks hunting the fields, owls perched in the trees and pheasant cackling to announce the approach of deer.


----------



## Gildog (Jan 30, 2007)

every deer is a gift is right...sometimes you work hard, or smart, and get nothing for all your effort, and sometimes you are rewarded. And then sometimes you are just lucky that you are in position when the deer make a move that is just your good luck!

I filled a doe tag on opening morning here in MO, then didn't see anything Sunday am until I was walking back to the truck. spotted a couple deer go into a small woodlot near where I parked, so I stopped to shed some gear to be ready if I jumped them. When I was ready to go after them, here is a nice buck coming across the field...and I'm about 10 yards out in the soy stubble, not an inch of cover around me. I was kneeled down, and got the rifle up in case he offered a shot....well he never did pay me any attention, just walked straight to me across 200 yards of wide open field...finally turned broadside at 20 yards and that was that. 4x4 with a few stickers...and with 3 days of soaking rain forecast, it was most certainly a gift!


----------

