Deer Hunting 1998

Deer Hunting 1998 - November 6 - November 8, 1998.

My father-in-law Joeseph Nawrocki, brother-in-law Michael Nawrocki, and myself left for our 2nd hunting trip to my grandfather-in-law’s (Stanley Nawrocki) farm. The farm is located near Fairmont MN, 3 miles north of Grenada MN. The Deer season did not start until Saturday, November 6th, and we arrived sometime in late morning / early afternoon hours on Friday November 6th. We drove directly to the farm, and began Pheasant hunting. Joe and I were the only two with a pheasant stamp.

We walked the corn field boarding the bean field. The beans had already been harvested, but the corn was still standing. We saw nothing. After returning to the truck, we stopped at K-Mart (I forgot boots, and had to purchase a 2nd set.) and then checked into the hotel. After unpacking, we laid down for a nap, after agreeing to set an alarm, get up and return to the farm for more hunting at 3:30pm. Three-thirty rolled around, Joe and I had fallen asleep and Michael stayed up watching TV. The alarm went off, and Joe wanted to keep sleeping. Mike and I went back out to the far, and started out at the north end of the property at the creek, and walked the meadow. We walked south, and scared up a couple of birds. I came back to the hotel with one.

Next morning (Deer opener), we made it to the farm about 10 minutes before legal shooting time. The temperature was in the mid 30’s, and overcast. Mike and I dropped Joe off at the north end of the farm (near the creek) and Mike and I started at the south end of the farm. The plan was that Joe would walk in wb to the meadow near the creek, I would do the same, and Mike would cross at the culvert, and take a position watching the corn west of the creek, and the open bean field. Joe settled in, I settled in the corn, and watched Mike cross the creek and work his way out of my vision behind the corn. Waiting for any action, I began nodding in and out of sleep - it was not too cold, and very quiet, and calm. I sat in the corn facing wb. Behind me, at to my right (NE of where I was sitting) I heard something walking through the corn. I did not want to scare whatever was coming, so I sat as still as I could. I waited about 15 to 20 minutes after I heard the rustling end, and got brave enough to stick my head out of the corn. As I very carefully peeked out of the corn rows, I saw a buck about 150 yards NW of my location. I froze, and watched the deer head down into the creek bed. I waited another 5 minutes watching the west end of the creek for the deer to come back up. It never did show. About this time, I saw Joe Coming over the ridge walking sb towards me. I tried to get his attention and flag him down the creek, hoping that he would scare the buck back up the creek bed, or bank of the creek - opening up a shot. At this point I began stalking down into the meadow along the fenceline. Mike came into view on the NW end of my vision on the other side of the creek. We began walking closer towards each other, and at the point where we were within talking proximity, I had decided that We were too close together to make a safe shot anyway, and began explaining what I saw, and why I was flagging them down to the creekbed, The buck poked up, and began a high speed sprint sb - crossing between Joe, and myself. I can say with certainty that I heard someone yelling to take a shot at it. Everything else blacked out (like they say) and I got “tunnel vision” with the deer. I brought the gun up, and took my first shot. I was way off. I blame it on getting the gun up from an unready stance, and opening the safety. After I got the first shot off, I remember sliding the action back, and my fingers slipping. I caught the back end of the action with my pointer finger and thumb, and just barley got the gun reloaded. I took my second shot, and the buck kept running. I had one more slug in the gun, and as the buck kept running, I slid the action of the gun, and took a third shot. I was most confidant with the third shot. I was sure that I hit the buck, but watched it round the corner towards the road that I walked in on. I could not believe it. I let the buck get away.

I was very frustrated, and then Mike and Joe began asking me if I hit him, and how I could miss. I could hardly believe that I missed the deer. After lamenting the missed deer, I began walking back to the area where I sat in the corn. ( I still had some stuff there) and noticed some blood on the plants on the ground. As I looked up, I noticed the very distinct bloodline that ran about 60 yards across the corn field, and around the corner. I ran to my stash of stuff, and reloaded the gun with another 2 rounds. (I was unsure weather or not I would find the deer dead or alive.) I picked up the blood trail again, and began following it. As the buck rounded the corner, he tried jumping the property line fence, and that is where I found him, on the other side of the property fence, about 10 feet from the fence. A 8 point buck. My first Deer. I felt tremendous. Joe and I sent Mike to get some rope and plastic for securing the deer to the roof of his van. Joe and I began field-dressing the deer. Neither of us had actually done this task first hand. For two rookies, we did not do too bad! The task past uneventful. Hardest part was the pelvic bone, not wanting to burst the bladder.

It must have been a comic site, watching us attempt to get this buck on top of Mike’s van. We started out with the deer tied up by the neck, and Mike on one side of the van, and Joe and I on the other. Mike had the rope, and Joe and I had the carcass. We got it as far as the head to the luggage rack, when the antlers became caught up in it. Mike and Joe switched sides, and we tried again. This time, Mike got the antlers uncaught and got it as far as the shoulders. Mike went over to help Joe pull on the rope, and I got a face full of warm, steaming, freshly killed, and still bloody deer carcass - while trying to get him up on top of the van. Several minutes later, successfully getting the deer on the van, we left the farm, and headed to McDonalds. What a site - to see the three of us (in blaze orange) bloody up the elbows walk into McDonalds and go straight for the bathrooms. What must have the patrons thought.

Deciding to go out again, we went to the State Land in East Chain, Mn. This is an L shaped property that we have had luck finding deer in the past. Joe walked in at an angle towards the wooded patch in the center area of the land, while Mike and I began walking along the property line edge. Not even paying full attention to what we were doing, a doe got up and ran away from us. We all fumbled to get a shot off, but by the time any one of us were ready (Joe could not get the safety off fast enough, and Mike (who was in front of me) could not get to a shooting stance fast enough.) The doe ran out of the state land, and off to some private property, not to be seen again.) Now (all at the ready) Mike continued down the road, and I stayed put. When Mike reached the end of the road where it turns left, I started through the weeds to meet him at an angle. We met up, and decided to do what we did in the past to scare out deer. We walked up to the wooded patch, and Mike stayed on the outside edge. I walked around it, and then entered the wooded area on the opposite side as Mike. I saw no evidence of deer. As I walked a small ridge in the wooded plot, I heard a very loud shot from where I thought Mike was. I ducked down, and waited. Moments later, a second shot rang out. Figuring that there were no deer in the area after hearing the shots ring out, I exited the wooded patch, and met Mike. I asked if he got one, and he affirmed the kill. Smaller doe, hit right across the spine. What appeared to be a small doe, proved to be quite a task, trying to get the carcass back to the truck.

Mike got to field dress this one, (as it was his, and he missed out field dressing the buck. We strapped it to the roof of the van, and went back to the hotel. Both deer were taken before noon.

Sunday morning we went out again. About the same temperature, but a fresh layer of snow. We found no sign of deer - no tracks, no bedding, nothing. The only thing I had seen this morning is a large deep scrape in a tree near the creek just off the roadway. the scrape was 2 scrapes about 6 feet up and down the tree, and about 1/2 to 3/4 inch deep.

We made it home, got the deer unloaded, and hung up in my garage. I skinned both deer myself, and Mike and Joe came over to butcher both deer Tuesday November 10th. It took between 3 and 4 hours, to process the deer. We each ended up with a grocery bag filled with venison. All things considered - a very successful weekend!