Friday afternoon my girls got out of school early so I took them out to Bedford County for a "deer hunt." We poked around my friend's farm a bit and didn't see any deer, but we did spot a big gang of turkeys. We stuck around to pinpoint the wooded hollow in which they roosted, and then I faced a dilemma. Should I hunt turkeys or deer the next morning?
I ended up doing both, hauling in both my muzzleloader and my shotgun. (I know it's legal to shoot turkeys with a muzzleloader but it's not my thing.)
(Note added by Mark Taylor on Dec. 27: Well, it may be legal to shoot turkeys with a muzzleloader or even a high-powered rifle, but it turns out it's not legal to carry another firearm while muzzleloader hunting. So DON'T DO THIS. As soon as a friend pointed out my mistake I sent an e-mail to a senior conservation police officer, self-reporting my violation, which is detailed in the original blog entry. Because I'm not hiding anything, I've left the blog entry intact below. I'm awaiting the conservation police officer's reply. As I wrote in a comment below this entry, people who know me know I hold myself to high ethical standards and try to do things by the book. I fell short in this case. I'm sorry and I'm willing to accept the consequences.)
Continuation of original entry:
I knew that if I got in there before first light, sat down and waited for the turkeys to hit the ground I would have a good chance of killing one. Pretty much a sure thing. But I wanted a little more fun than that. So I decided I would try to get in there and flush them off the roost, hoping they would scatter well. Then I'd sit there and try to call one back in.
I got in there at a good time, put all my stuff on the ground and got ready to run under them for the flush. Unfortunately the flush didn't go as well as it could have and most of the birds went off in one direction. But a few scattered so there was hope. I set up a little ground blind and started calling. I got immediate answers.
Unfortunately there was at least one boss hen in the main flock and the separated birds were heading to her, skirting about 100 yards below me.
About 7:30 or so I heard a noise and looked to my left. Two does were crossing the hollow about 20 yards away, to my left. They were in a hurry and by the time I put the shotgun down and picked up the muzzleloader they were across the hollow and about 50 yards away. Then another deer came in right there and gave me a perfect shot. Unfortunately he was a young buck, a spike or four-pointer -- a non-shooter on a place where we're doing our best to get doe numbers under control. By the time I got back to the does they were out of range.
The way the situation unfolded I suspect that buck was chasing those does, which would indicate some secondary rutting activity. I really think the doe-to-buck ratio is so out of whack that all the does can't possibly get bred the first time around.
I went back to the turkeys. Sure enough, a couple minutes later another doe came in above me, about 40 yards away. She was dead downwind but I was totally in Scent-Lok and she didn't smell me. But she did see me as I aimed, She turned toward me but didn't spook. As I've written previously, I'm not crazy about head-on shots. But it was that or nothing. I actually hit her a bit high, at the base of neck, and she dropped. I guess my excuse for the shot is that it was over my right shoulder and I was shooting off-hand. But it all worked out. I'm pretty sure this is the biggest of the four does I've killed this year, and I think her field-dressed weight was about 100 pounds.
A few minutes later a turkey came in. He was a nice young gobbler with maybe an 8-inch beard. But he got no closer than 50 yards and I just wasn't going to try that with the shotgun. That was it for turkeys. Pretty pitiful to roost 40 turkeys not kill one, isn't it?
I actually had two more does come by but both were small so I didn't shoot.
When I got home my wife said, "So, you're done deer hunting now, right?" I probably am done hunting for myself because even though I've already give away three hindquarters, my freezer will now be sufficiently stocked for the next 10 months. But I may still try to get out a couple more times. If I get another one it will go to friends or Hunters for the Hungry.
Comments
[December 26, 2007 3:39 PM]
Joey HambrickCongrats on the nice doe Mark,thats a real nice size one, sounds like you have had a good year for putting meat in the freezer, good luck if you get out anymore before the season ends.
Joey
[December 27, 2007 8:22 AM]
Mark TaylorThanks, Joey.
Unfortunately, I learned last night from a friend that I made a mistake on this hunt.
He pointed out the regulation that prohibits muzzleloader hunters from carrying another firearm (with an exception for concealed handguns with the proper permit). So, I was violating a game law.
Clearly, this wasn't intentional. But that's no excuse. If you hunt, you need to know and follow the rules. That is why I'm taking responsibility for my error and being forthcoming about it.
After my friend pointed out my mistake I sent an e-mail to a senior conservation police officer and reported my myself. He hasn't responded yet, but it's still early.
Anyone who knows me knows I try to do things by the book. To do things by the book you have to know what's in the book. In this case, I didn't. And now I'll have to deal with the consequences.
I'll keep you posted.
mt
[December 27, 2007 4:57 PM]
Mark TaylorIt's said that you can tell a lot about someone, not by the mistakes he makes, but what he does after making a mistake.
I made a mistake and I feel like I did the best I could in the wake of it.
As I noted above, on Dec. 22, I carried both a shotgun and muzzleloader into the woods on a hunt. Turkey and late black powder deer seasons run concurrently and I wanted to enjoy both. I'm not going to shoot a turkey with a gun that has the potential to render the bird inedible, which is why I thought I would bring along the shotgun. It never dawned on me that you're not allowed to carry another firearm on a muzzleloader hunt, a rule that comes from a time when a slug-loaded shotgun had the potential to be a much more effective deer gun than an old-fashioned muzzleloader.
Clearly I was clueless or I wouldn't have chronicled the hunt here for all to see.
But there are no excuses. No "I didn't inhale" or "I thought it was flaxseed oil." If we hunt (or fish) we need to know and follow the rules. And we need to take responsibility when we don't.
When I reported myself to Captain Ron Henry, the conservation police officer who manages the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries Law Enforcement Division in this region, I stated out front that I didn't expect preferential treatment. Wish granted.
What I got was a visit to my home and a written warning, from Henry himself. He said he felt that was the appropriate action based on the circumstances. Henry said he and his officers, "make law enforcement decisions based on the merits of each case we encounter. These decisions can result in a warning, a summons, or an arrest based on the totality of the facts and the intent of the offender."
This has been a good lesson. A painful and embarrassing one, but a good one. I spend so much time with that hunting regulations booklet in my hands that I was starting to think I knew it by heart. Clearly I don't. I never will. And now I've got a little yellow piece of paper as a reminder that I need to be more careful. A lot more careful.
[December 27, 2007 7:07 PM]
MoeHey Mark congrads on the big doe, I went this eve for a hr and a 1/2 and seen 3 does right at dark. They bedded dn with in 50 yards of me but where i was at i wasnt about to drag them babys up the cliff to the truck. I was out there to get one more for the freezer since my buck tags are filled but I couldnt bring my self to do it. Another reason i went was to just be in the woods here lately thats all i can do to keep my head on straight. lol Ill e-mail you later an explain. Another thing, we have all broke the law in one way or another and im here to say I respect that officer for giving you a warning and respect you for confessing your wrong doing. you seem to be a heck of a good honest person. Keep up the great work Mark....Moe
[December 27, 2007 7:59 PM]
Mark TaylorI appreciate the report, and the encouragement, Moe.
Sounds like you had a fun hunt this evening, and I can sure relate that there are times it's great to just get out there and away from everything else.
For the past 25 or so hours I have felt like I belonged in one of those Southwest Airlines "Wanna Get Away?" commercials. Ugh.
Hope you get one more for the freezer and don't have to drag it up a cliff!
mt
[December 28, 2007 2:34 PM]
MikeMark, I enjoy reading these posts, both positive and negative. They often serve as reminders for how we as hunters and fishers need to act. Understanding that ignorance of the law is never an excuse, don't beat yourself up so much. In my opinion you've demonstrated very high morals and ethics in all of your hunts, writings and reports. I respect your honesty and admission of guilt in such a public forum. I also appreciate the response from the DGIF officer. I'm sure he could have taken a very hard line and thrown "the book" at you, but it is encouraging to see that he took the opportunity to assess the true intent and determine that a warning was appropriate. I had a similar experience this past spring while flyfishing for trout. I had caught four nice trout and later cleaned them at streamside before putting them on ice. A DGIF officer stopped to ask if I'd had any luck. I told him that indeed I had. He asked to see and I gladly showed them. He then told me that there was a problem because I'd removed the heads. This violated the rule for "altering the length". My dad taught me to do this because my mother would never cook anything that "looked back at her." I've continued to do this now that I'm married with a family of my own. Nevertheless, the officer informed me that this rule has been in effect for a few years. Like you, I thought I knew everything about trout fishing. However, the officer realized that all four fish would have been of legal length if intact and opted to give me a written warning. His courtesy and willingness to educate was very much appreciated. I've used this experience to bring several of my fishing buddies up to speed about this regulation and maybe saved them from a citation. We can always learn from such incidents. We'll be better for it. Keep up the great reporting.
Mike
[December 29, 2007 10:21 AM]
Mark TaylorThanks for reading and for the comment, Mike.
I don't feel good about this, but I feel better than I did a couple of days ago. So far everyone, from my bosses to my friends to people I don't know, has been really supportive. I've gotten a bunch of "It happened to me" or "It could have happened to me because here's what I did" stories over the past few days.
Thanks for sharing your experience. When you think about what the conservation police have to deal with, you really have to give those guys (and regular cops, too) credit. There are some really good, convincing liars out there. It's not always easy to sort those folks out from the folks like you and me who just make honest mistakes.
And, like you said, when we do make mistakes, we can do our best to educate our peers. Of course, I have a feeling my buddies are going to be the ones giving me the most grief about this over the long run. Which is fine because I'd probably do the same to them!
Again, thanks for reading and for taking the time to comment.
mt