Fall of 2020 - COVID still had its grip on the world and there were many questions as to when we’d be safe, when we’d see loved ones again, and when I’d be back on the ice with my teammates playing the game I love. However, many were able to find their silver lining during this period - finding hobbies, learning skills, or reconnecting with friends via video chat - mine was that I could finally get back out and rifle hunt in November. I hadn’t had this opportunity since I was 14 years old because of my dedication to a strict hockey schedule.
I spent multiple days out in the woods that year with trips up to Northern Alberta for elk, moose and bear, as well as trips to central Alberta for archery mule deer and whitetail. With opportunities to close out my whitetail tag on small bucks earlier in the season, I wanted to hold out and try my luck during the rut (mating season) in mid November. I was excited and ready to call on my experience and planned to take full advantage of this hunt.
I traveled up and met my dad and life long friends Jason (Red) and Dixon Manning at their house. It was here where we planned on staying for the next 5 days. Our first two days are spent driving around scouting, hoping to catch one chasing a doe or two bucks fighting in a farmers field. We had seen plenty of mule deer but only a few small spike whitetails. My goal was to come home with a whitetail buck bigger than my first deer ever (which wasn’t too big) and I knew time was precious and this could potentially be my last time hunting the rut for a while. Unfortunately, My dad had to head home before the weekend and just before things started to heat up so we couldn’t let that get us down. The following day was full of action but in the wrong species of deer - lots of mulies and whitetail does all day, but the whitetail bucks weren’t slipping up yet.
With the day slowly coming to an end, we decide to check out one of our honey holes. When we roll up to our spot, sitting barely 100 yards from us, we see one of the largest Mule bucks any of us have seen in a while. The mule buck had his nose pressed to the ground huffing and chasing a group of does around.
I could feel we were getting closer to what we wanted.
Our last day begins and we are unable to see any deer while we were scouting, so Red and I decide to find a section of woods and try our hand at rattling (Deer calling with a set of antlers or a rattle bag to mimic the sound of two bucks in conflict.). Red starts to rattle around 9:45 am, we sit and wait with high hopes, but not a single creature decides to come check out what is going on. Our stomachs start to growl and we head back towards the truck when suddenly movement catches our attention off in the spruce trees. Two does are walking through the bush with a third body standing there. Red sees antlers moving around and ushers me to get down ready to shoot if he presents a shot. I get him in my scope and watch him walk through the brush, following the does closely. I see a typical 3x3 just as wide as its ears with a broken off brow tine on the right side. I knew there were bigger deer out there but that did not matter as I was feeling incredibly grateful to have him presenting himself to me on the last day. He continues walking, with spruce trees in the way - he has a natural shield in front of him. I follow him with my scope. He's now about 75 yards away with a gap in the trees 15 feet in front of him. The moment he steps into the open, Red lets out a doe bleat from his mouth which stops the buck in its tracks. I pull the trigger and the shot feels good. I lost the deer after my shot from the recoil and this haunting feeling creeps in - did I miss or even worse, wound the deer? As the nerves continue to grow I see an antler poking up from behind a fallen tree. A swift exhale and a sigh of relief, the chase for my 2020 whitetail deer has come to an end.
To keep with tradition, and honor the animal, a meal of back-straps is in the near future to celebrate the harvest. I head back to Calgary with the hard in the rearview, now it’s time to butcher and get the rest of the deer ready for the freezer. My good friend Mackenzie meets me at the house with knives in hand and he’s ready to learn how to butcher a deer. He’s recently just got his hunting license with a goal in mind to harvest his own deer next fall. We set a table up and get to work, deboning and cutting up steaks. With the freezer now full, the thoughts of my next hunt already begin to dance through my head.
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