My first successful hunting trip. For those of you who are looking to cut to the chase - the short is that I was successful in hunting. I shot one doe and one buck on the weekend of November 7th. I gutted, skinned and butchered both animals (under the guidance of both Bill and Jeannie). The next night Callie cooked up the ribs from the doe and they were fantastic and last night Callie prepared a rump roast that was spectacular (and going to feed us for another day or two yet...)
For those of you looking for more of a read - then here you go:
~~~~~~~~
Even before I read, "The Omnivore's Dilemma" I have been wondering about my my meat-eating tendencies. I have always enjoyed eating meat (steak, chicken, fish, game, etc.) but I had never been involved in the process of getting the meat from the land to the table. Callie and I have been growing vegetables in the garden for the past 2 years which has given me a great appreciation for not just how difficult it is to grow food, but the seasonality of vegetables and fruit. People laughed at us when we once took off on one of our 'date nights' to go climb apple trees in Jericho this fall. I have also fished in the past and eaten my catch (although I make no claim on being much of a fisherperson). However, this past summer I had a chance to haul crab traps and boy what a feast that was! It was spectacularly rewarding to dig in on fresh crab while the sting of the lion's mane jellyfish was still fresh on my arms.
So, it brings me to meat. I have been thinking about it on and off for many years, but it wasn't until I was at a party during my Education degree when I mentioned to a friend's boyfriend that I felt I should really pursue a path backwards from plate to forest some time. It was somehow by verbalizing my thinking that brought the realization that I as going to follow through with that thought. When I say I am going to do something I almost always end up doing it. The question that dawned on me right away was would I be able to pull the trigger when the time came?
I read, "The Omnivore's Dilemma" a couple of years later and Michael Pollon had a great chapter in the book about trying to put a meal on the table using a 'hunter - gatherer' technique. This meant that he was only going to use ingredients that he could either make or obtain for free - which included a wild pig that he shot in California. His dilemma seemed very close to mine. Since I can eat anything I want at any time - what is a good omnivore to do? I have tried the vegetarian lifestyle for short periods (maximum 2 months while travelling) and I have gone through peaks and valleys when it comes to the amount of meat that I eat in a week. But I couldn't help but feel that to make sense of what it is to eat meat I had to at least once go back, almost in time, to the basic idea of hunting and gathering. My plan was to shoot, clean, and butcher a deer which would then supplement my family's diet through the winter.
My hunting trip last fall with the Fergusons was unsuccessful. We saw many deer while in the Kamploops region, but no bucks. This year, Bill invited me to go with him to his cabin on the island during the antlerless season (which lasts this year from Nov. 1st - Nov. 10th). We would travel with his wife Jeanie who, while not wanting to hunt herself, enjoyed the packaging and preparing of venison. I doubt I can overstate how great a cook she is.
The cabin is on an island without running water, electricity or plumbing. There are a few roads on the 'other' side of the island for logging - but with the logging industry in the tank there are no vehicles on the island. While it isn't exactly the same as what a hunter/gatherer of the past might have had to deal with - it is about as close as I am ever going to get. I had purchased 2 deer tags and Bill had 1. In the interim between last year's hunting trip and this years, I had also taken a one day hunting course by Tom Lam which I found very informative. As a result, I had a very good 'kit' with me to deal with the deer assuming that I would be successful. Our plan was to skin and hang any deer that we managed to shoot under the porch and allow to age. Afterwards, we would transport them back to West Van to hang in the Ferguson's garage before butchering them a day or two later.
We arrived on the island via a friend's flatbottomed boat in the early afternoon on Friday. After hauling gear and having a quick lunch, Bill and I decided to go try our luck up behind their cabin. It was raining off and on which would work to our advantage as the deer rely heavily upon their hearing and sense of smell which would be limited by the rain. We split up after we reached a cliff. Bill moved south along the cliff edge and I went west down the cliff where I eventually settled at the base of an old garry oak near an open patch of sword fern. I got quiet and just tried to take in everything in a field of view of about 180 degrees. It is amazing how much
there is to see when you stop moving and intently look around. In fact, it is not just the eyes that you use to take in your surroundings. I listen for the chatter of a douglas squirrel, or the rhythmical swishing sounds of a raven flying over head. I smell the air for any sent of musk - even though I assumed that the rut was over. At one point I started to think that my mind was playing tricks as I 'felt' that there was something to the north of me and directly to the west. I hadn't seen or heard anything - just felt it. Maybe it was some of the ancient hunter/gatherer synapses
starting to fire some primordial level.
After about 15 minutes or so of being quiet my eyes scanned from south to west and suddenly stopped upon a doe that had silently raised its head out of the swordfern in front of me - no more than about 20 or 25 metres away. I froze and we each locked eyes with one another. Her large rabbit-like ears were at full attention as she tried to discern what I was. My heart started to beat quickly as I said to myself - "well, this is what I have come here for." "I didn't want to go home 'empty handed' and this was a legitimate hunting target," I rationalized internally to myself. But with those thoughts came a sensation somewhere deeper down and more foreign to me. Having decided that my intent was to kill the deer, my body started just to do everything like it was on a slow autopilot. I silently flicked up the lens protectors on my scope and thumbed the safety off. I brought my rifle slowly to my shoulder and took aim on her just below her jaw line. Without more than a mere hesitation, I pulled the trigger.
BOOM!
If you have never fired a high-powered rifle without ear protection then I don't think I can explain to you how loud it is. Let's just say that there is no way a movie theatre with the best sound system in the world could come close. This was the first time I had fired it without hearing protection and immediately my ears were ringing. The other thing that people who have never fired a high-powered rifle probably don't realize is that you are blind after the shot. The muzzle flash, smoke, and recoil all mean that the moment after you have shot, it takes about 1/2 second for you to be able to see through the scope. I knew I hadn't missed, but I chambered another round immediately. I stood up and started making my way quickly but as carefully as possible through the blow down, ferns and leaves. About 1/2 way there I saw her legs sticking up in the air and without thinking I chambered another round (which meant that my 2nd round when out onto the forest floor never to be seen again - at least I couldn't find it even after looking very carefully later). I got right over her and as she turned her head away from me I fired again aiming right at the back of her head at the base of her skull. If anything, that shot was louder than the first.
Everything became very still after that moment. I opened my action on my rifle (I knew that it was empty as it only holds 3 rounds) and lay the rifle down on a log. The first thing I did was bend down and give her a pat on her side. She was very small and now very still. I put some grass and ferns into her mouth (as Tom had taught me) and then took my backpack off, my jacket off and took out my first-aid kit to get at my Swiss army knife scissors. I took out my tag and clipped off my info. I waited for Bill to find me. He arrived a short while later and we got started on cleaning the
deer. He began by talking me through what he was doing, but I asked if he would stop and then talk me through the process as I did the cutting. He did.
Not much time later we were making our way back up to the cabin with me carrying the doe and Bill carrying the rifles. We hung the deer and both of us started skinning her.
Jeanie cooked up a great meal that night (roast moose that her cleaner had given to her) and we had good conversation. I reflected on my first 'kill' with them and was met with comforting thought that this deer was going to be the best tasting deer I had ever had.
The next morning Bill and I were out of the cabin by 6:30am and making our way in the rain back in the same direction that we had gone the previous day. We split up and then met back again at the spot of where I had shot the doe. While I had smelt something musty (maybe a buck) neither one of us had seen a deer. We then split up again and started making our way long what is known as the 'blue trail' which is marked by yellow and pink ribbon - go figure. He was a bit further east of me and after about 30 minutes I came upon another doe. She was small and since I had already shot one doe (I am by law only allowed 1 doe and 1 buck), I tried to guide her towards
Bill. I got within about 10 metres of her before she saw me and she bounded silently off in a direction roughly towards Bill, but he didn't see her.
We continued along through the rain for a while before meeting up again at 9:15 (our agreed upon time). There was a rise in the distance and Bill suggested that I cross a marshy meadow towards it and to keep my eye open for any bucks who might be bedding down on the hill in the rain. He moved further to the west where he would start making his way in a similar direction. I hadn't gone more than about 200 metres when I spotted two bucks at the base of the rise. I became quite excited as I had never seen a buck while hunting before - let alone two in one spot. I was about 150 metres out which felt to far away for me to shoot, so I started making my way towards a root ball of a tree that had fallen over. I made it to the rootball without the deer detecting me as it was raining quite hard. I flicked my lens protectors up and thumbed the safety again. I took aim at one of the bucks just as he started to move. I thought back upon a video that I had watched while doing my CORE (Conservation Outdoor Recreation Education) course about leading a buck who was moving. I aimed a bit in front and as I pulled the trigger he moved again. BOOM! A 1/2 second later
I could see that I had missed. The shot felt like it had gone wide the the deer was bounding up the slope. Immediately, I spotted two more bucks slightly to the west. I took careful aim at one and this time squeezed off a shot. When my scope sight had cleared I could see no sign of the buck. I made my way as quickly and as carefully as I could through the blow down and swampy ferns, cursing myself for rushing my first shot. About 40 metres out I spotted the 2nd buck lying on its side. I chambered another round and made my way as quickly as I safely could towards it. It was barely moving but I put another round into the base of the skull to end any possible suffering. Again, I opened my action (and again, I knew that I was empty having fired 3 rounds), and lay my rifle down. I bent over and gave the buck a pet then put some ferns and grasses into its mouth. Off came my pack and out came my first aid kit again. I clipped my tag and waited for Bill. While waiting I went over to the spot where I the first buck had been when I shot at him. I could see no sign that I had hit him (blood stains). Bill came and I told him what had happened. He too looked for any sign and saw none. I asked him if it would be OK if I went an took a quick look further up the hill. I could see no sign of anything so I made my way back down to the buck and started getting to work. Again, Bill talked me through the process and I followed his instruction. He remarked that it was a very big buck pointed out that the buck sported 3 points on one side and 4, but just barely, on the other side. After gutting him, we had to haul him up the rise and then down the other side towards the trail near the water which would lead us back to the cabin. It was quite a bit of work moving him around - even with the two of us each pulling on an antler. I don't know how much he weighed exactly, but my guess is somewhere around 200lbs. Once back at the cabin we got to work hanging and skinning him.
The next day we went out again in the morning to fill Bill's tag. While we saw deer, he didn't see any that he wanted to shoot. I did spent over an hour in the same area where I shot the buck looking around for any sign of the buck I shot at the day before. I had a GPS with me so I was able to do a pretty good grid pattern and I wasn't hunting anymore anyway. There was no sign and I was left to conclude that I was wide in my first shot the day before. I spent the rest of the morning soaking up the scenery and looking around at all the wildlife that can be found on the island. As Bill and I walked back towards the cabin, we came upon a spiked buck that was no
more than 10 metres away from us. I turned to Bill, "Are you going to shoot him?" He said no, so I pulled out my camera and took some shots. It felt somehow right that Bill had not shot. We had enough food now and the buck wouldn't not have had enough time to cool properly before we were going to leave that day. We got back to the cabin, had a lunch of the doe's heart, liver and kidneys (along with bacon and eggs), packed up and waited for the boatman to arrive.
A few days ago (Nov. 11th) Callie, the girls and I made our way over to the Fergusons to butcher the doe and buck. Bill and I worked outside on two foldout tables while Jeannie, Lois and Callie worked inside packaging up the meat. By the time we were all finished up Callie and I had a laundry basket of about 45lbs of meet of all cuts. For lunch, Jeanie cooked up some ribs from the doe and buck. They were delicious.
I have now done what I set out to do so my obvious question to myself is - what next? I think I will continue to hunt, but I will make it a once a year event of going with the Fergusons to the island during the antlerless season. It was a very good experience and one that I will reflect upon for a good long time. I felt no joy when I shot either deer. Once the deer were shot I felt a strong need to make sure that I did everything right (gutting, cleaning, skinning, and butchering). I would have been very
disappointed if I had made a mistake along the way and spoiled the meat. It would have felt like I had disrespected the animal.
And for those of you who read to this point - Congrats!
Cheers,
BB
