Getting Ready for Deer Season

This may seem like a very odd title for a posting in January.  North of the equator, deer season is a fall thing, with some seasons starting in September and the last of the seasons wrapping up in mid-December.  If anything, deer season is a fresh memory for those who were just out late last year.  So why the title of the post?

It's like this.

Ever since Todd and I had a long talk about what we wanted to do this year, I've been thinking about how this year I really want to bring home a venison harvest.  In previous years we were out there and we saw some deer....not any bucks, just does....not legal to shoot (nor would I want to shoot a doe).  We used techniques that Todd has developed over the years with his previous deer hunting outings, combining them with my knowledge of the back roads of southern Arizona.  Looking back, we did a lot of things right, but also in looking back I couldn't help but wonder if I myself needed to be better prepared.

I think I needed to be.  Our last time out, we were in a great unit with not very much hunting pressure.  We saw more wildlife on that outing than we had in years previous.  Our disadvantage was that we had not made any scouting runs to that unit and so we were going out in unfamiliar country.  That was mistake number one.

Mistake number two, for me, was that I had not spent enough time sighting in my deer rifle.  Yes, I had been to the range with it, and yes I knew I stood a chance of hitting a target at 200 yards, but how much of a chance?  The way it is, you might only get one opportunity to get a shot at buck.  You're not going to have a great deal of time in which to take that shot either.  If you're lucky you might spot one grazing and have time to put the crosshairs on him, but my gut feeling is that it won't be very much time at all.

As I was driving back from Todd's place I was pondering all of that.  I made a determination to be better prepared for my next time out.  And in being better prepared, I decided that the time for getting ready for deer season is now.

Two weekends ago I made a run down to Willcox to scope out the area south, and to re-visit the area where we were before.  I did not go too far off-road as that with my injured finger I am still wary about slipping on a rock and taking another fall.  I wanted to make sure that I could find that canyon again, which I was able to.  I plan on making more runs down there but I also want to check out the area near Cascabel.  In my conversation with Todd earlier this evening, we both want to check out Cascabel Road in the early afternoon to learn where the public land is and where we can hunt.  We may also return to that one canyon in the late afternoon to get a better understanding of how often or likely we will see some deer there.  If we could get in ten or twelve scouting runs, that would be great, though I'd be happy if we pulled off four.

In the other area of preparation, I spent some time at the range today sighting in my rifle.  This time I decided to take some time between shots, using more mental discipline than I have in the past.  That meant really taking the time to dwell on the bullseye, waiting until I was ready to take the shot, and then squeezing the trigger.  I did lose a few shots due to a form of "nervousness" but after three shots I found myself settling in and getting some good groups at one hundred yards.  I had two sessions, each with a different target, and I had a much better grouping in the second round than I did in the first.

I learned that I need to tweak my scope just a bit as that the grouping was about one and a half to two inches left of the bullseye.  I wanted the group to land one inch above the bullseye, and elevationally the rifle is fine.  At one hundred yards your bullet is still climbing, and if you can group one inch above bullseye at that distance then you should be elevationally even at two hundred yards.  I figure that I stand a very good chance at getting off a good shot when it's time to do so in the field, yet I also figure that I should get in some more range time before then.  It will take one and possibly two more range visits before my scope is dialed in to where I want it to be.  After that, I should still go, mainly because practice makes perfect as they say, and I would very much want a perfect shot if I manage to get a buck in my crosshairs later on this year.

Driving home from the range, I was realizing a few things.

I had forgotten how much fun target shooting is!  Sure, I've shot plenty since moving here to Arizona in 1999, taking advantage of the public hands here where I can do that.  Plinking at a soda can is fun, but I found that trying to zero in on a bullseye at one hundred yards is also fun.  It requires a mental discipline and a presence of mind that you're not going to be aware that you will need unless you decide to try it.

But I hadn't been out shooting for quite some time, and once I get in the range visits in that I need to sight in my rifle I plan on shooting again with one of my handguns.  I've got a .38 special revolver that I need to try, and it's been a while since I've shot one of my .22s.

The other thing is how much I enjoy the outdoors here.

I definitely want to get out there more often this year.