Blackwater NWR - SUCCESS !

Every year I hunt the Blackwater NWR during the early ML season as well as the later gun season for Sika Deer !

And this year was no different !

Went up sunday and hung a stand and then drove up yesterday morning for check in at 5AM and went straight to my stand and got situated about 25-30 feet up !

I was using my Savage 10ML-II pre accutrigger loaded with 42 grains of VVN-110 , a Hornady 250 SST and a CCI209M . I had changed triggers in the gun earlier in the week and put in a Rifle Basix trigger which allowed me to get about a 2 1/2 pound pull .

I was up the tree and situated about 5:45Am and legal shooting wasn't until 6:45Am so I took a little nap and woke up right about 6:50 Am !

About 15 minutes later I started hearing shots some close some not so close .

Saw plenty wildlife but no Sika Deer . Then about 8:45 Am I heard a deer walking in the water behind me . So I turned and finally made out a Sika doe about 80 yards from me in the phragmites . I waited until he got closer and turned to my right . he was about 65 yards and I let him have it !

At the crack she turned and went back in the direction toward the fire road I walked part the way in on ! She went maybe 30-45 yards and I heard her go plop plop in the water and it got quiet !

Waited maybe 5 minutes in case she got up but that didn't happen !

Got down from the tree and walked over where she was !

She was submerged in water so I pulled her out and took a couple pics !

http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f3...r2009002-1.jpg


http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f3...r2009001-1.jpg


Here's a picture I was trying to take a pic of my face and the Sika's head at sae time and as you can see it didn't work out so well !

http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f3...ter2009006.jpg


I was maybe a 1/2 mile down a fire road where I couldn't drive my truck and about 300 yards in the marsh/flooded timer from the fire road !

So I started out with the deer , my ML , my treestand and my extra clothes etc !
Took me about 75 minutes to get to the fire road !

Then I left everything except my ML at the end of the fire road and walked to the truck to get a cart . Got back , gutted the deer loaded it all up and was out at the check station by 11:30Am !

The refuge officials weighed the deer she was 50 pounds field dressed which is good size for these deer . then they aged her by her teeth and they said she was 2 1/2 year old deer . Pretty much in her prime !

Well the early ML season in Maryland only allows one Sika of the two you may take for the entire ML season . So in December I can take a Sika Stag if I see one !

I'll be back in the smae spot in Decmeber ;)

A few pics I took last sunday when i was going in to hang my stand !
They'll give you an idea what it's like in the Blackwater !

[img width=600 height=450]http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f316/6pt-sika/Blackwater2009002.jpg[/img]

[img width=600 height=450]http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f316/6pt-sika/Blackwater2009008.jpg[/img]

[img width=600 height=450]http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f316/6pt-sika/Blackwater2009009.jpg[/img]

[img width=600 height=450]http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f316/6pt-sika/Blackwater2009010.jpg[/img]


[img width=600 height=450]http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f316/6pt-sika/Blackwater2009011.jpg[/img]


[img width=600 height=450]http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f316/6pt-sika/Blackwater2009012.jpg[/img]


[img width=600 height=450]http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f316/6pt-sika/Blackwater2009013.jpg[/img]


[img width=337 height=450]http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f316/6pt-sika/Blackwater2009014.jpg[/img]


[img width=337 height=450]http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f316/6pt-sika/Blackwater2009018.jpg[/img]

I first started hunting Sika Deer on Chincoteague NWR in Virginia and have since expenaded to Dorchester County MAryland and the Blackwater NWR about 1996 or 1997 !

I drive 3 1/2 hours from my home in central Virginia to hunt these little guys in Maryland and about the same distance to hunt them on Chincoteague when I get drawn for a permit !

Matter of fact this is the first year inawhile I am able to hunt bothe the Blackwater NWR and got drawn to hunt the Chincoteague NWR in the same hunting year !

So possibly I can take Sika Deer in both states for the first time ever !

Better yet maybe I can get a 6 point Sika Stag on the Blackwater this year and when I go to Chincoteague later get a 6 down there as well !

Congrats and thank you for sharing.
Good luck on the upcoming hunt.

Neal

...Might have to invest in some waders if you step off in a hole...lol.. ;D...Good thing it's cold. look's like big snake country to me.. :)...Too bad you can'nt use dogs to run em out... ;)...You'll have to try out that 220 slug gun pretty soon... ;D...Does that have a heavy bbl. on it like the H&R Slugger..??..

Congrats!

Looks like some places in Louisiana....... ;)

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Originally Posted by 1Shot

...Might have to invest in some waders if you step off in a hole...lol.. ;D

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Went to take my hip boots this trip and they had cracked ::)

WOW thats a tiny deer. I guess we are lucky here in Oregon. Our mule deer here weigh over 100 lbs dressed and our little deer in the valley weigh at least 60-80 lbs dressed.

looks like one of our Hill Country deer here in Texas. 100 lbs is average for a buck. I shot one 160lbs and it was considered a monster for the hill country area.

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Originally Posted by 6pt-sika

Quote:

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Originally Posted by 1Shot

...Might have to invest in some waders if you step off in a hole...lol.. ;D

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Went to take my hip boots this trip and they had cracked ::)

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Silicone oil. Works great for the years old high pressure hoses and o-rings on my SCUBA gear.

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Originally Posted by 44magyota

WOW thats a tiny deer. I guess we are lucky here in Oregon. Our mule deer here weigh over 100 lbs dressed and our little deer in the valley weigh at least 60-80 lbs dressed.

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Actually I think I was pretty lucky that the darn thing wasn't a big bruiser whitetail of about 200 pounds getting it out of the marsh woulda darned near killed me I expect !

But then a "Sika Deer" isn't a whitetail or a mulie is it ;)

I live in west OC...what most people don't realize...sika are in the elk family..much better eating..how were the ticks & chiggers ? you work for everything you get in blackwater..congratulations !

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Originally Posted by 6pt-sika

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Originally Posted by 44magyota

WOW thats a tiny deer. I guess we are lucky here in Oregon. Our mule deer here weigh over 100 lbs dressed and our little deer in the valley weigh at least 60-80 lbs dressed.

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Actually I think I was pretty lucky that the darn thing wasn't a big bruiser whitetail of about 200 pounds getting it out of the marsh woulda darned near killed me I expect !

But then a "Sika Deer" isn't a whitetail or a mulie is it ;)

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Nope its not...i just never seen a deer that small before.

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Originally Posted by 2recon

I live in west OC...what most people don't realize...sika are in the elk family..much better eating..how were the ticks & chiggers ? you work for everything you get in blackwater..congratulations !

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The ticks and chiggers I've never encountered there !

The skeeters however can sometimes carry you away !
So I purchased stcok you might say in "Thermacell" ! As long as the winds not blowing hard on the warm days the Thermacell will keep those little SOB's at bay about 4 feet away in all directions .

I'm not sure what west OC is by the way ?

West Ocean City, Maryland...been duck hunting , so i didn't fool with the sika...i pulled into the parking lot ( ramp ) at Taylor's island ( blackwater )..opened the truck door..and they were all over me.. bad..once we left the ramp, they weren't so bad in the marsh..went to walmart a bought 2 more cans of off..can't wait for the 1st frost...Blackwater is a bad place to hunt by yourself..getting stuck..falling ..bad news

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Originally Posted by 2recon

West Ocean City, Maryland...been duck hunting , so i didn't fool with the sika...i pulled into the parking lot ( ramp ) at Taylor's island ( blackwater )..opened the truck door..and they were all over me.. bad..once we left the ramp, they weren't so bad in the marsh..went to walmart a bought 2 more cans of off..can't wait for the 1st frost...Blackwater is a bad place to hunt by yourself..getting stuck..falling ..bad news

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Gotcha WOC ;D


I been hunting southern Maryland in Charles County close to the marsh for whitetails a couple days this week and have wacked 3 already , but today I was getting that same old buzzing sound in me ear while up a tree and my Thermacell was in the truck :'(

I'll be pulling out of here about 1AM to head to the eastern shore of Maryland and the Blackwater NWR for the first day of the gun hunt !

Instead of my Savage 10ML-II I'll be carrying the NEW Savage 220F with a LEupold Vari XII 3-9 on top and loaded with the Remington AccuTip shells ! I'll also have my Savage 210F equipped the same in my truck as back up gun .

The main objective of this hunt is "have a good safe time" , the second main objective is a 6 point Sika Stag !
But the spot I have for monday has a good chance of producing a really nice whitetail buck as well !

So we shall see what I get or if I get anything at all !

Pictures will follow regardless of the outcome ;D

Good luck, I have always wanted to hunt those pretty little deer, when I was stationed in Virginia I never got drawn and didn't know about the Maryland ones!

Bob

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Originally Posted by BobT

Good luck, I have always wanted to hunt those pretty little deer, when I was stationed in Virginia I never got drawn and didn't know about the Maryland ones!

Bob

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It's an "addiction" I've been blessed with for the past 20 years ;)

And hopefully there's no cure in sight ;D

That is some serious messy terrain. My hats off to you for slogging through that stuff!

EF where I was at monday was nowhere near as bad as where I was for the early ML season !

[img width=600 height=450]http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f316/6pt-sika/BlackwaterGunHuntNOV302009001.jpg[/img]

[img width=600 height=450]http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f316/6pt-sika/BlackwaterGunHuntNOV302009002.jpg[/img]

[img width=600 height=450]http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f316/6pt-sika/BlackwaterGunHuntNOV302009004.jpg[/img]

[img width=600 height=450]http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f316/6pt-sika/BlackwaterGunHuntNOV302009006.jpg[/img]

Got up the tree and situated at 5:30 Am first legal shooting was at 6:40Am so I took a nap for an hour !

Sat in that tree 10 straight hours before I saw a deer and it wasn't a Sika deer but a couple whitetails !

Since I had been there I decided what the heck and shot a doe at 120 yards with the Savage 220F and the Remington AccuTip ammo ! Deer was hit thru the lungs and went maybe 20 yards before falling over dead !

[img width=600 height=450]http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f316/6pt-sika/BlackwaterGunHuntNOV302009011.jpg[/img]

Congrats again!!! Deer slayer.... ;D

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Originally Posted by Apache

Congrats again!!! Deer slayer.... ;D

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plus 1.

Now that's a Little more hospitable looking terrain.

How's that slug gun handle? I'll be needing one of them sometime soon I think. The venerable old 835 is really more gun than I want to carry anymore.

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Originally Posted by EFBell

How's that slug gun handle? I'll be needing one of them sometime soon I think. The venerable old 835 is really more gun than I want to carry anymore.

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I've had a Savage 210F for about 10 years now and it handles pretty well !

But this little 220F is like a featherweight beside the 210F . It actually feels like a couple of my bolt action rifles !