Veterans Day Doe – with a Savage 99

[Old No7]

October was the warmest ever on record here in Maine and the first 2 weekends of the rifle deer season were the same -- much too warm… All this week while traveling on business in Canada I was praying for (among other more important things, of course) much c-c-c-colder weather to get the deer moving... Turns out I got my wish... At oh-dark-thirty this morning -- Veterans Day -- as I left the house, it was a balmy 14 degrees outside... Brrrr! Who asked for this?!?!

Not to worry, as I had plenty of wool to wear. Last year, I'd hunted the east side of the property where I hunt, and saw nothing. After seeing only squirrels on that side during 2 scouting trips and on the first 2 weekends, I changed to the west side. I'd gotten a small buck on that side 2 falls ago; and there's some running water in a small stream and open water in a beaver pond, plus a marshy area located next to hardwoods which contain an oak-covered ridge. I figured that could be a good spot to try again.

8:45 AM... I'm sitting on the ground taking a break, leaning back against a tree in a decent spot overlooking a marshy swale that was downslope from the oak ridge and about 100 yards from the pond. Hey, there's a deer's ear flicking... (Never have I seen the full body of a deer at the first sighting...) Wait, there's 2 deer now, both does, about 30 yards out and crossing the old & overgrown skidder trail that I was sitting on, at the edge. As they passed behind a blown-down uprooted tree, I shifted slightly to the right and readied my Savage 99A in .250-3000. As soon as the first one, which I could already tell was the largest, cleared the root ball, -- I lined up on her chest (just above and forward of the heart) and fired! I swear I saw the bullet smack the very same hair that I had aimed at!

The doe's rear legs kicked WAY UP in the air and then she charged towards me! She passed by my right side SO CLOSE that I had blood droplets on my arm and the tree was also spattered! Meanwhile the other smaller doe also charged towards my tree too -- only she stopped less than 2 feet from me! Just for a second, I'd thought I was "running with the does" or something... She stood there with her bulging brown eyes wide open and her neck stretched out looking at me like "What was that? And what are you anyway?" Although I had both an Antlerless Deer Tag and a Bonus Doe Tag for this season, I hadn't yet jacked the empty round out as I knew that my first shot was true, plus I wanted to use the Bonus Tag first and then go out again looking for a buck later. So instead of shooting the 2nd doe, which I easily could have done several times, I just leaned forward and touched her muzzle with my muzzle to shoo her away!

As she turned and ran away, the doe that I'd shot finished her loop around the tree and followed the other doe, falling several times again, until I could see the smaller deer run out of sight and the larger one fall in a clump. Then I jacked in a new shell and took note of what had just happened... Wow! A nice big doe for the freezer! And as I stood there, I remembered I'd made God a Promise that if he Blessed me with meat this day (I always say a silent prayer asking for safety and thanking My Lord for all my other blessings when entering the woods), that I'd ask the local Game Warden for the name of an area veteran he knows who'd like some venison, and I'd pass along some deer meat along to a deserving vet to honor his service and the Day.

The 250 Savage bullet missed a rib going in, went just up and left of the heart as I'd aimed (as my best friend and now my daughter's father-in-law loves to eat deer heart) and it missed a rib going out, so the through-and-through 1/4" hole punctured both lungs and the deer was down after running 30 yards towards me and then about the same distance going away from me. She was stone dead when I'd gotten to her, after letting the woods quiet down for 10 minutes or so...

So here she is -- a nice full-of-fat 135# dressed Maine Whitetail Doe:



Those "ugly" black patches on the grip and forearm are stick-on rubber pieces that I just added this week because that stock is SO "slickery" -- slick and slippery (and almost dangerous with gloves on...) -- and I'll plan to refinish that stock in a more walnut-colored hand-rubbed oil finish and add some checkering. The rubber grips helped me make a good shot today, but they gotta go -- a nice Savage 99 deserves a better grip & look than it has now -- so I'll put some time and money into it over the winter.

Here's the doe's last meal:



That small sprig of evergreen was gently placed in her mouth and then I said a silent prayer for the deer. That's based on an old German Jaeger hunting tradition I learned while hunting over in Bavaria once years ago... The evergreen is green all year – symbolizing continued life -- and the deer's life thus helps to sustain our life. Or something like that... Anyway, I think it's a nice way to honor the animal and it gives me pause to give thanks before all the work begins.

As you can see here, the body of this doe was almost as wide as my SUV...


All in all, not a bad day in the woods at all, and I'm thankful for my harvest -- and that my 250 Savage 99 performed so well too.

Happy Huntin'!

Old No7

[Big Al1]

Great story and a great hunt!! It's always nice to fill your tag early, when the temps are in the teens or less!!

[J.Baker]

Nice job! I know what you mean about the warm weather. Nice to see the old guns out in the field and still bringing home the venison.

[rocky]

Nice write up. I used to hunt deer near Biddeford and the South Berwick areas back in the late nineties . I do miss the white tails. I don't miss the crappy new England winters though.

[Muddly]

A well told tale! Also, so refreshing to hear the respect for the game and the LORD.