This past 11/17-11/19 was my 3rd year in a row at the 2nd Clybel Quota Hunt. It's turning into a yearly rite basically. Stay at the primitive camp with a hunting buddy or two and hunt. This year was the first I took a deer - a nice sized doe on the second day.
So this year, we got there on the 16th a day early to do some scouting before the hunt started. Found ourselves what looked like good sign to start with. Went to Rooster's in Mansfield for dinner that night and then got back to camp and got in the rack early so we'd be well rested for the morning. Then we hunted hard. Saw some deer, I got my doe on the morning of the 18th. I heard what I thought was another squirrel and looked, saw movement but I could hear it so I figured it wasn't a deer. Then I saw white flashing through foliage and said "squirrel's ain't white like that". Found her in the scope looking at me over the foliage, just head and neck exposed. It was only 40-50 yards. I lined up on her neck and as I squeezed, she rocked her head down a little just as my rifle fired. I saw white belly on the ground and legs kicking for a minute, then go still. She dropped in place. And just like that - I had my first Clybel Quota Hunt deer kill.
We'd seen movement in this area, so I stayed up to see if any others came through. Finally got down and went to look at her - turned out she ducked her head down into the bullet. It hit her just behind the eyes on an angle down through her brain which was no longer in her head but scattered in chunks everywhere and her head was literally canoe'd out. It was kinda gruesome. I really wasn't going for the head shot, I don't go for those on purpose just because you can take a jaw off or something and not be fatal too easily. I think my rifle might be a bit higher hitting than I thought (need a little range time to check that out), and the shot was on a steeper than normal down angle because she was close, down in the bottom of a ditch and I was up a tree on the side way up above her. One way or another, it all combined to shift the point of impact higher than I judged it would be, and she ducked her down at the last instant before I fired. Regardless - she didn't feel a thing, no meat loss, and no having to track, so it worked out. Guttered her out, then got the cart and hauled her out. Skinned and quartered her in camp and iced her down. She's now aging in the cooler in my backyard.
We ended up meeting two other guys and hung out with them in camp a lot at night around the fire. One was a new hunter, hadn't killed his first deer yet but he got a doe on the last morning. Was cool to be there for the celebration, the kid was super happy.
Over the hunt, we did see what I thought was more deer brought back to camp than year's past. A few really nice bucks, some smaller bucks, and a few doe. It was colder than the past 2 years, I guess they were moving more in the day time.
So overall, great experience with great people in camp, got to finally get one at Clybel, I think we found a few corridors that will be a bit of a honey hole in years to come too. I loved the whole experience - the people around in camp and sharing the experience, getting away for a few days, and being able to relax. Exchanged a few new phone numbers, one guy actually lives close to me. Making new friends at the camp has got to be the best part of the experience. The doe kill is a cherry on top of an already pretty good pie of an experience.
So this year, we got there on the 16th a day early to do some scouting before the hunt started. Found ourselves what looked like good sign to start with. Went to Rooster's in Mansfield for dinner that night and then got back to camp and got in the rack early so we'd be well rested for the morning. Then we hunted hard. Saw some deer, I got my doe on the morning of the 18th. I heard what I thought was another squirrel and looked, saw movement but I could hear it so I figured it wasn't a deer. Then I saw white flashing through foliage and said "squirrel's ain't white like that". Found her in the scope looking at me over the foliage, just head and neck exposed. It was only 40-50 yards. I lined up on her neck and as I squeezed, she rocked her head down a little just as my rifle fired. I saw white belly on the ground and legs kicking for a minute, then go still. She dropped in place. And just like that - I had my first Clybel Quota Hunt deer kill.
We'd seen movement in this area, so I stayed up to see if any others came through. Finally got down and went to look at her - turned out she ducked her head down into the bullet. It hit her just behind the eyes on an angle down through her brain which was no longer in her head but scattered in chunks everywhere and her head was literally canoe'd out. It was kinda gruesome. I really wasn't going for the head shot, I don't go for those on purpose just because you can take a jaw off or something and not be fatal too easily. I think my rifle might be a bit higher hitting than I thought (need a little range time to check that out), and the shot was on a steeper than normal down angle because she was close, down in the bottom of a ditch and I was up a tree on the side way up above her. One way or another, it all combined to shift the point of impact higher than I judged it would be, and she ducked her down at the last instant before I fired. Regardless - she didn't feel a thing, no meat loss, and no having to track, so it worked out. Guttered her out, then got the cart and hauled her out. Skinned and quartered her in camp and iced her down. She's now aging in the cooler in my backyard.
We ended up meeting two other guys and hung out with them in camp a lot at night around the fire. One was a new hunter, hadn't killed his first deer yet but he got a doe on the last morning. Was cool to be there for the celebration, the kid was super happy.
Over the hunt, we did see what I thought was more deer brought back to camp than year's past. A few really nice bucks, some smaller bucks, and a few doe. It was colder than the past 2 years, I guess they were moving more in the day time.
So overall, great experience with great people in camp, got to finally get one at Clybel, I think we found a few corridors that will be a bit of a honey hole in years to come too. I loved the whole experience - the people around in camp and sharing the experience, getting away for a few days, and being able to relax. Exchanged a few new phone numbers, one guy actually lives close to me. Making new friends at the camp has got to be the best part of the experience. The doe kill is a cherry on top of an already pretty good pie of an experience.
