The Chase
May 7, 2008 by richfletch
Ever herd deer screem? They do it more often than one might think.
I was fortunate enough to get drawn an Anderson Flat Archery deer tag a few years ago. The hunt was interesting, but as with some of the other late season archery hunts I’ve tried, I just couldn’t get it right and went home deerless.
However I did have some interesting experiences during the week or so I hunted. One of them took place during an evening hunt as I waited in my tree stand which overlooked a saddle and narrow ridge line.
I’d been on stand for a while when I noticed that deer were snorting in the draw below me. I checked the wind and realized that they couldn’t posibly be getting my scent. Time passed and my mind wandered to some other subjects.
As the afternoon turned to last light. I herd a deer running in my direction, screaming as a deer only does when it faces death. As the sound approached, a small doe popped into view briefly about 75 years up the ridge - right behind it a mountain lion.
The lion was in hot pursuit, about ten feet behind the deer. Immediately I grew curious about the fate of the deer, but as the sky grew dark my curiousity diminished and I decided to head back to my car.
The following day I returned after the morning hunt. The path of the running animals was clear to see and very evident in the patches of snow and wet ground. I followed the path of the conflict until the signs disappeared to my eyes, but apparently the lion had failed to catch the deer.
I don’t know why I cared, but I felt a little relieved.
Hi Rich,
Great site, and interesting reading. I just happened on your site by way of Tom Sorenson’s Base Camp Blog, and realized we’re practically neighbors in the East Bay.
I’ve heard deer do a lot of vocalizations, but haven’t heard a “scream” yet. Probably the closes was an unfortunate situation with a doe that thought it was immortal. He’d put an arrow in, high and back, and cut the femoral. We trailed her for hours and finally located her in a creek. Unfortunately, he’d left his bow back on the trail, and all we had was my skinning knife. The ensuing tussle looked like something from a horror film, and the sounds that deer made…
Anyway, interesting topic. As hunters, we’re often witness to nature’s dramas and comedies that most humans will never get to see or even imagine.
Killing something with one’s own hands is a brutal experience and hard on one’s psyche. It’s seldom experienced by people. I beat a sick raccoon to death with a club once and I was shaking for a while. The way hunters kill with rifle or bow is humane. (Marked by an emphasis on humanistic values and concerns.) Looks like that’s where the word comes from.
You guys won’t leave your bow behind next time.