I had picked out a saddle I was going to hunt. I planned to hunt the west face first and then drop back over the east side if I saw no deer. I walked the spur up to the saddle and noticed it was a little windy. Based upon your advice I knew the deer would not be there. However I did have the wind in my favour so I pushed up towards the saddle. As I got closer to the saddle I started glassing the head of the saddle and noticed the bush was still - a zone of silence. Sure enough as I came around the corner of some dogwood I spotted a spiker bedded just to the side of the saddle in filtered sunlight that was shining through. We spotted each other at the same time but by the time he stood up I had already had the rifle up and shot. I saw his legs buckle instantly so I knew I had hit him. He gingerly started to run so I shot again but missed. I watched him slow down start to wobble then lost sight. I headed straight over to where I had last seen him and sure enough there he was stone dead. I had taken out his lung, heart and shoulder in a perfect 70m offhand chest shot.

I saw another 4 deer on Sunday. I stalked a deer for over 200m and he had no idea I was there and I was gaining on him. I hadn’t yet sighted him when my mate came crashing down the ridgeline from above and spooked it. It was a 20+ inch stag and a hind. I only saw one flash in-between a couple of trees and they were gone. It goes to show once you know where they will be, they are actually quite easy to find!

Since doing your course my deer sightings have tripled. Unfortunately I’ve battled swirling winds, average weather and wiley deer. I knew I would get one soon and all the hard work finally paid off!

Cheers, Jayson Dehn