As my South Dakota whitetail/mule deer hunt entered the 9th inning, I headed toward an old homestead where another hunter had seen several bucks the evening before. I parked my truck in a patch of evergreen trees where it wouldn’t be seen and scouted out the location. Before arriving, I spotted a lone deer approach the old homestead from the north and took up a stand among pines that bordered a cattle pond, alternating between glassing likely approach routes and grunting with my tube.
30 Minutes Left
As the prairie sun dipped below the horizon, I decided to change positions and search to the south of the old homestead. Scanning the area with my binoculars, I caught sight of a whitetail buck as it stepped out of sight. I didn’t get a good look at its antlers, yet the square, bulky body was undoubtedly male. With light fading fast, I blew my grunt call and bleated, hoping to draw the buck in for a close shot. Suddenly, I saw movement to the West, and a mule deer buck stepped into view. With zero hesitation, I caught the buck in the Burris Scope, pushed the ranging button, and got an aiming dot. I squeezed the trigger on the Barnett and heard the Grim Reaper impact with a solid “thwack.” I couldn’t see the arrow impact, yet it sounded like a solid shoulder hit. Wanting to give the buck time to expire, I headed back to camp to get help.
Strange Encounter
We gathered industrial-strength lights and returned to look for the deer. While I was opening a gate in the fence, the ranch owner joined us and saw a mule deer buck staggering around in their headlights. This was 400 yards from where I had shot the deer, and it was not a good sign of recovery. The buck stood with its head down, then staggered into the darkness and disappeared. Was this the deer I shot, or perhaps another muley buck injured in a fight? Perplexed, we drove to my shot location and searched with lights, but could find no trace of the buck. After a quick once-over, we assumed the deer we saw in the headlights must be the one and decided to continue in the morning.
Near Tragedy
The ranch owner hosted a family poker game that evening, and before the game broke up, he decided to cruise the hunt site again in his ranch UTV. We hadn’t searched near the cattle pond dam, and he drove along the bank when his vehicle tipped over. As the vehicle rested on the driver’s side, he tried to push open the passenger door, but could not. Although unhurt, he could smell gasoline fumes and knew he needed help quickly. Luckily, he had one bar of service and caught the poker players before the game broke up. It took six of them, but they tipped the UTV back on its side, and it drove back to the ranchhouse.
Mystery Solved
The next morning, we renewed the search with very mixed results. As you can see, we found the deer, which had gone only 50 yards and had expired in a patch of weeds that had disguised its presence. Ironically, the rancher’s UTV tracks were just two feet from the deer as it lay in the darkness. After his departure, a pack of coyotes found the deer and had a feast. In six hours, the animal was consumed entirely. My quest for an archery mule deer was technically a success, yet the animal would have been excellent venison and a treat to the rest of the camp. I tagged the antlers and returned the carcass to the prairie, where nature would completely consume the meager remains. The challenge and adventure of the Great Plains bow hunt was everything I’d hoped for, yet the result was very disappointing.