close

Sometimes it’s the hunter’s day, others belong to the groundhog

4 min read

Kismet – sometimes things must happen. This is true in life, and true in hunting and fishing. A tail-hooked fish is an example of fate lending the angler a helping hand. A hitch in an otherwise great performing reel is an example of fate favoring the fish. Perhaps a tough drag should have surfaced earlier, but there goes the steelhead with half the lure.

Many readers remember the late deer season that was just after Christmas, when a rifle could be used in management unit 2-B. It was one of those warm winter days and John and I were studying a hill in strong sunshine. Spread out in front of us was 300 yards of winter wheat. Down deep, it was one of those rare relaxed winter days where the hunter is just glad to be out of the house. We had not sat there long when John spotted a medium-sized deer working its way up toward us. The deer stopped about 30 yards in front of us and turned sideways.

The 70 was a short magnum and sitting on the Harris bipod. We called it a bunny shot. This looked too easy. As the deer stopped and looked a bit confused by the two goofy-looking characters in his path, I locked the crosshairs on the rib cage and squeezed the trigger. As I recovered from the recoil, I noticed the deer was still standing there looking puzzled, but I must admit, not as puzzled as me. Equally bizarre was what came out of my mouth, “What happened?” John’s answer was blunt and to the point “You missed.” I am sure such marksmanship is a common thing for many, but I was astounded. I will never know how that happened.

Then there was the time I was groundhog hunting along Redd Road with Jack and was hotter than a firecracker. I just could not miss that day. With shots ranging out to an honest 400 yards, I was on a streak, having bagged 23-hole diggers. While I could not miss, Jack was having one of those days. I was carrying a pre-64 model 70 with Unertl ultra varmint scope on top of it. We were taking turns on shots and I spotted a clover-munching groundhog on the other side of the field we were sitting in. I decided to shoot it from a sitting position with the forearm of the rifle resting on the bipod. After all, the shot was only about 100 yards away and I could not miss that day. The hog was standing on a mound of dirt that he had just excavated from his burrow and it was a nice clear shot. After the dust cleared, the hog was still standing on his excavated burrow, like the deer I had plain missed.

The groundhog ducked in and we walked over to look, as I could not see how I missed. Nothing. No blood, no funny sticks or dirt. I had just missed. This ended my perfect score. Sometimes fate just enters the picture. Sometimes it is the hunter’s day other days belong to the groundhog.

If you shoot often you will find this to be true. If I miss the first three hogs, I might as well pack it in. The groundhog is more likely to be struck by lightning than hit by me that day. Then there are times you should not make shots and you just do. One time, I was out shooting poorly and was blaming the rifle. Finally, I hit one. “Nice shot,” John said. “Yes,” I responded, “only I shouldn’t have hit him. The crosshairs weren’t on the groundhog when the gun went off.” Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose – kismet. Isn’t that the way it should be?

An addition to last week’s mention of the triple trophy winners: There was a fourth member of the team. John Vickless also received his triple trophy. Mike Weber is on his third triple trophy and Kelly

  • McIlvaine, aka Spanky, is on his second. Congratulations to all four winners.
CUSTOMER LOGIN

If you have an account and are registered for online access, sign in with your email address and password below.

NEW CUSTOMERS/UNREGISTERED ACCOUNTS

Never been a subscriber and want to subscribe, click the Subscribe button below.

Starting at $3.75/week.

Subscribe Today