I didn't want to hi-jack Ks5shooter 's thread 'Sometimes its not all about a successful hunt' but the one photo I posted about a fawn seemed to gather some interest so I thought I'd post the whole story. I realized that I had only posted it on the Firing Line when this occurred. If you have seen this story, that is why.
The story goes back to Dove season 2018. I had not yet taken lesson on shooting a shotgun and my miserable record for actually hitting dove meant that I often hunted where no one else hunted to hide my embarrassment of how many times I'd shoot and miss. You can read that drawn out story here
https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...bird-my-journey-to-better-shotgunning.852266/
Needless to say not only are there few hunters, there are few birds. It was a way to save on shells. It was the first week of Dove season/September 2018 and like many times before I didn't see many birds and at this point I don't think I had even taken a shot. I was sitting in the shade of some scrub brush as it is blazing hot in this part of Arizona the first week of September. Over an hour I had heard several foot falls of something bigger than a rabbit. There are coyote here but I just couldn't associate the noises with the fleet footed coyote. It just sounded 'Bigger'. I eventually picked up my folding stool and moved closer to where I heard the foot falls and searched to see if I could see what was making the noise. No such luck. So I sat down in the shade of another scrub brush and waited for birds. I had been sitting for at least 10 minutes when I noticed something on the other side of the brush just in front of me. It wasn't moving, but it wasn't part of the brush either.
Heck, that looks like an ear! How in the world could I have gotten this close to a rabbit without it bolting. Here is a close up from where I was sitting:
When I moved around the brush this is what I saw:
Cute little bugger. Keep in mind this is the first week in September and this little one was born probably within hours of this photograph. I now knew that the foot falls I had heard were of the mother and I'm certain she was watching me intently at this point so I moved away and took a short video as the little one got up and walked to find its mother bleating all the way. This thing could barely walk. So at best it was a day old. The place was about an hour east of Phoenix and the rut happens fairly late in the year. Down in southern Arizona it often happens in late December or early January. Even so, this is a late season fawn. I wonder if he made it?
I have seen some great things in the wild. This is one of the best moments.
The story goes back to Dove season 2018. I had not yet taken lesson on shooting a shotgun and my miserable record for actually hitting dove meant that I often hunted where no one else hunted to hide my embarrassment of how many times I'd shoot and miss. You can read that drawn out story here
https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...bird-my-journey-to-better-shotgunning.852266/
Needless to say not only are there few hunters, there are few birds. It was a way to save on shells. It was the first week of Dove season/September 2018 and like many times before I didn't see many birds and at this point I don't think I had even taken a shot. I was sitting in the shade of some scrub brush as it is blazing hot in this part of Arizona the first week of September. Over an hour I had heard several foot falls of something bigger than a rabbit. There are coyote here but I just couldn't associate the noises with the fleet footed coyote. It just sounded 'Bigger'. I eventually picked up my folding stool and moved closer to where I heard the foot falls and searched to see if I could see what was making the noise. No such luck. So I sat down in the shade of another scrub brush and waited for birds. I had been sitting for at least 10 minutes when I noticed something on the other side of the brush just in front of me. It wasn't moving, but it wasn't part of the brush either.
Heck, that looks like an ear! How in the world could I have gotten this close to a rabbit without it bolting. Here is a close up from where I was sitting:
When I moved around the brush this is what I saw:
Cute little bugger. Keep in mind this is the first week in September and this little one was born probably within hours of this photograph. I now knew that the foot falls I had heard were of the mother and I'm certain she was watching me intently at this point so I moved away and took a short video as the little one got up and walked to find its mother bleating all the way. This thing could barely walk. So at best it was a day old. The place was about an hour east of Phoenix and the rut happens fairly late in the year. Down in southern Arizona it often happens in late December or early January. Even so, this is a late season fawn. I wonder if he made it?
I have seen some great things in the wild. This is one of the best moments.
