Fishing for deer

[JSGOLD]

We frequent a small lake (270 acres apx) called Elk Fork and for years fished from the bank. There is also a small pond beside it that has some crappie and bass in it. Access is difficult as the DNR does not maintain it. Anyway 2 years ago we were fishing the pond and it sits about 15 feet below the main road, which is nearby. We heard the strangest noise coming at us when all of a sudden a LARGE doe drops over the hill from the main raod above us and lands between me and the wife. The deer wants to go where my wife was standing and go into the woods, but my wife let out a scream that would curl your hair and the doe stopped, jumped into the water and swam across, to the other shore, along with the fishing line that thankfully broke. We had a lot of laughs ovet that incident for sure.

Anyway the reason I am posting this story is that last Saturday was our last trip for the year in our new to us boat, our old 76' Starcraft. We bought it last fall and got some good use out of it this year. The weather was great but fishing was a bit slow...we moved to 4 different spots at Elk Fork, the last one near the opposite shore. Caught a few fish when all of a sudden..we hear brush movement and before we could turn our heads another large doe jumped into the water ten feet from us! She started to swim past us but the wife screamed again and she froze and then decided to pop back on land and off she goes. Later we saw a dog running so we assume dogs are chasing them around up there. Seeing deer out there is not uncommon, but having them fly down and land near you is a bit odd, though funny. Of course, not to the wife!

 

[Guest]

Re: Fishing for deer

Maybe next time you are out there fishing make sure your rods are loaded and then you might get yourself a doe

 

[JSGOLD]

Re: Fishing for deer

LOL, maybe you are right! If the fishing is slow maybe we can try for something else! With our luck though the next critter to jump in near us will probably be a black bear!

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Fishing for deer

I've seen deer swimming to and from the barrier islands while I was fishing. It's startling. I also don't get how they can walk on creek mud with those poiny feet.

Oddly, in Virginia, it's illegal to shoot deer from a boat, I think.

 

[JSGOLD]

Re: Fishing for deer

The problem I have is when they drop out of the sky, LOL. The first time this happened me and the wife were maybe, MAYBE 10-12 feet apart near a large drain and the doe lands between us...so close I could have easily touched her. I fell backwards and wife kept the doe from plowing her over by yelling. Good thing she did not drop on top one one of us, would have made for a bad day. But the second time while not nearly as dangerous still spooked us. Elk Fork is heavily forrested on the opposite side and not fished from the bank. The bank near us where we were anchored was heavy with brush and weeds and raised above us so did not see her until she jumped. It was bad enough I had to listen to the captain (wife) griping about the lack of fish. While one coming at you on land may not be the strangest thing you would think deer dropping down in the water would not be a problem in a boat

Of course anything can happen to a new boating couple who have single handedly managed to tip a pop up camper over and taken turns falling in the water at Stonewall Jackson Lake while crappie fishing

 

[dwco5051]

Re: Fishing for deer

I've seen deer swimming to and from the barrier islands while I was fishing. It's startling. I also don't get how they can walk on creek mud with those poiny feet.

What is just as amazing is how fast they can swim with those pointy feet. I have often seen deer take to the water to elude dogs. Once fishing with a buddy we saw a large buck swimming across the lake and we tried to get closer without scaring it back out into the lake with just the trolling motor. On high speed we were not able to close the distance at all and gave up. This was late fall and their hollow hair gives them a lot of buoyancy so most of the leg motion goes to forward speed rather than staying afloat.

 

[partybargeguy]

Re: Fishing for deer

Here is a picture off my boat last month while fishing 1.5+ miles from shore on the lower Santee Cooper lake. It was a small 4 pointer moving fast across the water. It would have made a great picture to have the buck on my stringer next to me holding my fishing pole