At least once a year you will read the article about the guy that got out of his truck on the side of a highway, walked 50 yards into the woods and shot a monster buck.


Two things come to mind every time I read these articles.


First off I think it’s wrong to be hunting that close to main road. I know you’re saying it’s safe if you hunt with a bow. But typically when you shoot a deer with a bow it takes off running. The deer could run any direction, including towards the road that just happens to have a family driving on it at the time the wounded deer runs into it. Chalk one up for the anti-hunters. hmmmm maybe those articles are really written by the anti’s?


The second thing I think is BULL****. There are really only two times that you see deer on the side of the road during deer season on public hunting land. When it is late at night and when it’s taking off for the next county due to a misplaced shot. They just don’t hang out there. Sure maybe on opening day one may get stuck at the gateway, but by that evening they are gone. There is just far too much traffic at the perimeters of public hunting grounds for deer to stick around.


Now, during the opening days of bow season the deer aren’t spooked too badly yet so you can still pretty much hunt the normal trails. Black powder hasn’t really gotten that big here in OK yet so you can still follow the same practices that you do during your earlier bow hunts, although you might need to go in a little deeper. But by the time regular gun season opens up the deer have gone much deeper into the woods. So, if we want to get the deer, we have to go where they are.


A lot of people will not hunt public land during gun season. I understand their thoughts. There are just far too many hunters in the woods during that time. However, I have no problems with that. I know that the other hunters are driving the deer deeper into the woods, and I’m ready for them.


Hunting deep into the woods takes special considerations. You can’t just walk a few miles into the woods and hunt. How will you get your deer out? Will you be able to get out before it gets too dark? You have to be prepared.


First of all, you will need a way to get your deer out. You can get a deer cart which can be found at most outdoor sports shops like Cabela’s and Bass Pro, you can quarter it and pack it out, or you can use the buddy system.


What I do is different. I find a small creek and go in by boat. I also carry a drag in my pack to make it easier to get my deer back to the boat. I picked up a small 10′ jon boat for abut 50 bucks at a yard sale. (You can get them pretty cheap in the classifieds) Then I got a trolling motor at Walmart. I think I paid less than a hundred dollars for that. So my transportation in and out was less that $150.00. I prefer the trolling motor because it’s light and it’s quiet. I’ve seen nice deer while traveling down a creek because they weren’t spooked by the loud engine noise.


To cut this short, what I’m saying is if you really want to get the big deer on public land during gun season it’s not really that much of a chore. You just have to go where they are, which means going deep.


Items you must have if you are planning on going deep.


1. A way in and a way out with your deer in tow. I prefer a jon boat, but a cart will work as well if you get one that’s small and light weight. Preferably the collapsible type.


2. Navigational tools. Either a good topical map or preferably a GPS.


3. Light. Make sure you have a good flashlight and spare batteries.


4. Communication. Bring a cell phone or two way with you in case of an emergency. Remember you’ll be alone when you go deep.


5. ALWAYS let someone know where you plan on hunting. Especially when you are going deeper into the woods where there will be less of a chance that someone else finding you.

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