08-23-2011, 04:26 PM
Glades Hunting
This was not my largest buck by far, but it was the one that almost killed me.
Hunting deer in the Everglades on foot is a real challenge. A few days before the opening of the season I hauled my stand a mile through the high water and saw grass to a spot about a mile from The entry point to the Big Cypress 'Bear Island' area of the Glades(Google pic). The way out is no fun. Pre-dawn, you find that nothing wants to reflect the light of even the best flashlights. The mud and vegitation absorbs the light instead of reflecting it. Hence my high intensity light is about useless beyond about 10 yards. Since the area is prone to large Fl panthers and gators you can only hope to see their eyes before you get close. On top of the heavy mosquito population you have deep mud that tries to suck your hips out of their joints and sawgrass that will cut skin and BDU's. I found a great location and set up with heavy palmetto to my back and broken sawgrass prarie in front of me (photo #2).
Opening morning, after wading out through the blackness, cypress heads and sawgrass I climbed into my stand swatted mosquitos. Then I found quarter sized hairy tarantula looking spiders liked my stand as well, Great... I sat uncomfortably and waited for sunrise. With the light coming on 'lil buck' wandered out from my right side crossed in front of me at a run. Seems like a different breed of whitetail here, I guess there isnt much vegitation with good nutrition around to get big racks or body mass. Anyway, I got a good shot with the Gren as he passed between heavy brush areas and my 120g SPH took out his lungs (photo#1). Luckily I had bought a drag harness, but what a freakin nightmare dragging 100+lbs of dead weight through the mud, sawgrass and heat! I thought for sure I was going to be laying dead beside that buck after about 200yds. Where the water was deep enough to float the buck it was much easier. It took me mabye 1hr to drag it out but I was sure four hours had passed, and it was now about 85deg. Thank God it wasn't a 200lb buck. Mabye that is why you almost never see any other hunters in the area.
This was not my largest buck by far, but it was the one that almost killed me.
Hunting deer in the Everglades on foot is a real challenge. A few days before the opening of the season I hauled my stand a mile through the high water and saw grass to a spot about a mile from The entry point to the Big Cypress 'Bear Island' area of the Glades(Google pic). The way out is no fun. Pre-dawn, you find that nothing wants to reflect the light of even the best flashlights. The mud and vegitation absorbs the light instead of reflecting it. Hence my high intensity light is about useless beyond about 10 yards. Since the area is prone to large Fl panthers and gators you can only hope to see their eyes before you get close. On top of the heavy mosquito population you have deep mud that tries to suck your hips out of their joints and sawgrass that will cut skin and BDU's. I found a great location and set up with heavy palmetto to my back and broken sawgrass prarie in front of me (photo #2).
Opening morning, after wading out through the blackness, cypress heads and sawgrass I climbed into my stand swatted mosquitos. Then I found quarter sized hairy tarantula looking spiders liked my stand as well, Great... I sat uncomfortably and waited for sunrise. With the light coming on 'lil buck' wandered out from my right side crossed in front of me at a run. Seems like a different breed of whitetail here, I guess there isnt much vegitation with good nutrition around to get big racks or body mass. Anyway, I got a good shot with the Gren as he passed between heavy brush areas and my 120g SPH took out his lungs (photo#1). Luckily I had bought a drag harness, but what a freakin nightmare dragging 100+lbs of dead weight through the mud, sawgrass and heat! I thought for sure I was going to be laying dead beside that buck after about 200yds. Where the water was deep enough to float the buck it was much easier. It took me mabye 1hr to drag it out but I was sure four hours had passed, and it was now about 85deg. Thank God it wasn't a 200lb buck. Mabye that is why you almost never see any other hunters in the area.