As much as I would like to, I can not take credit for this story, this is an actual hunting experience that happened to fellow Outdoor Connection agent Pat Kelly in fall of 2007.  All I can say is he showed much more constraint than I could have.   Enjoy!

I n my wildest dreams, I could not have imagined the events that would unfold during my much anticipated whitetail deer hunt to New Brunswick, Canada. I had been to my favorite Outdoor Connection, New Brunswick, Canada lodge on two previous occasions for successful spring black bear Hunting trips. The lodge owner had several Boone & Crockett whitetail deer mounts in the lodge that had been harvested in the same general areas as where we had bear hunted the past two spring bear seasons.

I arranged a trip for the fall deer season of 2007 and was very excited to be taking my two sons, Jason and Brad, along for their first Canadian deer hunt. We arrived in camp on Saturday, November 10, 2007 and spent Sunday scouting areas where we would be hunting the upcoming week. My guide suggested a location on a farm that included a large field with a ground blind tent with zippered windows. My guide informed me that the property owner had been seeing a lot of deer in the fields and had spotted a couple of nice bucks in recent weeks. He also mentioned that one of the neighboring land owners was not very fond of hunting and suggested that I be discrete in an effort to maintain a neighborly relationship.

Monday was a good day in the stand. I saw approximately 36 deer, but only 2 small bucks made appearances to the clover field. Tuesday morning began with a steady snow storm that lasted all day. I saw over 100 deer move in and out of the field throughout the day. Mostly does, fawns and a few small bucks.

Wednesday morning the snow had slowed to a small flurry and the deer began to filter into the field. I noticed a gentleman with an orange vest walking down the tree line behind me, at approximately 75 yards, that was peering across the field trying to determine if the blind was occupied. He began to run towards the deer in the field and scream and make noises until the deer ran off. He also yelled at the blind saying “go home…. we don’t want you here”. Being a southern boy from North Carolina I had never had an encounter with an anti-hunter/animal rights activist. I thought the Black Flies and Mosquitoes were the biggest pest in the Canadian woods. Boy was I wrong.

 I called my guide on the radio to inform him of the situation. He said he would come relocate me immediately. I explained that I would like to wait around a while and see how this situation might progress and that if it got out of hand, I would call back for reinforcements or relocation. As the day progressed the “anti” proceeded to build an extremely large bonfire, clang pots and pans, use reflective mirrors, rode around flashing the lights and honking the horn, all the while remaining on his own property, but obviously harassing the wildlife and me, the hunter.

I only saw 6 deer all day that were not white flagging to the woods from the noise and harassment from the “anti”. I was able to get some video, but none that was incriminating. I suggested to my guide, who wanted to relocate me to another area, that I might hunt one more morning there, as the protestor may not be dedicated enough to harass in the rain and wind that was in the forecast for Thursday. I was wrong.

Thursday had started the same as Wednesday and I had the camera rolling. At 11:00 AM a group of 5 does appeared in the field just near the property line close to the protestors. (now there were at least 2.)

The land owner had called the neighborhood to plead for some relief, as he needed to remove some deer from his farm to minimize crop damages. He told the “anti” that I was an American, a minister (not true, but I took as a compliment,) and an excellent marksman that would deliver a very humane, clean one shot harvest (also not true on this particular day).

While the “anti’s” were focused on the 5 deer in the field I tried to position my camera for evidence of wildlife harassment and noticed a different deer had appeared on the opposite corner of the property to investigate the activity and disturbance. I refocused the camera on the respectable 8 pointer and put the cross hairs of my Remington .270 just behind the shoulder and proceeded with a 5 shot barrage of lead.

 I later discovered that I had connected on all five shots, but in the excitement of looking at the deer in the scope, and then back over my shoulder at my new found “friends”, I just kept shooting until I was sure he was not going anywhere. My guide called on the radio to be sure that I was shooting at a deer, as he came bouncing over the ridge in his truck and finished the harvest process with a clean dash of his Buck knife to the chest area of the 250+ lb buck.

The spectators were in quite a state of disbelief and were obviously shaken by the event. We quickly loaded the animal in the truck and decided not to take a victory lap by the adjacent fence line and after a short discussion, decided not to field dress the animal in his driveway. Although, I did think certain reproductive organs in the mail box would be a nice gesture, we ultimately decided to count our blessings, take the high road and learned to never take for granted my right to legally harvest wild game and will cherish the serene moments I have experienced in the great outdoors.

I hope all reading this account will take seriously the privilege we enjoy of sharing nature and the sport of hunting with our family. We all must remain actively involved in the preservation of our great sport.