Gar-Hole

Yes, you read that right.

The dreaded “Gar-Hole”…

I’m not sure where the term originated, but it has come to rival that of “Honey-Hole” in Southern Ohio, at least in our crew, the past few years…

Back in mid December (2021), one week before Christmas, I took a trip down to Dan’s in Southern Ohio for a pre-Christmas muzzleloader hunt. Myself, Dan, Aiden, Rob, Robert, Nathan and Cole headed over to Lowell’s and the state forest surrounding the property. We were coming in for the late gun hunt; a muzzleloader-only season in hopes for a nice buck.

Dan sent me up through the “honey-hole” (read: gar-hole) where I planned to sit for the majority of the morning. Having only been in the area once (earlier in the season when I got a nice mature doe) I was eager to see what the spot had in store. I knew the spot was good historically but was eager to check it out once again myself. Unfortunately, only one buck (early in the day with no shot) showed up and I left the day empty handed (however, Uncle Rob and I spent the day recalling hunts past – but that’s for another story).

Nathan was able to connect on a doe, and I was content with the successful season I had with friends and family alike, able to have connected on both a mature buck and doe.

Over the next few weeks, I contemplated heading back down for the final gun hunt of the year. It was the weekend of Saturday January 8th 2022 and I simply couldn’t make up my mind. Finally, the day before, I decided I would make the trip down.

Saturday morning, Dan and I met Rob and Robert at Lowell’s gate and the thermostats showed single digits. The chain-link lock to get into the drive was frozen.

“Hang on boys, were gonna get her” Dan said…

Dan got bolt cutters on the chain-link, and we were headed up the drive. The plan, as always, was discussed at the truck. Dan was planning on heading up the right side of the ridge, and it was decided I would accompany him. Rob and Robert would head through the honey hole on the other side of the ridge.

Luckily, Dan and I had spent the early morning hours filling our Thermos’s with piping hot coffee that around 8:30 AM, was thoroughly enjoyed.

Around 9:00 AM, we were about ready to move. “I’m just gonna pee” I said. No sooner, Dan motioned “don’t move – deer right above us”. I dropped to my knees and rested my hand on my gun. Immediately, Dan had his shouldered.

I couldn’t see a thing.

After a few minutes of Dan on-scope and back off, I still couldn’t spot the deer.

Regardless, I was shaking…visibly.

Finally, I caught movement. I got my gun shouldered and on the group of doe.

We went back and forth for minutes as follows:

I’m on em, you?

Nope…now I am, you?

Ahhh….okay, now I am… but take an open shot if you have one…

I don’t anymore….but you do the same…

Nope…I will in a second….

And so on and so forth…

Finally, the deer bumped down close enough to us and Dan had a nice broadside shot at 50 yards. The rest of the deer scattered at his shot, and I tried to get a shot on a second doe. As I lined up the crosshairs, she took off running. My hand was frozen.

Dan and I looked at each other, both shaking. “That was cool.”

We gathered our gear and I congratulated Dan, who was confident he had made a good shot.

We followed up his shot and immediately found the most bright and wide-spread blood trail I have ever seen.

We tracked the blood trail downhill for about one hundred yards (though I am not sure how she made it that far with the visible amount of bloodless the whole way) and saw the doe piled up. He continued to field-dress the deer, and I headed off.

Dan gave me a general direction to go, up the hill and out the ridge on an old logging trail. I made it to that, and went up elevation a ways. I didn’t make it far before seeing eyes above me, taking off out the ridge.

Damn.

Still, I continued on. Not 100 yards later ,Dan still in sight, I heard a snort out ahead of me.

Shit!

I couldn’t believe I was still spooking deer.

Seconds later, I saw eyes – directly in front of me – staring right at me.

Without any time to think, I cocked the hammer and raised my muzzleloader off-hand.

While I couldn’t see the deer’s head, I remembered the conversation I had with Dan just minutes prior…”Well, for me, after 9 AM, if it’s brown…it’s down!”

I got the crosshairs on the vitals and immediately pulled the trigger. The deer bounded straight away, tail-tucked. I was pretty confident I had made a good shot, but it is always hard to know off-hand. I quickly re-loaded my muzzleloader, and walked to where the deer stood behind the blowdown when I shot.

I found good blood and tracked it for about 30 yards. Just then, I could see the deer piled-up ahead of me. Dan was calling, and two doe were running straight at me. I managed to get him on the phone and had the does work into just 8 yards, steps away from the deer on the ground.

I was shocked as I approached him and saw a rack sticking up.

“You have got to be kidding me” I thought to myself.

I took a video of the deer running and blowing as they took off away from me.

I looked down at my deer.

“NO SHIT” I said to myself as I saw a nice rack laying off the ground.

I texted the group, “BBD” though I knew it was just nice decent buck down.

Still, I couldn’t help but be pleasantly surprised considering I didn’t know he was buck at all!

I proceeded to take some nice pictures and pack the buck out (meat only) on my back. What a hunt that I truly will remember for a lifetime.

I stopped to chat with Dan on my way out before proceeding to the truck, where an interesting predicament occurred.

I was on the phone with Ken (while walking across Lowell’s field) before arriving at the truck to find just 8(ish) beers in Rob’s truck.

“Well…” Ken said, “you could just think of them as rages/new bolts…and I am sure Rob would understand and have a good laugh.”

Still, when Dan arrived, I was happy tp have drank just one beer and for us to head to the Briar Patch for beer and pizza.

However, just then, Robert texted “biggest buck I have ever seen headed for the...”honey”…(are we still calling it that?)…hole.

Dan jumped out of the truck, grabbed his things, and headed back into the “bush” as Christopher would say.

I headed for pizza and beer.

While I returned with no status updates, it was still a phenomenal day in the bush. Lots of time in the woods, a couple deer down, and endless opportunities to learn from.

And that, I thought, is what keeps us coming back for more…