Editor’s Note: Mark Davis of Sperry, Oklahoma, a fire fighter for the Oklahoma City fire department, has been a member of the Mossy Oak Pro Staff for 7 years. He’s been deer hunting for 31 years, since he was about 9-years old.
In Oklahoma, you legally can harvest five does any time you have the opportunity. Once I was hunting in the Deep Fork public hunting area during the first or second week in November, when the weather was very cold. I hiked 3 miles from my truck, got in early and climbed into my tree stand. I hadn’t really seen any bucks all morning, but there was a steady stream of does. I had seen these same does on other hunts with one or two yearling bucks. At about 7:15 am, that group of does and yearlings came through, so I decided to take one of the does. I shot her with my PSE Bow Madness, using a Carbon Express arrow and a Muzzy 100-grain broadhead.
I made a good hit and saw the doe fall. I said to myself, “The weather is cold, so it’s okay to let the deer lay there for a while. I’ll stay in my tree stand and see what else comes along.” About 8:00 am, another group of three does passed in front of my tree stand. I decided to take the last doe in the parade. I aimed and released my arrow. I didn’t think I had hit her, because she didn’t kick up. I use a Lumenok lighted nock on the end of the arrow. Because the day was so bright, I couldn’t see the flight of the arrow, and I thought I might have missed her. When I found the arrow, it had blood on it, and I easily could see the blood trail. Luckily, she had fallen just out of sight about 200-yards away on the top of a little ridge just before she crossed a creek.
I knew I had a job ahead of me. I field-dressed the second doe, dragged her back to my tree stand and field-dressed the first doe. I carried my tree stand, backpack and bow out to my truck. I got my collapsible deer cart, drank some water, ate a quick snack and made the 3-mile hike back into the woods. I tried loading both does into the cart, so I’d only have to make one trip out. But one of them kept falling off, because the cart wasn’t built for two deer. I decided I only could take one deer out at a time. I spent 4 hours from the time I found my last deer until I had loaded both deer into the truck. I had walked a total of about 9 miles, but I had been highly successful. I know a family who really appreciates having venison, so I gave them the does. I had promised them two does before the season started, but I just didn’t know I’d get both does the same day.
Day 3: Mark Davis' Biggest Public Land Buck
Tomorrow: Hunting Whitetails in Honobia in Southeast Oklahoma with Mossy Oak’s Mark Davis
