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CooperSscat
10-03-2008, 08:57 PM
Here’s a few photos of my brother’s 1st ever mule deer buck that he got on Thursday(Region 3)!

My Dad and brother hunted hard on day 1, saw a small bull moose and a few does here and there but no bucks. On day 2 they saw a big buck just within the edge of a cut block but it faded back into the timber. Later on that day they stumbled upon this buck while slowly driving out of an area that we’ve seen game in season after season.

I’m hoping to get up into Region 3 and/or Region 5 to get some meat for my freezer!

Jeremy

http://photos-c.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-snc1/v350/62/38/608685453/n608685453_4362826_2400.jpg (http://www.new.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=4362826&id=608685453)

http://photos-b.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-snc1/v350/62/38/608685453/n608685453_4362825_2055.jpg (http://www.new.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=4362826&id=608685453)

http://photos-d.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-snc1/v342/250/79/508103893/n508103893_1468243_7828.jpg (http://www.new.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=1468246&id=508103893)

Big7
10-03-2008, 09:03 PM
Good work...looks like a perfect shot was executed...no meat damage at all. Awesome! Nice buck!

KodiakHntr
10-03-2008, 09:12 PM
Not bad at all...

Bullet, load, rifle?

CooperSscat
10-03-2008, 09:23 PM
Not bad at all...

Bullet, load, rifle?

He used my .300 win mag with Federal Premium Vital-Shok Nosler Partition in 180 gr.

Jeremy

BearSniper
10-03-2008, 09:55 PM
Good job:grin:

That is a 4 point !

But right now in most of Reg 3 its a buck season

Nice Mulie8-) You'll enjoy his steaks with a nice bottle or two of wine.

cxvalleyman
10-03-2008, 10:14 PM
Nice buck, where in reg 3? I got a nice buck last year in 3-19.

CooperSscat
10-04-2008, 07:53 AM
Yes it's a nice little 4x3 for any buck season.

Deer was taken in MU 3-28.

Jeremy

mcrae
10-04-2008, 08:37 AM
Nothing wrong with that buck I wouldn't pass him up.

Littlebighorn
10-04-2008, 08:45 AM
Awesome buck. Nice photos. Makes me want to get out there right now ! Good shootin !

BigfishCanada
10-04-2008, 10:43 AM
Awesome first buck, congrats for sure.

ÜberJumper
10-04-2008, 08:45 PM
Good work...looks like a perfect shot was executed...no meat damage at all. Awesome! Nice buck!

In all honesty, the shot was "ok".

As you might have figured, I'm CooperSscat's brother. I'm here to regal you with the story of the freakin' luckiest two road-hunters and the stupidest deer ever to grace the face of the planet...

But first, some background. This hunt was supposed to be 4 of us, My dad his brother, my brother and myself. Jeremy had to work, and my dad's brother had a heart attack on Monday night (!!! he's "ok"). Ended up heading up to Kamloops to join my dad who was up there for meetings late Tuesday night.

October 1st started at about 4:45, with us heading up to MU 3-28 (Bob creek). The day passed with us seeing 3 does (2 at first light), 1 young bull moose (middle of the afternoon, he was killed by another group the next day that had an LEH draw apparently), one black bear, and a metric ass ton of grouse. Most of the day felt like circling the parking lot at the mall at christmas with all the hunters circling the area. We heard at least one rifle shot early, and a couple of possible other rifle shots later in the day. Couple of shotguns as well.

October 2nd's start wasn't entirely promising. Nothing spotted on the way in, but around 9am we spotted a doe exiting a treeline about 800-1000 yards downslope. She dropped into a small draw/deadground, and we figured we should head downslope to try and get eyes on that area. We parked, buttoned up the jeep and started down through a nice looking cutblock. Good sight lines for the whole thing from where we parked, lots of browse and as it turned out tons of dips and depressions for deer to lie in. Lots of evidence where we parked for deer entering and exiting the cutblock moving both up and down slope.

We were about 400 meters downslope when we heard *something* in the scrub to our left front. Something angry sounding, a half growl grunt. Like nothing I've ever heard before. Definately predatory sounding, but not a cat... possibly a bear. It was never seen but we heard it twice in the same area (about 50-75 yards away) and then a third time moving away and upslope roughly to where we parked.

At this point we realized that if we shot anything in this area it would be A) a REALLY shitty time dragging it back up hill, and B) oh look, there's a freaking road right below us... where does that come from? Also, I think we were kinda curious (I was a bit apprehensive) about what was making that noise. Back to the jeep we went. I was kinda hoping to see another bear poking around the jeep when we got there trying to get at my apple cinammon bar snacks.

When back at the jeep, we moved a bit further, and circled through and back up to the upper bob. We came across a gut-pile on the side of the road in the open that was strangely untouched by Ravens and at least a few hours old, possibly even from the previous evening (very dried out entrails, blood very dry). Lots of ravens circling the area though. Very odd.

We stopped about 200 meters further ahead on a point overlooking a large cutblock. The cutblock was in quite a depression... very steep hill. No way in hell I'd shoot anything down there. We *could* see the road where we'd previously parked about 600 meters away and through a slash of timber separating it from the cutblock we were looking at.

I immediately went to "work" glassing the edge of the cutblock and right away spotted a buck moving slowly into the timber. Had eyes on for about 10 seconds or so, no doubt he was a buck but we didn't see him again.

Meanwhile, it's the parking lot all over again. There's another vehicle about 300m away to our front, and another vehicle (with a freakin' hole in the muffler!) puttered by. We scouted around a bit more, confirmed that one of the roads we'd almost come out on before was the middle bob road that joins the rae lake road. It started to rain, so we figured let's head down to the lake and have some lunch.

Anyway, those bits of the story are important, because they end up setting the stage for what happened later in the day.

More to follow... (what's with the 10,000 character limit? That's only 2000 words!)

ÜberJumper
10-04-2008, 08:45 PM
After lunch, we headed out through the poison mountain/yamata road loop, and up one spur we stopped and had a "rest" break. Little bit on the "rest" break. My dad and I had both eaten something that'd brought on the shits. Plain and simply, we were leaving some stinky piles all around MU 3-28 that day. TMI you say? Ha, again, something more that adds into the final story.

On the way out of that spur, we did run into a mother doe and her three triplets crossing the spur-road. Man when they step off the road in that country, they are GONE. Unless you're looking at a cutblock, finding something on the road is luck, pure and simple.

The rain during this time was coming on. Fairly windy as well. All the cattle (haha we got stuck in the middle of a cattle drive as well. Comedy gold) were heading out of the wind and rain, and so were the deer we figured. The rain got quite heavy, and the talk turned to abandoning the hunt for the day if it didn't let up.

We headed back down the main jamieson road, and cut in to the lower bob road and around parkie/parkay (however it's spelled) mountain and back out to the main jamieson where we'd seen a 2 point last year during 4 point season. It's raining really really hard at this point, and we're considering calling it a day (and depending on if it was going to rain Friday, it would have been the end of the hunt).

I said "I'd like to go take a poke back up the Bob again and look into those spurs we didn't look at yet". Dad agreed. We saw nothing in those spurs, and on the way out of the last one, Dad suggested hitting the "Grouse road" (one of the lower bob spur roads) where they'd seen a lot of deer over the years, and where we'd seen the one doe on day one.

We ran into a couple of vehicles and by this time the rain was letting up just a little bit. No one in the other vehicles had seen much, and the general feeling with everyone we talked to was that the animals were in the trees and probably wouldn't come out unless the rain stopped.

We got to the "grouse road" and headed up. As we went along, we realized that we were on the road where we'd seen the doe earlier in the day! Bumpy as heck, lots of little cuts in it. This of course was making our already loose bowels a bit looser. We got to the end of the road, and by this time my Dad needed to take a "break" again. We had bad sightlines where we were, so I figured I'd check for cell signal and play some solitaire on my phone while I waited.

Dad got finished up, and I was finishing up my hand. Dad was laughing at me playing as we drove back out (still bad sightlines, so again, not too worried about seeing something). Dad jokingly said "What if I told you I saw a buck right now?" I said "You'd be a liar".

So I packed up my cell, and we trundled along the road. Conversation turned to packing it in for the day and commenting on the road conditions.

About 800 meters later, we were opening an area that last year I'd tracked a deer through the snow. Dad was looking well ahead on the road, our sightlines to the right were totally blocked by a small rise that we couldn't see over. I was looking right to left, and as I turned my head to the left and we came out from behind a bush I saw him. "DAD, stop there's a buck!"

Of course my dad's window was down, and excitedly going "where is he, where?" Meanwhile I'm looking straight into the eyes of the buck. He's standing 25 feet to the left of the jeep, directly even with the driver's side window. Through clenched teeth, still looking directly at the buck (who was still chewing his last meal), I say "HE'S RIGHT THERE".

Again my dad says "Where? I don't see him!" I look at my dad's head and realize he's looking off in the distance in front of the jeep about 45 degrees away from seeing the buck. I put my hand on the top of his head, and sharply turning his head to the left say "RIGHT ****ING THERE".

Dad goes "Oh! OH! That's a buck! Get your rifle. Open your door really quietly!" Meanwhile his window's down, he's looking right at the buck, and the buck's looking right back at him chewing away. I push back in my seat so the buck can't see me. I've got my rifle positioned to slip out, the clip in my left hand, and I'm slowly opening the door.

The door pops open, and the deer stops chewing, still looking right at my dad, who's still talking to it. "What'd it do when I opened the door?" "It stopped chewing, it's LOOKING AT ME".

I slip out, pop the clip in and gently chamber a round. I leave the safety half off and keeping my head back move to the back of the jeep. I think to myself "The deer CANNOT see me or he's gonna run".

Also running through my head are all the stories my brother, dad and uncle have told me over the years about hunting this area. Just about every other time the story goes they shoot a deer and it runs down hill through hundreds of meters of wood and cutblock and they have to track it. So I'm thinking "No ****ing way this deer is getting away". I'm not in the best shape (including a bad back), so I'm in no way inclinded to haul a deer up a hill. I know this area pretty well as last year I did track a deer through this cutblock, and I know there's a big hill just 100-150 meters ahead and to the left. Deers go downhill when shot or so I'm told.

So, with a mental mindset of "This deer can't see me" and "It has to die right now or I have to haul it out", I line up the shot for the center of visible mass (that's the problem with being ex-infantry), which of course doesn't include his head. The deer is facing downslope, and oriented in the same direction as the jeep.

The first round (yes, the first round... of three), is fired from a crouch, and the round entered behind the ribcage on the right hand side. The round was centered horizontally, and exited on the same height on the left side of the deer (where you see in the picture). It's a fatal shot a sucking chest wound, but of course I don't know that just then.

All I know is that the deer bucked when I hit it, and spun to the left and started off. After the first shot, I'd immediately racked another round, and rising from my crouch and stepping out from behind the jeep, I fired a second round at the now running deer. After the second round the Deer still moving. Third round goes down range, this time aimed for the center of mass again, which is about the center of his back between the shoulders. If I'd had a fourth round it'd have gone downrange as well.

The deer went down at this point though, so I went to get more bullets :-D My dad was like "That's enough!" I'm like "Dude, I'm not getting caught by whatever it was in the scrub earlier as we gut and skin this deer without a loaded weapon". Of course he'd also just told me earlier in the day a story about two hunters caught cleaning their elk by a grizzly. One dead at the kill, and the other dead 75 yards away no where near his gun.

Anyway, the rest was all cleaning the deer, of which for some strange reason my dad didn't let me do anything but freaking hold deer legs and head and help peel back skin. Of the three rounds fired, the first was the fatal one, and (I think the second round) the other that hit went in through the right shoulder and out through the center of his chest. Lost some meat in the shoulder by the looks of it. During the cleaning, we heard several other shots. Looks like the deer come out when the rain stops :-)

Was a fascinating experience, and I hope to get few more in the coming years. Last year was my first hunt in about 20 years, and this year marked my first deer kill (the only other kills being grouse). Question for you other hunters. Did any of you feel very vulnerable after the cleaning/prep of the kill? I felt hunted by the time we were loading the deer into the back of the jeep. Probably because I put my back out a bit lifting him in there :-D

CooperSscat
10-05-2008, 11:05 AM
Welcome to Huntingbc.ca Bro!

Yes I'll talk to my brother about the length of his posts....hehe.

Overall he's stoked. He may get to do the field dressing/skinning himself if he gets a MU 5 or MU 2 buck later on this season!

Jeremy

My brother loving the hunt and our Dads 2009 Jeep Wrangler X!
http://photos.l3.facebook.com/photos-l3-snc1/v350/62/38/608685453/n608685453_4379597_9189.jpg (http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=1352555&id=608685453)

ÜberJumper
10-05-2008, 12:25 PM
As an aside, we drove around with me standing out the roof, and you can see why military vehicles have turrets. You can see much more around you.

Jelvis
10-05-2008, 12:47 PM
If I may say, that was an excellent written story and I enjoyed it immensely. You hunters are family and I enjoyed the one part when you saw the buck and was trying to tell your dad where it was, I really cracked up. You gotta keep writing this season especially if your hunting with these same fellas it was great. lmao-Jelvis
uber and scat with dad lol real good hunters lol great story

Leaseman
10-06-2008, 07:27 AM
I too enjoyed the story! Very well written and look forward to many more...:cool:

A job well done!


Mike

Old Boar
10-06-2008, 09:37 PM
Yes, it was the oddest hunting experience I've ever had.

The 4x3 Mulie was "right there" chewing on browse and looking me right in the eye. When Uberjumper exited the Jeep, the buck stopped chewing. Since my window was down, the buck had heard/was hearing everything. It was surreal as he stood there and waited....

Should be +90 pounds of vension cut wrapped and frozen.