Newbie Hunters First Season

[HarryToolips]

Top notch first season, congrats....love the dark antlers on that 2nd buck...

[BStrachan]

Congratulations on taking those two bucks! Last year was my first year as well. My dad use to hunt when I was a kid but he stopped hunting before I was old enough to go go with him. I found this site too to be very helpful and full of positive people willing to share their information with us newbie hunters. I also would like to thank all the seasoned hunters who are willing to share their knowledge!
It's much appreciated

[Thunderstix]

Really nicely done!

[Tim Tam Slam]

That second one is a pig! Absolute beauties HC!

[simonvancouver]

Great first season, and nice to see

[HunterChef]

Thanks to everybody for the kind words and encouragement. The stories of Proguide66 are how I actually found this site in the first place when I started my research. After lurking on the site for almost a year now and enjoying many of the hunting stories it's about time I contributed one. Please keep in mind that this was my first big game hunt so take it easy on me.

A bit of background. I've lived in East Vancouver since 95 but grew up in the West Kootenay spending most of my time as a kid in the bush. My old man wasn't a hunter so my experience was limited to shooting grouse with my slingshot and snaring hare. I lived for mountaineering, canoeing, camping and fly fishing, so I'm comfortable in the mountains. When I decided to take up hunting this past year I knew that it was the backcountry off grid stuff that interested me.

First buck first. I spent countless hours looking over maps and using google earth in order to find a true wilderness area. Non motorized, few if any trails. The more difficult the access the better. I eventually found what I was looking for and hiked into the area in July. Spent 3 days scouting it out. Didn't see any deer but did see plenty of sign. The alpine was gorgeous, big south facing basins, lots of feed, water, timbered areas. Had to hold some deer.

Fast forward a little over a month. The day before the season opened, I hiked the 8 hours in and set up my base camp in a spot I had picked out in July. North side of the ridge line, with the basins I was planning on hunting about a 2 hour hike away. Set the alarm for 3:30 am and hit the sack. Woke up in the dark, ate, drank coffee and began the hike up. I soon realized that I had never tried to climb a mountain in the dark. There were some tricky sections and a bit of technical rock climbing so needless to say I was terrified. Pushed the fear down and kept climbing. There is something exhilarating about clinging to the side of a mountain by yourself in the dark. I made the top of the ridge just as it began to get light. Should have left earlier as I was still at least 1/2 hour from basins I was wanting hunt. Took a quick break for food and looked back the way I had come. Spot movement in a berry patch a few hundred yards below my base camp. I get the binos out. There's a black bear eating his way through the huckleberries. I'd seen plenty of bear shit coming up the first day but seeing who was responsible for it is a whole different story. There is a bear tag in my pocket, but he's at least 2 Km back down the mountain below me. I take a closer look to see if he's a shooter. Big pumpkin head? Check. Legs look short because of a fat belly? Check. Walking around like he's the boss? Check. I decide to go for him. Scramble down the mountain trying to keep an eye on him while not falling to my death. I loose sight of him while heading through some timber. I come out on a knoll a couple hundred yards above where I last saw the bear and he is nowhere to be seen. Vanished. I sit down and wait hoping for him to show his face but nothing. Too late I realize that I forgot to check the wind. It had been blowing in my face the whole way up and must have blown straight to him as I was coming down. Rookie mistake. By this time I'd missed the prime morning hunting time and do not want to mess up my spot so decide to head up a different mountain across the valley. See a bunch of grouse and spot a doe and her fawn at dusk coming down to drink at a small lake. First dear spotted. I'm stoked. Between that and the bear earlier I call the day a win and get to bed.

Gotta go. Thanks for reading. I apologize if its a bit long but recounting the story has me almost as excited as living it. I'll keep it going tonight for those interested

Hunterchef

[DeepJeep]

this is awesome! congratulations on an awesome first season

[scotty30-06]

God damn man....nicely done brotha!!

[HunterChef]

Here's the rest of the story behind my first hunt and deer.

Woke up at 3 wanting to get an earlier start. Headed up the ridge behind my camp, taking the same route as the previous day. Made the top before first light and headed towards the large basin that I'm wanting to position myself above. Spot movement in the predawn light about 100 yards below. 3 does and a fawn are paralleling me moving in the same direction. The lead doe stops and stares right at me. I freeze. After about a minute (felt way longer) she drops her head and continues towards the lip of basin. I wait until they disappear over the edge and creep forwards, positioning myself behind some stunted trees with a good view of the valley below. I begin to glass as the sun edges above the mountains to the east and immediately pick up 4 deer on the far side of the basin. At first I think they are the same deer from earlier, but then a flash of sunlight on antler! Bucks, 3 of them of them and a doe. 2 of them are 4 points with ragged velvet hanging down, and the 3rd is a fork. They're moving in my direction as they feed down towards the bottom of the bowl. There is no cover between myself and the deer, so I chamber a round, position my pack as a rest and decide to wait for them to move within range. It takes about 10 minutes for the deer to make there way to the bottom, the two larger bucks occasionally sparing on the way down. I think they're roughly 175 yards away, but I'm way above them with the angle being really, really steep. I logged some serious time at the range in the summer and am confident in my shooting ability out to 200, but this is not the same at all. I'd always heard of buck fever but never really gave it much thought. Now I understand, I'm in it's grip. Sweating, shaking, eyes doing strange things. I remember reading about how to shoot at high angles but my mind is clouded. Out of the corner of my eye a catch movement. Staring right at me not 20 yards away are the 3 does and fawn that I saw earlier. They look like they're about to bolt. It's now or never. The larger of the two 4 points turns broadside. Aim behind his front shoulder and fire. The crack of my 308 is unbelievably loud in the early morning mountain air. Nothing! A clean miss. The deer just stand there, staring up at me. I slam another round in the chamber and fire again. WTF! Missed again. I can't believe it. Now they take off, bounding towards and disappearing into small grove of trees located halfway down the basin. From these trees there is another 100 yards of open ground before the timberline. I sprint down and around the edge of the bowl hoping to cut off their escape. The doe is the first to out of the grove, followed by the fork and the smaller 4 point. They cover the remaining ground in seconds and disappear into the thick timber just as I make it to the bottom. I look back and up towards the small grove and standing at the edge is the buck that I'd missed. He's quartering towards me at 50 yards. No missing this time. Hit him just in front of the right shoulder and drop him where he stood. I collapse to the ground and just lie there. The wave of emotion that I felt was intense. Joy, gratitude, and sadness. Not ashamed to say that I actually shed a few tears. I'll probably take shit for admitting that to a bunch of seasoned hard core hunters, but I'm sure that I'm not the only one to do so after their first kill.

Took me 4 hours to gut, completely debone and cape (getting a shoulder mount done). The pack out was absolute hell and took almost two full days. I would do all again in a heartbeat.

I've since purchased a rangefinder that adjusts for angle and have taken the time to study the math of taking high and low angle shoots. Getting three cracks at a mature buck was pure luck, that I do not want to have to repeat

Any comments and feedback from those with more experience is greatly appreciated. Always keen to learn.

Thanks for reading.

Hunterchef

["No Choke"Lord Walsingham]

You did what you had to do and got your Deer there. A tale well told, I spent an hour reading to insure I understood your story... BUT 1 shot next time, okay?!

Hahahaa! Lots'O'Luck and happy Hunting, may there be plenty of great times afield in your future, Sir!