Originally Posted by
caddisguy
Here's a story for you.
I have been hunting blacktails pretty much every weekend (2, 3, sometimes maybe 4 days/nights) in GOS for 6 or 7 years now (lost count). I am thinking and reading about BT's constantly all year long. I usually run around 5-7 trailcams and spent countless hours and calories hauling salt up the thickest, steepest places you can imagine and see bucks partying all the time until early season and then they start to change patterns. Still, the odd one shows up, so I hunt these areas from opening day until Dec 15 when the season closes, whether it is scorching hot, 2 degrees and dumping 70mm of rain or it means sleeping my car at night in -15 to -20C, or sliding down icy hills, putting the jeep in the ditch, etc.
I learned some areas so well that I notice right away if a stick moved or snapped, or if there is a track in the moss that wasn't there before. For years, I have been trying to figure out where they go so I can increase my odds. Finally, last year while scouting for a new spring bear spot, I found an area that has more BT sign than I have seen anywhere in my life (more sign that I see in mule deer hot spots in other Regions) So, I am quite confident I found where my BT's go. However, that turned out to be ground zero for a 60ha forest fire, now burned up along with some of my cams. That on top of heavy logging in the valley bottom, the whole area is pretty much dead. We have hiked well over 100km since the season opened, looking for new area with good sign, hanging cameras, etc. The most sign we have come across predator kill sites and scat with hooves in it. The most promising spot I have come across is a patch of fairly open old growth 3km's into the timber that has quite a few tracks. The salt I left was hit a little but the camera malfunctioned. I had a spare camera to swap, but no extra batteries, so only 2/4 bars on that cam... who knows if it will film anything before it dies or not.
The most action I had all year was a 70 yard play on a grouse that flushed at 60 yards. Owls, ravens, hawks, etc, appear to be picking them off. And for the first time in 20 years of frequenting that valley we heard wolves howling... great.
To add to all this excitement, my knee is having some issues. I have been feeling a lot of grinding and clicking in there. After a few hours of hiking and climbing, the pain is intense and by the end of the day I'm pretty much limping.
Am I cursed? Not the slightest chance what so ever. I love and embrace every minute of this sh*t. I'd rather be out limping around in pain getting soaked in the cold rain and getting thoroughly skunked and outsmarted by blacktails that might or might not even be there than staying home. And if I find myself face to face with a doe in the timber (especially if I spot her before she knows I'm there) that is pretty much a trip highlight. Some neat trailcam or other video footage, any sort of memorable experience, any piece of knowledge gained are all victories and make it worth while.
It's all about perspective. Bear in mind this story isn't to further discourage. I am insanely stubborn when it comes to my goal of hunting one of the toughest animals in an area that is probably one of the more difficult places to hunt them, but I do it without feeling discouraged or cursed. If you take this mindset and put yourself in an area with lots of deer (like you mentioned) every trip will be a success at some level and you will definitely whack a buck before you know it.