caddisgirl bags a blacktail buck

[caddisguy]

Story and pics will come. I just wanted to share the brief version

It started on a bench up one mountain and finished across the valley at the base of another mountain with a lot of crazy terrain in between. Some slips and falls, getting soaking wet in raging creeks in freezing temps...

End result was a chunky old gnarly looking blacktail fork buck.

I'm not sure how she's all up and moving today, but I can barely move... getting up, sitting down, moving at all... nothing works and everything hurts lol

I could not be more proud of her. Not many people on this planet have ever worked as hard as she did. Full story and some pics, maybe a short video coming in the next couple days.

[dougan]

That’s awesome way to go!

[Redthies]

Congrats! Sleep well. It sounds like you guys deserve it!

[NChunter]

You guys are one fire this year!! Looking forward to the story!

[REMINGTON JIM]

Congrats ! Looking Forward to the whole storey and Pics ! RJ

[boilerroom]

well done to you both! After your epic tale of the whitetail on the bow, can't wait for the story and pics from this one. Rest well.

[HarryToolips]

Right on congrats, look forward to the pics.....

[45freezer]

Looking forward to the story/photos, sounds like the backpacks got a workout!

[caddisguy]

Part 1/3:

We headed out Friday, October 23rd destined for a Region 2 spot prepared to sleep in the Jeep for a couple nights during the cold snap. The forecast for Friday was in the minus, and Saturday night it was expected to dip to -14C (and we were going to be higher up, so minus another few degrees)


When we reached the spur road we planned to drive up, it was already dark and there was some snow, but it didn't look chain worthy. For the most part it wasn't. There was one corner section where the road is even and dips down and there are some obstacles. That corner was awkard and there was a bit of sliding, but we pushed on and arrived safely at camp. There was a bit of concern about how that corner will be after a couple nights of deep freeze and thaw cycles as we don't actually have chains, but rather a couple sets of "cables". We decided that was more of a "Sunday problem" so we opted to stay rather than head down and camp down low. As long as it doesn't snow too much more (I'll wake up and check perodically) everything will probably be workable. If it does start snowing a bunch, we'll just head down.


Soon after getting settled, we hear what sounds like an enormous tree crashing down followed by a huge thud. It sounded like it came from the "bad corner". That gave me a little dose of anxiety, as we don't have chainsaw. I wanted to go check if we were blocked in, but we heard a bear messing around our camp. So we decided the potential tree thing is not a "tonight problem". We tucked into our Jeep nest and fell asleep.


I started waking up off and on as it was getting light out. I would look around from the comfort of my sleeping bag to see if anything was moving and then continue the snooze cycle. caddisgirl started waking up around 8:30, so I figure it's time to get myself awake as well.


My plan for the day was to go for a sit in the bed that I shot the archery buck from. It's a nice flat part on a steep slope where you can see down into a fairly open section of timber. I can see why he liked that spot. I figured I would do a little light ratting and see what transpires. Then in the early afternoon I would hit 4 trailcams and possibly bump into something. Then the evening would be back in the archery buck bed.


caddisgirl is the first out of her sleeping bag. "Would you like a coffee" ... "Yes please!" as she is boiling up some water on the pocket rocket. I am just thinking about how great this warm coffee will be after I finish my red bull. By the time I have consumed both of these caffeinated beverages, I should be ready to get moving.


She hands me a tall mug of coffee and I have a few sips. I look over to my left and notice a doe outside about 80 yards away. I point it out to caddisgirl. While she is trying to locate the doe, I spot a buck with what seems like a big rack by the treeline just up top of the slope above the archery buck bed. Now I am looking at caddisgirl doing the "finger antler" signal. She is outside. I am still in my sleeping bag. She asks me to grab her rifle for her. I am still in the Jeep (in my sleeping bag) and she is outside with a couple sips of coffee in her. It didn't really register that she was asking me for her rifle until she asked a second or third time. Her rifle (like mine) is in the back of the Jeep, inside a soft case, with a trigger lock on. This is just one part of a series poorly planned decisions for which we knew better and will continue to be a theme. I reached back and pulled it out of the case and handed it to her. I did not have any hope this would turn into any real opportunity. I had lost sight of the buck and was just taking the opportunity to film the doe, which I now just noticed had a fawn in tow. Even if the buck is still around, it's just as likely to be another Region 2 whitetail buck like we are seeing everywhere and there is no season for them. So, I have the drivers side window down, trying to film this blacktail doe and fawn, having a tough time zooming in and figuring out whether or not they are in the view finder.


BOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!!!!!! Her 30-06 barked like a 30-06 does. Surprising when you are not expecting it.


"Holy (expletive)" - I was not expecting that, at all. I get a kick out of that reaction when I watch it on the video. I see a buck (which was actually trailing the doe and fawn) flop down hard. He was about 40 yards from the tree line trailing about 30 yards behind the doe and fawn. I am not sure if it was the same buck I saw at the tree line a moment or two ago, but it is definitely a pure looking blacktail buck. It's possible it was the same, but had less wood up top than what I thought I saw with my naked eye at 80 yards. Who knows. The blacktail buck gets up and hobbles off to the tree line and falls down again. Then he gets back up again and enters the tree line. Should there have been follow-up shots? Maybe, but hindsight views are always 20-20.


I guess I should get out of my sleeping bag now. We repeatedly share the excitement of what just happened from each of our points of view while we sip down our coffee. We're giving this one a good hour or more since it entered the treeline. I figured it probably bed down as soon as it reached cover, but if we push it, it is going to head down that steep slope and create a ton of work for us.


After an hour went by, we put on our packs and extra layers. We both took our rifles just in case. We talked about what will happen if there needs to be a "put down shot". We talked about "first blood", hunter speak for whoever shoots the deer first owns the kill and cuts the tag, regardless of any "put down" shot (each hunting party might have differing opinions so it is important so this should be discussed in advance) For us, first blood owns it and whoever has a put down shot takes the shot. Off we go.

[caddisguy]

Part 2/3:

First we went to look for the exact spot the buck was shot and flopped down. In hind sight this might have been a mistake. It might have been better to stalk up to where he returned to the treeline. We will never know the right answer to this. It was actually difficult to locate, because there was no blood in the snow. caddisgirl was able to locate a spot where there was commotion. There were tracks, dirt kicked up everywhere on top of the snow, some hair but absolutely no blood. I think by this point we are already very concerned but still hopeful. That buck did not appear very mobile.


Next, caddisgirl located the spot he went into the treeline. There were a few drops of blood. To me it looked like flesh wound rather than lung blood and there just did not seem enough to suggest a lung or heart shot. The concern now is that it did not appear to die from the impact and it does not look like the buck is bleeding out anytime soon. We have to consider every possibility.


Down the slope we go, scanning for drops of blood or deer. For anyone who has never tried to do this, IT'S HARD. I once almost walked right into (about 3 yards away) a live bear while looking for small drops of blood. There is also not much snow in the thick timber, just some light patches here and there.


We are half way down the slope and caddisgirl spots a few more drops of blood that I had walked right by. Good news is that gives us some trajectory which might or might not mean anything. It's just good to find "anything" when you are trying to latch onto any glimmer of hope while searching for a blacktail buck in some of the thickest, steepest terrain you can imagine.


After losing the blood trail, we are basically going up and down this steep slope, zig zagging all over, checking out everything from trails to conceivable travel routes and checking every little nook and cranny in deadfall that an injured blacktail might crawl into, because they can and will hunker down in holes you would never expect.


I eventually found a little bit more blood about 50 yards down from where caddisgirl found the last drop. So we are on the right trajectory still. Shortly after that in the same trajectory, there is a creek that is flowing a lot from the new snow run-off. One of 3 things happened. The deer went along the flats upsteam, downstream or crossed the creek. If it tried to cross the stream and fell, we knew it could be carried quite a ways, so we were even checking log jams and other places he might snag up.


We continued to look around the flats at the bottom of this slope now and to other areas where things stay flat. Hours pass and we don't find anything. I checked a trailcam in the area to see if he passed by. Nope. We continue searching every little spot of thick stuff he could have slipped into. Nothing.


At this point we are both feeling horrible. I know caddisgirl is going through a lot of heart sinking feeling now about possibly wounding a deer and the prospect of not recovering it, even if she might be trying to ignore it like some might ignore a pebble in their boot. From feeling on top fo the world one moment, to feeling so low the next. And I am experiencing that same gut wrenching feeling, in addition to thinking about how upset and disappointed she is feeling now and will probably be feeling for a long time if this does not end well. An experience like that can bring about strong feelings in the coming days and weeks. Even though the feelings may fade with time, in many cases they will never truly go away, even if one dwells on it less, the memory is going to pop up from time to time years later and take you back to those thoughts. Aside from being severely injured or worse, I think this is the worst thing that can happen to any ethical hunter with any sort of conscience.


Well, we have been at it for hours now beating ourselves up physically around this slope and this terrain. We decided we have ruled out everything on the slope and the flats on this side of the creek for a 1km stretch. Time to go back to where we found the last blood. The frusterating part is that every time I am back at this spot we think we can smell him. It's that same subtle smell that lingers a little bit after eating deer or elk that reminds you what you ate was different than a beef steak. Between the flow of the creek and the direction of the wind, it's all over the place though. Following ones nose isn't going to help here.


It's time to cross those freezing rapids. I did not see a point of both of us getting wet. We're already uncomfortable from sweat and exertion (like going hard doing cardio and leg day at the gym for 4 hours or so) and expecting temps below -15 overnight. It was not the best place to cross the creek by any means, but I wanted to cross in the same trajectory the buck was going rather than crossing somewhere else and circling back to locate the crossing point. caddisgirl climbed up the slope (all the way up) again to fetch the packs we ditched earlier and came back down. I took off my thick outer later and put my boots back on. I would rather cross safely with boots and a little get wet versus unsafely without boots and possibly slipping anyway.


Off I went. As soon as I reach the other side, I see fresh prints on the bank that say "distressed deer" in my mind. I follow the tracks another 10-20 yards. And the buck stands up. No sooner than I could get him in the cross hairs, he slips behind a huge stump. I can tell already he has mobility issue, but I am not sure what he is capable of yet. I only gave it a few seconds. When he did not reappear, I just knew he was travelling directly away from the stump and it wouldn't be too long before he finds another obstruction to change direction playing typical blacktail games. I stalk up behind the stump and as expected he's gone, but I see the direction of the tracks spot him again, still 40 yards away. I pull the rifle up again, second he is about to be in the cross hairs he awkardly hobbles behind cover again.


At this point I decided to run him down. Some will say not to pressure a wounded animal, but that is circumstancial. If you waited it out already, searched for hours and you find the animal, then judge by it's movements that it is mechnically disabled to a capacity that running it down is feasible (and obviously if you have no reason to believe it is gut shot, "mechanically disabled" is key) that is what you do, especially in this terrain, especially with a blacktail buck. If you stall, there is a good chance you are not going to see him again. They call these deer ghosts and masters of hide and seek for a reason and this should not be taken lightly.


After a few more sprints and rifle draws where he wouldn't give up a shot long enough to take a shot, we're across the valley bottom at the next mountain across the way. After a final sprint where he tried to go up hill and couldn't, he paused long enough to give up a shot. I didn't waste any time for a surgical shot. A quick draw and blast and he was down, then made the surgical shot to be sure. After seeing what a wounded blacktail that SHOULD be dead is capable of, there is no way I am leaving anything to chance.