Blacktails: Things are heating up!

[Salty]

Looks like I'm shopping for a mattock! 5lb good enough I assume?

Sounds about right as a minimum. As long as its heavy gauge steel with no flex to it, its not the kind of tool that gets an easy ride. I actually found mine in the bush with a broken handle its an old one which is a good thing. I've seen them at garage sales and pawn shops fairly often. Its the go to for wild fire crews a shop that caters to that kind of thing should have them, maybe princess auto or a good hardware store even.

[sthdslayer]

Canadian Tire

[Redthies]

All that time I spend, intense still hunting and climbing around the mountain trying to outsmart these animals, getting up early, hiking up in the dark, it seems half the time they just walk up to me while I'm making coffee or eating lunch mid day LOL

Here's the smaller 3x2 from yesterday.

Lets shift back to blacktails now that everyone is safe and sound back at home...

I predominantly hunt upland as I have three bird dogs and it is amazing to work with them, but I usually take a 4-5 day deer trip every November. Sometimes to the West Koots where I grew up to chase whitetail, and sometimes to the coast for blacktails. We got two BTs last year on a water access coastal hunt, but my partner shot both (we share our meat, but hunt separately on some of these trips if it’s not happening working together so we can cover more ground). Last years 5 day trip averaged a LOT of hiking. The last day when we were successful it was 18 kms and +/- 4500 vertical.

This year, we did a 4 day hunt in Okanagon Mtn Park, and while we saw quite a few WT and one legal moose, we never got a shot on anything. Last Sunday I took my partner to a spot I first hunted in around 2014 (and not since) and we got there well before dawn only to find that trees grow quicker than you think and there is a fair bit of wolf activity. Once the light came up and nothing was moving, we did a wander around to see what was going on. Tons of deer tracks in the 1” of snow, and definitely some bucks. The day proved worthwhile though as I got up close and personal with a doe, and yearling button buck. I waited for someone to come and check out the doe, but dark came on with her still solo.

I took a drive today after working until noon, and was walking in with gun in hand around 2:30. By 3:15 I had done a loop of the area, looking for fresh tracks, but the rain overnight had obliterated everything and there was no fresh sign. I decided to sit and glass some of the open country on the walk in where recent brushing had been done. I could hear the excavator working uphill in the distance. I pulled my thermos out of my pack and was just settling in for a wait when I saw a couple of shapes crossing open ground about 300 yards away. Up go the binos and hello deer! I’m packing my .30-30 so I obviously need to get closer, so just grab the Marlin and ease in to the trees once they cross the clearing. I move pretty quickly along the main game trail as I can see fairly well through the trees, and am confident I can ambush them when they come in on that trail. But they don’t come in, so I cut through the timber back out to the cut. No deer. Hmmm, maybe they’re in the depression I can’t see into about 100 yards ahead... back into the trees, up the trail 50 yards to the height of land on this little ridge , back out to the clearing and look into the dip. No deer. I think, shit, they must have gone the other way on the trail. Oh well. I’ll go see if I can find their tracks. So I turn 180 to walk back into the timber and there are two bucks staring at me from about 30 yards away (close to where I had just been). They don’t bolt, and the front one turns his eyes off me, and I shoulder the gun, he looks back and eyes me up looking like he’s saying “ well, go ahead and get it over with”, so boom. He took one step to the side and dropped. One kick of the legs and it was over. The guy behind him gives me a “uh, see ya” look and trots off. He was a two point, but the spike was in front of him, and my freezer is almost empty so I wasn’t going to waste an opportunity trying to get a better hat rack.

My wife was walking the dogs about 2km away and was back with the truck in about 5 mins. The access point to this area of old deactivated roads is gated and usually closed, but today it was open for the guy running the hoe, so she was able to drive right to me. Like you said Caddis, some days you hike until your ready to drop, tracking hard, and playing the game. Other days, like today, it’s a short walk, a tea break, the wind in your favour and an easy shot.

The tasty morsel:

[caddisguy]

Lets shift back to blacktails now that everyone is safe and sound back at home...

I predominantly hunt upland as I have three bird dogs and it is amazing to work with them, but I usually take a 4-5 day deer trip every November. Sometimes to the West Koots where I grew up to chase whitetail, and sometimes to the coast for blacktails. We got two BTs last year on a water access coastal hunt, but my partner shot both (we share our meat, but hunt separately on some of these trips if it’s not happening working together so we can cover more ground). Last years 5 day trip averaged a LOT of hiking. The last day when we were successful it was 18 kms and +/- 4500 vertical.

This year, we did a 4 day hunt in Okanagon Mtn Park, and while we saw quite a few WT and one legal moose, we never got a shot on anything. Last Sunday I took my partner to a spot I first hunted in around 2014 (and not since) and we got there well before dawn only to find that trees grow quicker than you think and there is a fair bit of wolf activity. Once the light came up and nothing was moving, we did a wander around to see what was going on. Tons of deer tracks in the 1” of snow, and definitely some bucks. The day proved worthwhile though as I got up close and personal with a doe, and yearling button buck. I waited for someone to come and check out the doe, but dark came on with her still solo.

I took a drive today after working until noon, and was walking in with gun in hand around 2:30. By 3:15 I had done a loop of the area, looking for fresh tracks, but the rain overnight had obliterated everything and there was no fresh sign. I decided to sit and glass some of the open country on the walk in where recent brushing had been done. I could hear the excavator working uphill in the distance. I pulled my thermos out of my pack and was just settling in for a wait when I saw a couple of shapes crossing open ground about 300 yards away. Up go the binos and hello deer! I’m packing my .30-30 so I obviously need to get closer, so just grab the Marlin and ease in to the trees once they cross the clearing. I move pretty quickly along the main game trail as I can see fairly well through the trees, and am confident I can ambush them when they come in on that trail. But they don’t come in, so I cut through the timber back out to the cut. No deer. Hmmm, maybe they’re in the depression I can’t see into about 100 yards ahead... back into the trees, up the trail 50 yards to the height of land on this little ridge , back out to the clearing and look into the dip. No deer. I think, shit, they must have gone the other way on the trail. Oh well. I’ll go see if I can find their tracks. So I turn 180 to walk back into the timber and there are two bucks staring at me from about 30 yards away (close to where I had just been). They don’t bolt, and the front one turns his eyes off me, and I shoulder the gun, he looks back and eyes me up looking like he’s saying “ well, go ahead and get it over with”, so boom. He took one step to the side and dropped. One kick of the legs and it was over. The guy behind him gives me a “uh, see ya” look and trots off. He was a two point, but the spike was in front of him, and my freezer is almost empty so I wasn’t going to waste an opportunity trying to get a better hat rack.

My wife was walking the dogs about 2km away and was back with the truck in about 5 mins. The access point to this area of old deactivated roads is gated and usually closed, but today it was open for the guy running the hoe, so she was able to drive right to me. Like you said Caddis, some days you hike until your ready to drop, tracking hard, and playing the game. Other days, like today, it’s a short walk, a tea break, the wind in your favour and an easy shot.

The tasty morsel:

Oh man I thought this thread was a goner with the access issues, but here we are, Redthies coming through with the BT venison.

Awesome write-up, guessing those are the excavator tracks there. Almost a double header to boot if you desired despite the work noise and such.

I think we're onto something. Forget calls and what not, tea or coffee is the best BT attractant. Pour a warm cup of uppity comfort and they start to show.

Congrats Redthies. Keep it coming BT hunters!

[Redthies]

Thanks Caddis! Heart for breakfast tomorrow and backstraps for dinner!

I actually had a second mule deer tag in my pocket, but I wasn’t thinking about that at the time. One is enough for my wife and I for the year. I’ll go get that other guy next year when he’s bigger!

[Blacktail1]

here is a nice island 2x3 my son got on Wednesday. Made a great shot 250 yards uphill at top of steep slash.

[Redthies]

Nice deer, and sounds like a nice shot too!

[Bubbacanuck]

here is a nice island 2x3 my son got on Wednesday. Made a great shot 250 yards uphill at top of steep slash.

Nice island buck and sounds like a heck of a shot! Congrats to your son

[caddisguy]

here is a nice island 2x3 my son got on Wednesday. Made a great shot 250 yards uphill at top of steep slash.

Another one!! Congrats to you and your son and nice shot indeed.

Keep them BT's coming!!

[caddisguy]

Thanks Caddis! Heart for breakfast tomorrow and backstraps for dinner!

I actually had a second mule deer tag in my pocket, but I wasn’t thinking about that at the time. One is enough for my wife and I for the year. I’ll go get that other guy next year when he’s bigger!

How was it? I've been working at a batch of deer/bear chili over here the last few hours. I always feel like a mad scientist making chili lol