HBC Fall Big Game Contest 2012 ***WINNERS POSTED!!!

[IronNoggin]

Species: Island Blacktail
Date of Kill: November 11 2012
Region: 1
Weapon Used: Excalibur ExoMax
Category Entered: Bow



Just a day or two before I wandered over to the mainland had me working an area reasonably close to town (Port Alberni) for one of three decent bucks in there. Snowing in the upper elevations that day, and super quiet for stalking. Ran across a a large doe feeding. By herself Obviously mature - she either has bambi hidden nearby, or one of those bucks ain't far off...

Ten minutes pass, and she feeds into the timber. I worked close as quietly as I could and peered into the jungle she had departed in there... What's THAT? Big Body, on it's feet GLARING at me from 35 yards! HORNS! Centered the bow, and let it go! Dropped like a rock! Sweet!

Upon wandering close, I realize this one is an older "Retrograde" Blacktail. Roman-nosed, blind in his right eye from an antler injury seasons past, scarred up and a MASSIVE Body! Antlers had obviously regressed and formed into but a semblance of their former self. But I now think I "met" the GrandDaddy of the 4-point and 3-point that grace the same area...

Jubilant with the moment, I turned to realize I had just presented myself with an UPHILL (45 degrees or better) drag of over 275 yards - solo
That took me quite a bit of time to accomplish, as the body was very close to 200 pounds on the drag! Managed to pull it off though. My Buddy in town asked why I didn't call for help. Too Damn Proud was my reply. That's going to earn you a heart-attack one day was his response. Given it took 3 days to recover, methinks I'll be taking him up on that offer next time around!

[IronNoggin]

Species: Mule Deer
Date of Kill: December 1 2012
Region: 8
Weapon Used: Excalibur ExoMax
Category Entered: Bow



Despite having an LEH draw for Mule Deer does, I had forgone that opportunity to hunt for a buck in an area south of that draw with a long-term Bow hunting Buddy. he had taken a nice buck opening day (bow) so things were looking good...

After three days of seeing dozens upon dozens of does & bambis, it became apparent that my Buddy had likely taken the area's Last Rutter, as buck sightings were limited to but one - displaying the Rocket Retreat at 100 yards. I was just starting to question whether I should run back to the doe zone, when he suggested we check another area for bucks...

After arriving and headed in to the heart of that area, I happened to glance up a hill and saw a couple of "odd-looking sticks" centered on the top of the knoll 75 yards out. Is that an EAR below the one stick? TWITCH! aYUP!! Bail and try to get closer as he was a little ways out. Downright amazing how well they can blend in even when you have a damn good idea where they are! By the time I did pick him up, I realized he had me BUSTED! Still laying down, all I could see was a little bit of his chest, and the whole neck and head. Rangefinder said 44 yards, but with an uphill slope of ~ 55 degrees, I calculated that as a near bang-on 30 yard shot. I have practiced a LOT with this bow, and literally shoot a loonie nine times out of ten at the 30 yard distance. Tricky shot, but I was Very Confident of the outcome. Placed the 30 yard marker right where the neck meets the body, and aligned with where I assumed the offside shoulder should be and let the arrow fly. LOUD SMACK! The buck jumped to his feet, and scrambled 30 steps before flying head over heels into the timber. A short wait, and upon approach from the incredible blood trail it was obvious it was over. The broadhead cut both jugulars, the windpipe, and buried into the ball joint of the offside shoulder.

When I first saw him, and even when I shot I thought he was a true 4x4. When I got to him however, I discovered that he was actually a 2x4 (forever now known as the "Board Buck"... LOL!). Massive body on him, we would have approached 300 pounds on the hoof - largest bodied muley I've ever taken with a bow, and his Euro-Mount will soon be gracing the wall. A young animal, his teeth showed little signs of wear. Obviously very good genetics in that neck of the woods! And going to be some Great Sausage in short order now...

[IronNoggin]

Species: Whitetail Deer
Date of Kill: December 3 2012
Region: 8
Weapon Used: Excalibur ExoMax
Category Entered: Bow



Tagged out for mulies, we then set our sights on whitetails. Opening morning the next day found us a fair ways south, and sightings began almost immediately. From the signs, the trails had seen some awfully busy times from the last of the rifle hunters the week before, even most of the little known Hidey-holes carried evidence of having been recently "surveyed". Nonplussed by this we carried on, and over the first day saw several dozen whitetails. But once again, all does and bambis.

The next morning we again wandered the same hills, and again the same results. At this point with well over fifty sightings, it had become apparent that the rut was most likely over for the whitetails as well. So, in the early afternoon I spotted and staked a young dry doe to with 25 yards. Broadside shot, great placement, and down the hill she tumbled. 125 YARDS downhill that is! The two men in their mid-50's that saddled up to the task of dragging her UP to the closest trail were huffing and puffing like old draft-horses well before we reached the top! But we managed to persevere and Get 'Er Done!

Just HAD to add this picture here too...

Species: Tree
Date of Kill: May Have Survived
Region: 8
Weapon Used: Excalibur ExoMax
Category Entered: Bow

[moose2]

Species: Canada Moose
Date of Kill: September 14, 2012
Region: 7B
Weapon used: Tikka 300 win mag
Category Entered: scoreing contest
Link to Story: http://www.huntingbc.ca/forum/showth...rthern-Rockies

Score: 198 1/8 net Official ( 200 7/8 gross )
Scored as: Typical
Who did the Scoring: Dave Turchanski Official scorer for B&C club ( Fort St John )

[moose2]

Species: Caribou
Date of kill: Sept, 18, 2012
Region: 7B
Weapon used: Tikka 300 win mag
Category Entered: Rifle
Link to story: http://www.huntingbc.ca/forum/showth...rthern-Rockies

[bugler]

Ok I'll throw one in the hat.

Species: Whitetail
Date of Kill: Dec 8, 2012
Region:4
Weapon Used: Hoyt Protec, Easton arrow, Magnus stinger broadhead
Category: Bow


Finally got a bit of snow. I have two WT tags in my pocket so fixin to shoot the first dry doe that comes my way. Turns out, the first deer past the stand is all by herself. One well placed arrow at 15 yards put her down within sight. No trailing!!

Check out the tooth marks on her heel.


Saw three cats yesterday from the same stand. Preds are everywhere!!! Time for a jihad.

[r106]

Species: Mule Deer
Date of Kill: Nov 25, 2012
Region: 3
Weapon used: M70 325 wsm 200gr tsx handload
Category Entered: rifle

Photo + story

My hunting partner and I went out for our last day trip and glassed lots of deer all doe's though. The first set of does we seen that day kept looking at an area we couldn't see we kept watching that area and didn't see anything come out. We moved on and spotted more does on a distant hill top and I thought I saw a buck. So we make the hike to end up with the sun directly in our face. When I looked up and blocked the sun with my hand I could see a doe staring right at us at 50 yards. I look back at my partner and said were busted. Then we could here a buck Grunting and snorting and heard him take off so we decided to hurry up and see if we could see him taking off. But no luck

We then set up on another hill side and looked back to where we saw the first set of doe's. This time we could see were the does were looking earlier in the day. My partner saw a few does about 600 yards away at the base of a hill in the direction the others were looking. We were about 2 km away. But we new the power lines were no far from them and the wind would be in our favor from there so we got in the truck and off we went. We snuck over the hill and found the deer but they already found us. We put our bino's up and he said buck he shouldered his rifle I said 4 point shoot. Before he could get a shot off the started running. He stopped buddy fired then fired again looked like he hit him the second time fired a third and nothing. Thats when I said I got a shot. Buddy said take it so I put one through the boiler room, ran another 60 yards and piled up. We could tell who's hit was who's as he was using sst's and I was using TSX. We called it 50/50 deer because he spotted it, he slowed it down and I dropped it we both had to pack him 1 km up hill. But I had the kill shot.

We shot a 3:30 we had him quartered skinned and in the truck by 6:30. It was my first mule deer

[mad_mallard]

Species: Moose
Date of kill: Oct 5/12
Region: 3
Weapon; Sako in.338 Win mag
Category: Firearm

After five full days without seeing a moose, managed to call this one in to approximately 70 yards and a tight shot through a narrow opening, managed to finally cut my tag.
Helped to fill the freezer and keep the wife off my back.

[mad_mallard]

Species: Mule Deer
Date of Kill: November 29th. 2012
Region: 5
Weapon: Semi-custom REM 700 7mm REM Mag
Category: Firearm

Did some late season exploring of a new area and after passing on a sizeably large buck in the first hour of the first day, decided to cut my tag on the next decent 4 point I was able to find. This guy gave me a nice shot at a little further than I'm willing to post here on HBC as I'm not to keen into starting a debate on ethical distance. And if anybody is wanting to debate the length of the short tine on the front left fork, let me know and I'll email a better picture showing a full fork on the other side as the angle is not so great but this is a better picture.
Not a huge buck but enough to cut my tag on the second to last day of the season-Mad.

[Buckmeister]

Required Information

Species: Elk
Date of Kill: Sept 20th, 2012
Region: 4
Weapon used: .303 Lee Enfield
Category Entered: Firearm
Story or link to story: http://www.huntingbc.ca/forum/showth...ss-Elk-Success

Photo: