redthorn
12-04-2013, 08:41 PM
Living in Abbotsford and near the base of Sumas Mountain means that I have spent a phenomenal amount of time on Google Earth and scouting the mountain when I can on the weekends. And all that time does produce some results. We found a new area to try back in January and had been scouting it several times since then. We didn't hit it during hunting season until the end of October as it was so dry and crunchy. But once the leaves had cleared off the Vine maples and salmonberry bushes and the rain had quieted the leaves, we headed in. It's over a km uphill before the hunting gets ok, and then close to another 2 km uphill and past that before you're really in a decent spot.
The first afternoon we went in was too dry, but we did see some and heard others spooking. But with wetter weather, we really got into them. My youngest brother (RJBrowning) was the first to take one down. With the rut in full swing, while alternately calling and stillhunting his way along through the sword ferns and fir, he called in and twanged a nice and tall 3x2 with good eyeguards on the 9th.
http://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv278/redthornboards/IMG_0499_zpscbdc9a37.jpg (http://s691.photobucket.com/user/redthornboards/media/IMG_0499_zpscbdc9a37.jpg.html)
Then our other brother (DeDutch) was in from Alberni for a weekend, so we hit it again on Saturday the 16th. He had worked his way up some swordfern and vine maple bluffs, and did a call sequence With the rut still tapering down, the Blacktails were still responding well to calls, and he had a larger buck sneak in on him and bounce off when he tried to turn for a shot. He called again to try to pull him back, but he never showed again. Instead he had a doe come by with a 2pt in tow, so he took his consolation prize home that night.
http://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv278/redthornboards/IMG_0510_zpsf6f6bde0.jpg (http://s691.photobucket.com/user/redthornboards/media/IMG_0510_zpsf6f6bde0.jpg.html)
I missed the next weekend with a bad flu, but went out this last Saturday the 30th. The deer were no longer vocal, but still inquisitive. I jumped a nice tall 2 pt out of his bed in the sword ferns at 10 yards, and had another larger deer I could see sneaking off a bed in the vinemaples on the bluffs, but had yet to have a chance to draw on a buck. Then as I was working timber transition between the maple growth and Cedars and fir, I saw this guy bedded down. I worked on an angle past (not directly towards) him in as close as I could, pointedly avoiding looking directly at him and only watching out of the corner of my eye, and he stayed flat in his bed with his neck down. When I got to 20yds I looked directly at him. He knew I had seen him then and was on his feet instantly. But he hesitated longer than me, and the Montec was on it's way. Right through broadside and through the top ventricle, so he dropped fast. A nice mature 3x2 as well, but with weaker eyeguards than RJBrownings.
http://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv278/redthornboards/DSCN1664_zps9de3be24.jpg (http://s691.photobucket.com/user/redthornboards/media/DSCN1664_zps9de3be24.jpg.html)
All in all a nice season, and nice to be able to hunt local and sleep in your own bed at night. But still a lot of work, as the deer are quite a ways in and away from roads, cutblocks, and trails.
The first afternoon we went in was too dry, but we did see some and heard others spooking. But with wetter weather, we really got into them. My youngest brother (RJBrowning) was the first to take one down. With the rut in full swing, while alternately calling and stillhunting his way along through the sword ferns and fir, he called in and twanged a nice and tall 3x2 with good eyeguards on the 9th.
http://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv278/redthornboards/IMG_0499_zpscbdc9a37.jpg (http://s691.photobucket.com/user/redthornboards/media/IMG_0499_zpscbdc9a37.jpg.html)
Then our other brother (DeDutch) was in from Alberni for a weekend, so we hit it again on Saturday the 16th. He had worked his way up some swordfern and vine maple bluffs, and did a call sequence With the rut still tapering down, the Blacktails were still responding well to calls, and he had a larger buck sneak in on him and bounce off when he tried to turn for a shot. He called again to try to pull him back, but he never showed again. Instead he had a doe come by with a 2pt in tow, so he took his consolation prize home that night.
http://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv278/redthornboards/IMG_0510_zpsf6f6bde0.jpg (http://s691.photobucket.com/user/redthornboards/media/IMG_0510_zpsf6f6bde0.jpg.html)
I missed the next weekend with a bad flu, but went out this last Saturday the 30th. The deer were no longer vocal, but still inquisitive. I jumped a nice tall 2 pt out of his bed in the sword ferns at 10 yards, and had another larger deer I could see sneaking off a bed in the vinemaples on the bluffs, but had yet to have a chance to draw on a buck. Then as I was working timber transition between the maple growth and Cedars and fir, I saw this guy bedded down. I worked on an angle past (not directly towards) him in as close as I could, pointedly avoiding looking directly at him and only watching out of the corner of my eye, and he stayed flat in his bed with his neck down. When I got to 20yds I looked directly at him. He knew I had seen him then and was on his feet instantly. But he hesitated longer than me, and the Montec was on it's way. Right through broadside and through the top ventricle, so he dropped fast. A nice mature 3x2 as well, but with weaker eyeguards than RJBrownings.
http://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv278/redthornboards/DSCN1664_zps9de3be24.jpg (http://s691.photobucket.com/user/redthornboards/media/DSCN1664_zps9de3be24.jpg.html)
All in all a nice season, and nice to be able to hunt local and sleep in your own bed at night. But still a lot of work, as the deer are quite a ways in and away from roads, cutblocks, and trails.