bcfirefly
12-16-2014, 02:24 PM
Well with my season all wrapped up and only the range andreloading to look forward to over the next few months, I thought I’d share myhunting stories from this year.
It was a busy year with work and then trying to make up time with the family so things were a little rushed with no outings in September except for testing my trapping skills on a couple of packrats that were in myattic.
http://i1062.photobucket.com/albums/t498/dwilliams113/IMG_0182_zps04372507.jpg (http://s1062.photobucket.com/user/dwilliams113/media/IMG_0182_zps04372507.jpg.html)
October presented an opportunity when I went back to my oldstompin grounds (Merritt) for thanksgiving dinner with the parents. Once dinnerplans were set I quickly contacted a few old work buddies to see if they wereinto a quick Saturday morning hunt. One of my buddies was committed to kidssport tourneys but thankfully another one got back to me right away. He had theweekend off and his son was home with him and they would love to do some deerhunting. He is from Douglas Lake IR so he got permission to hunt the ranchlands. Had to provide all the details quickly – vehicle make, model, color,licence plate #, who was hunting, status #’s, where exactly we’d be hunting andtimes. Plan was to pick them up early in town so that we could make the driveup to Douglas Lake and get our permit before first light and hopefully catch afew deer out in the open grasslands.
We loaded up but didn’t have the guns at the ready as wewere planning on doing that when we got the permit as we still had 30 mins ofhwy driving to do. Just as we were pulling into the IR lands Jr. pipes up inthe back “Dad, there’s a deer right there!” Of course I was doing close to 100trying to get out to the area as we were a bit late and it was just gettinglight. I looked at my buddy and asked if we should try and get it, ‘Of course’was the answer so I quickly turned the truck around and we drove back to wherehe had seen the deer. Light was still low so we quickly dug out the bino’s andsure enough the deer was still standing there! (this was my first mule deerhunting so was shocked at how long the deer was standing there watching us). Iquickly let them know from the driver’s seat that I can see a decent size rack.They bail out and rummage for their gun and ammo. Now all is still with melooking through the bino’s and father and son setting up behind the truck.Hearing the father whisper guidance to his son as the deer’s body wasobstructed by brush with only his head showing … “just aim dead centre on hishead son” BANG! I watch the deer drop like a sack of bricks! Father and son setback up after the shot and recoil to see 2 deer hoping around confused. “did Imiss dad?” he quickly handed the gun over to his dad but I quickly let themknow that the deer wouldn’t be getting up after pilling up like that and thatthe 2 deer we were seeing was a smaller 2 point and a doe. We walk up the hillthe 75 yards to find a nice 5x3 shot just below the chin into the head. We quickly gut and drag the deer down to thetruck to try to make up lost time and get still try to get the deer out in theopen.
We ended up seeing a couple of WT does, some elk way way offand more than enough coyotes. Overall we just enjoyed the drive and hikes. Wasa touching moment watching my buddy hunt and harvest a deer with his son. Wewere too busy to take pics so here is one after the fact.
http://i1062.photobucket.com/albums/t498/dwilliams113/IMG_0221_zps05667e0b.jpg (http://s1062.photobucket.com/user/dwilliams113/media/IMG_0221_zps05667e0b.jpg.html)
http://i1062.photobucket.com/albums/t498/dwilliams113/IMG_0225_zpsd9a2a13a.jpg (http://s1062.photobucket.com/user/dwilliams113/media/IMG_0225_zpsd9a2a13a.jpg.html)
The rest of October was busy again with somework and only getting out a few times for only first or last light at my Wtspot. Finally at the end of Oct I walked down to my blind at 5pm trying to bequiet but wanting to get into the blind and set myself up and wait. Scanning aroundas I come up to the blind I don’t see anything so quickly make the last dash inthe open to the blind. Just get inside and flip up my log for my seat when Ihear the dreaded huff. Crap! 3 WT does and one with a fawn looking right at meat 70 yards! I freeze and mentally get ready in case they try to make a run asthey in the middle of a cut block. Fortunately they only heard me and the windwas in my favor. The lead doe structed around with her tail up and slowly movedaway towards the timber. She was obscurded by brush but I set myself up andwaited till she walked out into the open. One more step and she presented ashot and the gun surprised me by going off as it always does and I see the deerpile up. I keep scanning to make sure no follow up shot needed and see one moredoe running away that I didn’t initially see. I hike down and find my doe down.She spun 180 and flipped over, both lunges shot out … guess the 225 grain tsxout of my 338 WM at under a 100 yards did the trick lol. Sorry for the poor pic,I forgot my phone / camera in my rush to get out that evening. Overall thathunt was less than 5 mins from leaving the truck and hiking down to the blindand shooting right away.
http://i1062.photobucket.com/albums/t498/dwilliams113/IMG_0384_zpsd208f4e0.jpg (http://s1062.photobucket.com/user/dwilliams113/media/IMG_0384_zpsd208f4e0.jpg.html)
It was a busy year with work and then trying to make up time with the family so things were a little rushed with no outings in September except for testing my trapping skills on a couple of packrats that were in myattic.
http://i1062.photobucket.com/albums/t498/dwilliams113/IMG_0182_zps04372507.jpg (http://s1062.photobucket.com/user/dwilliams113/media/IMG_0182_zps04372507.jpg.html)
October presented an opportunity when I went back to my oldstompin grounds (Merritt) for thanksgiving dinner with the parents. Once dinnerplans were set I quickly contacted a few old work buddies to see if they wereinto a quick Saturday morning hunt. One of my buddies was committed to kidssport tourneys but thankfully another one got back to me right away. He had theweekend off and his son was home with him and they would love to do some deerhunting. He is from Douglas Lake IR so he got permission to hunt the ranchlands. Had to provide all the details quickly – vehicle make, model, color,licence plate #, who was hunting, status #’s, where exactly we’d be hunting andtimes. Plan was to pick them up early in town so that we could make the driveup to Douglas Lake and get our permit before first light and hopefully catch afew deer out in the open grasslands.
We loaded up but didn’t have the guns at the ready as wewere planning on doing that when we got the permit as we still had 30 mins ofhwy driving to do. Just as we were pulling into the IR lands Jr. pipes up inthe back “Dad, there’s a deer right there!” Of course I was doing close to 100trying to get out to the area as we were a bit late and it was just gettinglight. I looked at my buddy and asked if we should try and get it, ‘Of course’was the answer so I quickly turned the truck around and we drove back to wherehe had seen the deer. Light was still low so we quickly dug out the bino’s andsure enough the deer was still standing there! (this was my first mule deerhunting so was shocked at how long the deer was standing there watching us). Iquickly let them know from the driver’s seat that I can see a decent size rack.They bail out and rummage for their gun and ammo. Now all is still with melooking through the bino’s and father and son setting up behind the truck.Hearing the father whisper guidance to his son as the deer’s body wasobstructed by brush with only his head showing … “just aim dead centre on hishead son” BANG! I watch the deer drop like a sack of bricks! Father and son setback up after the shot and recoil to see 2 deer hoping around confused. “did Imiss dad?” he quickly handed the gun over to his dad but I quickly let themknow that the deer wouldn’t be getting up after pilling up like that and thatthe 2 deer we were seeing was a smaller 2 point and a doe. We walk up the hillthe 75 yards to find a nice 5x3 shot just below the chin into the head. We quickly gut and drag the deer down to thetruck to try to make up lost time and get still try to get the deer out in theopen.
We ended up seeing a couple of WT does, some elk way way offand more than enough coyotes. Overall we just enjoyed the drive and hikes. Wasa touching moment watching my buddy hunt and harvest a deer with his son. Wewere too busy to take pics so here is one after the fact.
http://i1062.photobucket.com/albums/t498/dwilliams113/IMG_0221_zps05667e0b.jpg (http://s1062.photobucket.com/user/dwilliams113/media/IMG_0221_zps05667e0b.jpg.html)
http://i1062.photobucket.com/albums/t498/dwilliams113/IMG_0225_zpsd9a2a13a.jpg (http://s1062.photobucket.com/user/dwilliams113/media/IMG_0225_zpsd9a2a13a.jpg.html)
The rest of October was busy again with somework and only getting out a few times for only first or last light at my Wtspot. Finally at the end of Oct I walked down to my blind at 5pm trying to bequiet but wanting to get into the blind and set myself up and wait. Scanning aroundas I come up to the blind I don’t see anything so quickly make the last dash inthe open to the blind. Just get inside and flip up my log for my seat when Ihear the dreaded huff. Crap! 3 WT does and one with a fawn looking right at meat 70 yards! I freeze and mentally get ready in case they try to make a run asthey in the middle of a cut block. Fortunately they only heard me and the windwas in my favor. The lead doe structed around with her tail up and slowly movedaway towards the timber. She was obscurded by brush but I set myself up andwaited till she walked out into the open. One more step and she presented ashot and the gun surprised me by going off as it always does and I see the deerpile up. I keep scanning to make sure no follow up shot needed and see one moredoe running away that I didn’t initially see. I hike down and find my doe down.She spun 180 and flipped over, both lunges shot out … guess the 225 grain tsxout of my 338 WM at under a 100 yards did the trick lol. Sorry for the poor pic,I forgot my phone / camera in my rush to get out that evening. Overall thathunt was less than 5 mins from leaving the truck and hiking down to the blindand shooting right away.
http://i1062.photobucket.com/albums/t498/dwilliams113/IMG_0384_zpsd208f4e0.jpg (http://s1062.photobucket.com/user/dwilliams113/media/IMG_0384_zpsd208f4e0.jpg.html)