New Hunters Paths To Success

[Dash]

Well, I’m not really sure where to start. This is my first “success” post and I have so much to say. I guess I’ll take a good friends suggestion and start near the beginning but be warned, this is probably going to be very long. I’m a talker.

Apologies ahead of time for poor grammar, writing, etc..

My immediate and extended family did a lot of hunting growing up and our dad often brought us along. Unfortunately I was too young to remember most of it and when my parents got divorced, that was the end of it. I rekindled with my dad about 10 years later but by then he wasn’t doing much hunting anymore and I wasn’t really thinking about it much at that point in my life either.

As a lot of you may know from my previous posts, a few years ago my brother and I decided to reintroduce ourselves to hunting along with our spouses. Sadly my dad passed away unexpectedly just before that. I wish he could have been here to watch and help us learn and hear about our adventures. And oh the adventures we’ve had..

My brother and I and our spouses get along really well and all share a passion and love for the outdoors. Whether crabbing, fishing, camping and now hunting, we really try to spend as much time outdoors as we can and often find ourselves doing it together. (Can’t beat great company!) As soon as we started hunting we quickly realized it was a rekindled long lost love and we quickly became addicted. Most of the time though it was mainly my brother and I who were leaving camp well before first light while our spouses slept in.

We started hunting part way through the 2015 season. It mainly consisted of hair raising driving situations down snowy hills (see previous posts – don’t worry, I quickly learned the importance of good chains) and a lot of just getting out there and exploring. We spent a lot of day and overnight trips in Region 2 and the occasional camping/hunting trip in Region 3. A few grouse bagged and a lot of does seen but no bucks.


2016

My first full hunting season and man was I excited. Again, we spent all of our time in Region 2 & 3 on a mixture of day, overnight and 3-4 day trips but this time it had a lot more excitement. I really can’t explain how excited I was to be seeing sign and so much of it at times. I was often reminded by my brother to stop spending so much time staring at the ground and more time looking up.. I try not to think about how many deer I probably missed by staring at prints..or crap.. Our techniques were usually a mixture of driving, walking or sitting. Every morning or evening was usually spent hiking in and sitting somewhere. One particular morning mid season, we were driving to a spot we planned on getting out and hiking when I looked out my brothers window and saw deer. I quickly smacked his arm. “Deer!!” They were probably only 10 feet from the truck and seemingly unbothered by our presence. At first glance, we thought they were all does but quickly realized there was a young spike in the group. My brother anxiously whispered “There’s a buck! Go get it!” I grabbed my gun and was about to jump out of the truck but hesitated. “What are you doing! Go!” But I didn’t. “It’s only a spike.. it seems small. And it’s so close to the truck.. and we’re only 10 minutes into the morning. It doesn’t seem right. It’s too easy.” After some more urging, I quickly snapped back, “You go get it!” At this point, the deer were casually walking down the road ahead of us and slowly out of sight. My brother hesitated and ultimately decided against taking the buck as well. It was 10 minutes in on the first day and I really did think we were going to see “lots” more. Oh how naïve and wrong I was. Not a buck to be seen for the rest of that trip or the season. We quickly realized the mistake we made and it has bothered us (mainly me) ever since. I was new, looking for my first deer, wanting meat in the freezer and I passed on a buck. What was I thinking..? A lot of great experiences and a few grouse summed up hunting in 2016...

A look at the buck I passed on.. Yes.. I even took a picture. I know, I already hate myself for that decision.

https://i.imgur.com/9Np4tua.jpg

Part 2 to come...

[Dash]

2017


This season was going to be different. I was pumped. My husband and I and a friend had our first successful LEH draw for a moose in 8-23. My husband and I spent a couple weeks exploring some of that MU in the summer and mapping out spots of interest and potential camps. Come September, we decided we would spend our first hunting trip in that region and do some more scouting at the same time. My brother tagged along and we had a great time with a few close calls, a couple grouse harvested and some more spots mapped out but no luck with big game.

Our next memorable trip was in mid October, again with my brother and his fiancé. A new area that we hadn’t been before but had done a fair amount of research on. It was cold (great) and very windy (not so great). We were worried how that would effect our hunting. One windy morning while our spouses slept my brother and I decided to get up and at least do a drive hunt. A couple hours in while we looked out the window and joked, my brother frustratingly jokes “Why can’t I just see some damn deer!?”.. I looked out at the front passenger side and.. “Deer!!” My brother quickly looks where I’m looking and grabs his clip, gun and is out of the truck like a bolt of lightning (although surprisingly quiet?) but they’re on to us and quickly making their way across a cut to the edge of the timber where they stalled for a bit. I got out with my gun and sat on the opposite side of the road. Both our binos were up as we crouched down but neither of us could make out if any were bucks. One had an incredibly large body but we just couldn’t be sure as they were too far at that point. We sat and watched for a while but eventually made our way back to the truck.

We drove a couple km’s and took another spur before I quickly realized the inevitable.. I had to pee. Too much coffee. Dammit. Well, it could be worse.. I told my brother to stop. “C’mon, lets just go a bit further. I think it deadends up here.” I reluctantly agreed, not wanting to be the annoying nagging little sister. About 500 feet later we’re at the end and it’s a great spot but I’m too focused on the task at hand. I bail out of the truck (not so quiet) and make my way over a bank behind the truck. At that point, I guess my brother realized his coffee had kicked in as well and he was out of the truck at the front doing his thing. Pants up (barely) and getting ready to make my way back.. “Tracy don’t move!” Shit. I freeze. Literally. Don’t even have my outer lair completely up. I can’t see him. I can’t see what he’s looking at or where he’s looking. But I know from the tone of his voice he must have spotted a deer. Could it be a buck? He sounds different than before. I didn’t move a muscle. Having spooked a lot of deer in the past with barely any movement, I wasn’t taking any chances by taking a step or pulling the rest of my lairs up. I’d be damned if I was going to be the reason my brother didn’t get his buck. I hear the truck door open. He’s getting his gun. Then nothing. Dammit. What’s going on? I stand there for what seemed like forever but in reality was probably about a minute when and all of a sudden I hear his feet shuffle in the gravel. I knew. I knew what he was doing. Holy crap, he’s positioning himself to shoot. Then “Boom!”.. Another round chambered.. “Boom!”. I’m pretty sure at that moment my heart stopped completely but I still didn’t move. “Tracy! Tracy, get over here. Get your binoculars. I got one!” Holy. Crap. Pants completely up, barrelling up the hill, in the truck, binos on and looking (even though I didn’t even know what direction at that point) and then back down and looking at him. He’s smiling but visibly in shock. I can’t contain myself anymore. I burst with emotion and run towards him, bear hugging him and babbling incoherently. I pull back and take him by the shoulders, looking at him. “You got one!? You seriously got one!? You saw him go down? How did it happen? Where did you get him? Where is he, how far? What happened?” (I missed it all, I had to ask a lot of questions). He points (that far?) and quickly explains how it happened. The buck was in the treeline and walking slowly along it, stopping occasionally to eat. He was at 390 yards. I was shocked. My brother has practiced a lot more than I have, is a better shot than me and a lot more confident in his shooting abilities but I was still shocked. It seemed so far away. He missed the first time and the second shot dropped the buck in his tracks. He got up and ran a very short distance before disappearing again. At this point I had tears in my eyes and was practically jumping up and down. I really can’t put into words how excited I was for my brother. We’ve worked so hard and him especially. Unlike me, he had a lot of close encounters with bucks on his own separate trips. He deserved this.

After waiting a couple minutes, we both geared up and made our way slowly up the cut. It was a quiet walk. We focused on where we were going and kept an eye out for tracks. We caught the bucks tracks and followed them up the hill. Over a small hill and there he was. I’m pretty sure we both let out a massive sigh at that point. He was a gorgeous, healthy, 2 point. After some high fives, hugging and cheering, we took a look at where he came from. He had only gone 20 feet. We could see where he initially dropped, ran forward, stumbled then quit. After a few pictures it was time to get to work.

https://i.imgur.com/yR6L6Hl.jpg

I laughed at the fact everything in my pack was new and unused and the fact that I was finally getting to use everything but proud at the same time that we were both prepared and had everything we needed. After getting him open, we quickly realized it had unfortunately nicked his gut enough to create quite the mess. After a half panicked call to curly top from the top of the mountain, our fears were eased and we quickly got him cleaned up, back to the truck and back to camp. It was a great learning experience. We worked on him in camp for a while after, thoroughly washing and making sure he was good and clean before packing up and coming home the next day. My brother hung him in his garage and spent a generous amount of time making sure there was no hair, dirt, etc before bringing him the butcher.

Part 3 and more to come..

[dougan]

Way to go great deer congrats !

[srupp]

Hmmmmm Congradulations. .amazing recount of the events. .bringing the emotion to the events..truly enjoyed it all.
Well done and thank you for sharing..it is appreciated.
Steven

[Dash]

Thanks guys! I have a lot more to post but I'm falling asleep so I'll do it tomorrow

[Looking_4_Jerky]

Haha, the enthusiasm is great. Look forward to hearing the rest of your adventures.

[guest]

Great to see ya post this up Dash!
This group of beginners are determined folks. Can't wait for the rest of the story!

[Salty]

Nice! What a great read thanks for the details and the great story(s) you made my day Dash :)
I'll be watching for the rest .. :cool:

[Dash]

Our next trip was for our moose leh. After renting a wall tent from an extremely generous HBC member, we left on November 4th and planned to stay for a week. We headed for Lumby with the intention to hunt the Harris Creek area. Unfortunately some unforeseen circumstances delayed our travel and we arrived a lot later in the day than we anticipated. After some brief exploring we made the call to stay in the motel in Lumby for the night and start over in the morning.

Up before first light and we were off. I had a lot of different areas marked for potential camps but most of them were pretty far in. I worried about the conditions. We took it slow and did a lot of drive hunting along the way. Unfortunately the recent snow storm that hit the area before we arrived, although great for hunting, was making driving difficult. It wasn’t long before we had the chains on but even then it was becoming challenging in spots. Sadly most the areas we had scouted previously were just too snowed in. We tried hard to get into one particular area we found in the summer and were incredibly excited about (I appropriated deemed “moose meadow) but the truck was starting to push snow and constantly losing traction, even with chains. We got out to take a breather before making the call on what to do next and it wasn’t long before I was seeing moose sign. Not overly fresh.. But it was the first sign I had seen all day. Sadly I knew where they were leading and it was still quite a ways away. Even if we set up camp here, the daily trek would be far and difficult in such deep snow. To be honest, we’re not in great shape and well aware of our physical limitations. On top of that, if it snowed significantly again we could be in trouble. (the forecast was questionable) It just wouldn’t be smart or safe to attempt it. After all, I also promised my friends wife that I would get her husband home in one piece.. Reluctantly we made the call to abandon that area. I was feeling pretty down and frustrated but tried to look at the bright side. At least we successfully researched and scouted an area I felt strongly about and confirmed there were moose in the area later in the season. At least we were learning and honing our techniques.

My plan A didn’t work and B and C were not working out either but we descended back down and checked out some great spots lower in elevation. No moose sign but an endless amount of deer sign which got my spirts lifted. After finding a good spot we headed back down to the main road to give my brother a call and let him know where we were going to be. He was busy but planned to come for a few days later in the week. Once down at the main road legal shooting light was nearing its end so we decided to put the rifles away. My husband got out of the truck to do this when he disappeared from site and I heard a crash and a heart wrenching moan…. Crap.. Our friend and I scrambled out of the truck and quickly found my husband on the ground clutching his knee. Shit. He slipped on ice and smashed his knee into the cement. Like most men, my husband has a high pain tolerance and doesn’t show a lot of emotion even when he is suffering. But the look on his face, tone of his voice and the way he was holding his knee told me it wasn’t good. I knelt beside him and examined the leg. He could move it, it wasn’t broken. He made the call not to go to a hospital (in hind site, we probably should have). Back up on his feet and in the truck we sat and discussed our next steps. I told them we needed to go home. He needed to get off that leg and have it looked it. A couple minutes in, I could see visible swelling through his pant leg. Being the stubborn but loveable b@stard he is, he refused and demanded we put him up in the motel so we could continue hunting. “Absolutely not. I’m not going to leave you there, by yourself, with no vehicle, suffering” etc etc. After some more debating and bantering, we decided we would all stay in the motel. Definitely not ideal but this would allow me to keep an eye on him but still get out and make the most of our hunting trip. It would cost more for sure. More gas, hotel etc. unused tent rental, etc. but it didn’t matter. We’d figure it out and make the most of it. So that was that. We set up in the motel for the night and strategized. We’d go day by day and reassess the situation at the end of each day.

The next morning, I got up, made sure he had everything he needed, made sure his leg was propped up and left a note as to where we’d roughly be. I also marked on my maps where I got sporadic cell phone signals previously so I would call and check on him later. Off we went… Hopefully things look up…

Part 4 to come..

[HarryToolips]

Way to go Dash good deer those young muley bucks do taste good..

[nature girl]

Dash very detailed thank you.

[Ajsawden]

Excited for part 4. One through three were excellent. Thanks for sharing :)

[Dash]

Thanks everyone! Sorry for the late follow up posts! And apologies again for the poor writing/grammar. I always seem to do these late at night lol

The next few days were pretty much the same. A mixture of driving, hiking, sitting and coming back to check on my husband and make sure he was ok. A lot of does, endless wolf sign and no bucks or moose. The deer also seemed to be primarily nocturnal. We put on a lot of km’s, checked out a lot of different areas between Lumby and Cherryville and met a lot of friendly and helpful people along the way. Hunters, loggers, ranchers, you name it, everyone was pleasant to talk to and always offering advice or good luck. A lot of cold and beautiful mornings. Definitely can’t complain about the views!

https://i.imgur.com/sJhe9Lw.jpg - Figured I'd link this one instead of a direct post since it's a panoramic shot.

Part way through the week a drastic warm up and another significant snowfall made driving more challenging in areas. One particular morning, after traversing up a seemingly innocent looking spur, we lost traction and slid ass end into a culvert. Dammit. The advice from fellow HBC members about not waiting until the last minute to put chains on nagged at the back of my mind. I had all the supplies I would need including a winch though so I wasn’t overly concerned. I didn’t feel like digging out the winch and what not so I decided to just dig a bit with a shovel, lock the rear diff and put it in 4 low. A little bit of time and maneuvering and we managed to get out. If I had to guess, that probably took us about 30 minutes. Back down the road and around a corner about 500ft and it was clear something had crapped right across my tire tracks. I already assumed what it was but rolled down the window to confirm. Wolf. Seriously? My experience with wolves is very limited and I'd never seen that before or had them that close to me. In the back of my mind, I thought about the 3 ranchers I had met previously. They had all given me their phone numbers because they were all missing cattle. One particular gentlemen showed me pictures of the cattle he had that have come home with horrific wolf inflicted wounds and a couple more of some wolves he had gotten. Now I was mad. Those f*ckers were probably watching me while I dug out the truck. I parked the truck, got out and spent some time calling. I had hoped they may still be near by. No luck though.. Next time..

https://i.imgur.com/9dxZiaD.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/VtwU1Fr.jpg

The next couple of days were the same. Nothing overly exciting.. except the last day.. Driving back from an unsuccessful morning hunt, we spotted some mule does on the side of the road at the edge of a cut. Knowing the rut was on, I parked the truck, grabbed my gun and got out as quietly as I could. I was around a bend at this point and slowly crept in. I was following their tracks because they had moved and I wasn’t 100% sure where they were when I looked up and was busted by one of the does who I assume must have heard me coming and decided to check what I was. I knelt quietly and watched as she slowly made her way up the hill towards another treeline. I was hoping she would meet up or be followed by a buck but no luck. Where was the another doe? I got up and slowly moved along when I looked off to the side and noticed a third set of tracks… Big tracks.. Buck tracks! Fresh! There’s one here somewhere.. My hearted started pounding. I continued creeping along, following the tracks, when I looked up and met the gaze of a huge bodied deer standing just inside some thin brush at less than 20 yards. (I couldn’t believe it didn’t run) Buck! I quickly lifted my rifle. He was big and I immediately saw antlers. I started to shake. I couldn’t see how many tines he had. We stood there frozen, staring at each other for what seemed like forever. I couldn’t believe how bad I was shaking. From my hands down to my feet. My teeth were beginning to chatter from anxiety. I tried to calm myself down.. I was SO excited and nervous. This has to be what everyone calls buck fever.. I had never felt it before this point. My arms started to ache and I didn’t care. Finally, he tilted his head and bit a branch. 2… He had 2, long tines. He was only a 2 point. Dammit!! I dropped my rifle and watched him for a while. His doe slowly came around the corner, saw me and started off up the hill at which point he decided he’d had enough of me and followed hot on her tail, grunting all the way. The two of them stopped at the top of the treeline with him trying to jump her. I couldn’t believe how much more carefree they were during the rut. Despite the frustration of only being 2 point, I loved the experience. It was my first time having my crosshairs on a buck and it was the first time I’d ever gotten to hear a buck grunt in real life and witness how their behavior changes during the rut. Another experience under my belt…

That ended our week long moose hunt but I was determined and not done yet...

Part 5 to come..

[Dash]

A couple weeks and a few xrays later, we were still feeling the financial and physical effects of our previous adventures. Our financial situation could have been better and my husands knee, although not fractured, turned out to have some significant soft tissue damage. With him still struggling with the pain and mobility being a challenge, it was pretty clear that our season was at its end. I decided though that I wasn’t ready to give up. After talking it through I decided it was time for a solo adventure. I was going to give it one last kick at the can. At least then I would really feel as though I really gave this season my all. Thursday morning and I was off…

Of course I picked a day where the roads were absolute crap. Highway 1 was closed due to the landslide, Highway 7 was congested, it was absolute downpour down here on the coast and the Coquihalla was a snowy mess.. It was a long drive to Vernon. I was going to just do the usual and sleep in my truck but with my brother and his fiance living in the area, I decided to take them up on their offer for accommodation. At least I could visit at the same time. In the end there wasn’t much visiting though because I was up before they were, gone all day and back later in the evenings. Oh well. That’s technically what I was there for..

One of the good things about spending so much time up there previously is the fact that I had a good understanding of the surrounding area and where I wanted to be. With no meat in the freezer and moose continually eluding me, I decided to set my sights on a deer. Whitetail in particular because I had marked a good area for them that I found previously.

Day 1… Knowing I was going for whitetail, I decided early on that drive hunting wouldn’t be the best tactic this trip. I was going to spend the day hiking and that’s exactly what I did, stopping once in a while for an hour or so to mix it up. During those times I tried a mixture of rattling and grunting, then listening and glassing. I had no experience doing this but after watching some videos, I decided to give it a shot. I don’t think I did too bad but I didn’t have any luck. Nearing the end of the day, I was exhausted. My body hated me and as I mentioned previously, I’m not in great shape. I couldn’t help but think I had no business being up there, doing the things I was doing but I was stubborn. I wasn’t going to miss an opportunity on a deer for a lack of trying or being in crappy shape so I continued on but decided I should make my way back. It was going to be dark soon.

While making my way back, I looked up and saw something moving at about 100 yards. I quickly lifted the binos and discovered it was a whitetail buck. Holy crap… I knelt down as I was fairly exposed and had no rests near by. At this point he spotted me but the wind was in my favor and I guess he didn’t know what I was so he started trotting towards me at a decent click. I couldn’t believe it. He was coming right for me. I was finally going to get a deer! Again, I really can’t describe my excitement. Just like the mulie buck before, I was shaking like a leaf from my head to my toes and my breathing hitched. I kept the crosshairs on him and let him come to me until he stopped at about 50 yards. I was busted. He turned slightly and I pressed the trigger. Nothing happened…. What!? No! What the hell! I immediately checked the safety. Safety was off. I turned it on and off again and nothing. After my second attempt he decided he better get the hell out of there and started running away but across to the side of me. He stopped to look and was standing perfectly broadside at 60 or so yards. I pivoted, crosshairs on him, pressed the trigger, nothing. Dammit!!!! I frantically played with the safety and looked at the gun. Why isn’t this working!? Now he booked it. He ran and huffed his was into the bush. I let out a couple buck grunts but it was no use. He was gone. I ran down the hill around the corner where I thought he’d come out but he never did. Upon closer inspection, I discovered my bolt was turned up slightly. I guess it got caught on my pack when I took it off my back. I took a shot into the side of the hill to be sure. It fired. I was devastated. How could I have screwed this up so bad? How could I not have noticed that? How could I be so stupid? I was exhausted, my emotions were clearly getting the better of me and I knew I was over reacting. It happens.. People make mistakes. But it didn’t matter.. I felt horrible. After discovering I’d left my headlamp in the truck and my backup flashlight was half dead, I slowly made my way a km or so back to my truck humming Christmas carols out loud to keep my sanity and hopefully scare off any potential predators… If any other hunters in the area happened to hear that, I definitely owe you an apology for the atrocity you had to listen to that night..

That evening my brother brought me his rifle. It was new, very reliable and he wanted me to use it so I didn’t have a repeat of what happened tonight. As much as I love my rifle, it’s old and has a few quirks. I didn’t want to take any chances so I accepted his generous offer. He got his first deer with it this year.. Maybe it would bring me good luck?

I played the situation over and over again in my mind while I laid in bed that night. It was a restless sleep filled with dreams of the buck that got away..

Day 2.. Was just as eventful as day 1. Though I was sore and feeling defeated, I made my way back the way I went the previous day. A couple hours in, I had an idea of where I wanted to sit for a while. Time and time again I’ve read on here the importance of being slow and quiet. With that in mind, I made my way walking as slowly as I could, stopping to glass every 10 feet or so. This and wind direction worked in my favor and I was able to sneak up on quite a few does. At this point, my spirits were lifted and I really started enjoying my day. Knowing I was getting close to my destination, I quickened my pace. That proved to be a mistake. I looked up and saw a deer standing broadside, looking at me at just over 100 yards. Another doe. Or so I thought.. Binos up.. I quickly discovered it was another young whitetail buck. I lifted my rifle but he bolted. I followed him but he never presented a safe shot. He was gone. After letting out a big sigh.. I decided to not let that get me down and just learn from my mistake. I sat for a while and started on my grunting and rattling routine with the odd doe bleat.

A couple hours later I decided to move on. I knew the next area I wanted to make my way to and it would take a while to get there. The same thing as before. Walk, glass, walk, glass, glass some more. More does. I made my way to my spot and spent the rest of the day and evening hunkered down between some logs doing the occasional grunt and rattle sequence with the occasional doe bleat. With 10 or so minutes of legal shooting light left I was about to pack up when I heard some crunching in the bushes directly in front of me…. I lifted my binos to see a deer making it’s way through the woods in my direction. It wasn’t until it was almost out in the open that I could confirm it was another whitetail buck. I slowly lifted my rifle. It didn’t notice. It wasn’t presenting a shot so I waited. A few more seconds and it finally turned in my favor. I pressed the trigger. “BOOM!” the buck bolted. Holy crap! Finally! I waited a few minutes and sat there shaking. I started to replay the situation in my head and got a sinking feeling. I distinctly remember nervously jerking slightly when I shot.. The buck didn’t jump.. or rear up.. It just bolted.. No… Dammit. Did I miss? I decided I had waited long enough and went to look. No sign. No blood, no hair, nothing. Knowing that doesn’t necessarily mean anything, I spent the next hour or so searching. I did circles and laps, like I’d read to do in this situation. There was no snow and it was now pitch black so tracking was more difficult. No sign anywhere. I’d missed. How could I have possibly missed? How could I have messed up AGAIN? I was incredibly angry and upset with myself at this point. I’d never taken a shot at a deer before. Doubt plagued my thoughts when I laid in bed that night and it was another restless night.

Day 3… The first thing I did that morning was make my way back to where I’d taken the shot at the buck the evening before. Based on how everything played out the evening before and what my gut was telling me, I was already 99% sure I’d missed but I needed to be 100%. I spent the next couple of hours searching again, listening and looking for ravens. Nothing. It was a clean miss. He was super close (30 yards?) and slightly down hill and I fired high. I definitely felt a sigh of relief but sadness at the same time for screwing up a third opportunity.

The rest of the day was spent doing the same things as before (I thought I must be doing something right if I’d now encountered 3 bucks) but it was very windy. There were no deer to be seen all day right through to the evening. After a cold walk back to the truck through a wind and hail storm, it was time to make my way home and think about what I was going to do next. I was technically supposed to be going home tomorrow..

That evening I was sure my brother was joking when he said I should just stay until I get a deer. Turns out he wasn’t. I laughed. Could I? I mean, I was so close.. I’m incredibly fortunate that I work from home with a flexible schedule and that my brother and his best friend are my bosses. If your boss tells you to stay and hunt, then you should stay and hunt right? After a quick call to my husband who agreed with my brother, it was decided. I would stay at least for another day or so.. The season closed on Thursday so I couldn’t stay forever…

I slept good that night. I knew I had given the search my all and I had high hopes for the next day.

Part 6 to come... It's not over yet.

[Dash]

Part 6... The finale. Perseverance pays off.

Day 4… Despite a good sleep the previous adventures had taken a toll and I slept in slightly. I was up where I wanted to be around 7:30. I parked the truck and started to get my gear ready. I was going to make my way to an area where I had seen a condensed amount of sign and was near where I had taken the shot on the buck previously. I got out of the truck and quietly put my gear on the ground with my rifle on top when I hear some crashing and thumping.. I turn and see 2 deer that were obviously bedded near me running away.. It’s very obvious 1 is a buck. Are you serious!? I’ve gone years without seeing a buck and this is now the 4th buck I’ve seen since I’ve been here! And the 4th buck I’ve missed an opportunity on! Dammit! I was so frustrated.. But I did notice something different. They were running but it wasn’t like before. They were spooked but not 100% sure of the danger so they weren’t going full click. I wondered if they would stop? I left my gear on the ground, popped my clip in the gun and stalked down the road in the direction they went. I walked as quietly as I possibly could.. literally on my toes and listened. About 80 feet down the road and I heard a sound behind me. The doe had circled back. She didn’t see me and walked casually across the road. That was a good sign. Where’s the buck? Did I miss him? Did he already cross or is he still waiting? I didn’t know what to do at this point. Should I continue down the road? Walk back the way I came, towards the doe? Or should I wait? The decisions ate at me but I decided to wait. I froze and stood there for about 10 minutes and listened. A few minutes later I heard crunching behind me in the direction the doe came from.. Is he coming for her? Knowing there was a good possibly it was going to the buck this time I lifted my rifle and waited. All of a sudden I saw him.. First his beautiful rack..then head.. Then body.. He was actually walking up a slight incline in my direction. Holy sh*t… This is it… I steadied myself as he took a couple cautious steps in my direction.. a couple more.. then he turned.. “BOOM!” He bolted. Holy crap! Holy crap! I got him! I seriously got him! A couple split seconds later though, doubt filled my mind. He ran so fast and didn’t jump.. He didn’t drop… I couldn’t have missed him… At that moment, I told myself if I missed him. That’s it. I’m obviously not meant for this. But one thing was different… When he ran.. He ran downhill.. Frontend heavy… He didn’t run straight up like I’ve watched them do previously..


I waited a couple more minutes before cautiously walking to where he was when I took the shot. I didn’t see any sign. I looked over but I couldn’t see over the small hill. As I walked forward and my field of view increased.. I saw him…dead. He only went about 30 yards. I don’t think I can adequately describe how I felt at that moment. My heart stopped.. My knees got weak.. My body started to shake violently and my eyes filled with tears. I gasped and covered my mouth trying to contain my emotion. I couldn’t. I let out I’m sure an inaudible cheer. I keeled over, trying to calm myself and catch my breath. I couldn’t fathom what was happening. I did it. I finally did it. I was so overwhelmed with so many different emotions. I was so happy. Is it normal to be that excited and that happy? I hope so, but if not, I’m ok not being normal. This was one of the best experiences in my life. I worked so hard for this deer. I walked over to him and quickly discovered he was a gorgeous 5x4. All the previous bucks I’d seen had been 2 points and possibly 3. He was beautiful. After staring at him in awe for a couple more minutes I quickly called my brother and told him the news. He couldn’t contain his excitement either. He sounded just as excited as I did. After some pictures and more talking it was time to get to work.

https://i.imgur.com/XwT5mjP.jpg


https://i.imgur.com/Yz1Nmlt.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/QQlOHQ8.jpg

[Dash]

I took my time and the gutting went smoothly. I decided to take him out whole since he wasn’t very far from the road. Getting him into the truck was challenging but I managed and before I knew it I was on my way back to my brothers with my very first deer in my truck. We hung the deer in the garage and skinned it there. We took extra time and trimmed the majority of the fat off at that point as well. I know some people don’t, but I’ve heard the fat can give a strong gamey taste so we decided to trim it like we did with my brothers mule deer. (That deer tastes phenomenal)


https://i.imgur.com/hcHmVHl.jpg


The next day I took some extra time and wiped the deer down thoroughly inside and out to ensure there was no hair and dirt. I’m sure I was over doing it but I wanted to make sure it was perfect. I’m a bit ocd like that lol. Once that was done, I bagged him up and brought him home to a butcher closer to home!


https://i.imgur.com/DguH3dI.jpg


https://i.imgur.com/ffeWnC7.jpg


So that's our story. The story of two new hunters and their first deer. I hope those who like long stories enjoyed it. For those that I don't, I apologize. I hope in the seasons to come that I will have more success stories to share. I promise, I won't share 3 years worth at once :)

I hope new hunters read this and it gives them hope. Don't give up. Your perseverance will pay off eventually. The award is truly amazing.

A huge thank you to curly top. Thank you for putting up with my half panicked phone calls, all my silly questions and the endless advice and guidance you've offered. I wouldn't have been able to do it without you and I am truly grateful.

Thank you as well to all the other members who have helped me out over the past couple of years. There's too many to name but all of your help played a huge part in my success! Thank you so much!

Cheers everyone!

[Hank Hunter]

Great story, thanks for sharing and congrats on an awesome first whitey.

[Fella]

HEy congrats that’s a phenomenal deer! What a great season you had, you definitely did the right thing by going slow

[sparkes3]

well done
determination
one way to help with the fever is not thinking wow I'm going to get my buck when you first see something ,just pretend you don't have a gun and you are just out for a walk and sweet theres a deer.

[Knute]

Great story and pics.

Thanks for sharing your hunting experiences, well told.

[guest]

What an epic read !
What perserverance, dedication and effort you put forward! You did it, you deserve a HATS OFF !

Way to Go Dash! You've led by example?

Congrats to you all, and thank you for such a terrific Share!

Heres to to next season and many to follow, I hope you all mend up healthy and happy. cheers to you, your other half and Bro.

glad to help.

CT

[BeerMan]

Excellent read and pictures! Thank You!
I read most of part 6 out loud to BeerLady, I'm hoping to get her into hunting and stories and pics like this are perfect.

[Spy]

Great write up and a big congrats on your first deer.

[silvertipp]

Great story and way to hang in there. You keep putting in your time and you will have lots of stories to share

[kennyj]

That was an excellent hunting adventure!! Thanks for sharing your story and congratulations on your first buck!! He's a beauty.
kenny

[Whonnock Boy]

Now that was a great story. Thanks so much for taking the time to share your success. Well done....

[Dash]

Thanks so much everyone! Really appreciate the kind comments!

[finngun]

thanx about great story...pictures.....you see,,never giv up..it pays off..one tuff girl yu are,,i guess ya hunter for ever..just do lots of shooting,and get really familiar with yu gun,,:cool:

[Salty]

Awesome,, One of best reads ever thanks for the detailed write up Dash. Your determination is hard core kudos to you, you deserve that buck! :)

[VLD43]

Congrats Dash. You definitely earned that one. And he is a very nice buck indeed. You have just demonstrated the old adage in spades " The harder you work, the luckier you get. Well done

[longwalk]

Way to go Tracy. Perseverance, lots of hard work mixed with a bit of luck equals success. He looks like a good eater.

[Dash]

Way to go Tracy. Perseverance, lots of hard work mixed with a bit of luck equals success. He looks like a good eater.

Thank you so much and thank you again for all your help!

Wow 5 star rating! Thanks everyone! So glad everyone has enjoyed the story.

I just got a call that my deer is ready. Great timing because my deep freeze arrived today haha. The hanging weight was 76lbs. I'm assuming I lost a few pounds with the fat trimming and what not but I'm not sure how that compares to most whitetails. I'm assuming on the smaller side? I know my brothers 2 point mulie was around 90lbs if I remember correctly. Either way, I can't wait to get it home and in the freezer!

[325]

Great story!!

[Buckmeister]

Way to go! Very nice first buck! When you wrote that when the doe walked behind you and you wern't sure what to do, I was saying to myself "just sit a wait", and of course that is what you did and it paid off! No your hooked for sure.

[Looking_4_Jerky]

Hey Dash, thanks for the great read. What others gave to you in advice you've repaid in entertainment value.

What I actually enjoyed most was that you took me back to the time when I too was so filled with excitement over hunting trips that I could hardly contain myself. I still enjoy hunting road trips now, but things are more mellow even on the most exciting of trips.

One of my observations about my own success, and I'm thinking yours too from the sounds of it, is that when I started being more relaxed, less pressured to succeed in the kill, the more successful I was and the more enjoyable hunting became. In the early days I felt so pressured to succeed it was a miracle I got any enjoyment out of it at all. You may have missed a few chances, but under that kind of pressure it's not surprising you may have missed a couple of good chances.

Keep up the good work and the enthusiasm!!

[longwalk]

The next step is getting a couple of boning knives, a small grinder and and some meat wrap so you can see the process through from start to finish.

[LuckyIfYouGetOne]

Enjoyed the detailed write up and congrats on a beautiful buck

[Lugg]

Awesome, congrats! I just posted a similar story in mid November as my son and I got our first buck. It took us about as long as it took you. Man it felt great! I had all the same emotions, so happy. Sharing it with my son was fantastic.

The worst part is I don't think any other deer will give us that same feeling as the first. On the other hand, at least we're old enough to remember it!

Congrats again.

[Lugg]

The next step is getting a couple of boning knives, a small grinder and and some meat wrap so you can see the process through from start to finish.

I meant to mention this as well.

You already have the deer skinned and hung. Butchering it is actually not as hard as you might think as the muscle groups come apart very easily. The money you pay to have it done for you could purchase the gear you'll want to do it at home. It's worth it.

Watch some YouTube videos on it.

Maybe next year!

[steepNdeep]

Nice work & beauty deer! Great to see some new hunters getting out there! The harder that you work, the more rewarding is uour success...

[M.Dean]

I'm sooo glad we switched over to "Tide", it saves me so much time doing the laundry, I was able to read your entire story!!! Witch was one of the better ones I've read I might add! Keep up the good work and I'm looking forward to reading your adventures next hunting season for sure! (and how in hell does changing bloody soap make doing laundry any faster???) And speaking of clean, great job on looking after your animals "before" taking them to the butcher!

[simonvancouver]

great story thank you for sharing

[Outdoor_chef]

Congratulations!! Beautiful deer, I can't wait to go out with my wife next year for her first deer! That was a very inspirational read it shows perseverance gets results.

[guest]

Well worth a BUMP to inspire new hunters.

Way to GO Dash !

[pg83]

Missed this one, awesome recount of the events!

Great job to both of you!

[whognu]

ditto on the 'missed this one'

great write-up; you and the 'team' are a great addition to our Canadian heritage

thanks for taking the time

whognu

[Dash]

Oh man... I decided to reread this post for myself to give myself some encouragement for the upcoming days! It worked, I'm amped up haha! Since this post, I've now moved out of the Lower Mainland to the Okanagan so I'm fortunate enough to be able to hunt a lot more often! So far since this post, I've gotten an leh mule doe, my brother has gotten 2 whitetail does and this year we got a beautiful 4 point md on opening day! Couldn't believe it! My brother took the shot so I've been doing a lot of solo trips since. My husband tags along occasionally but it's clear I'm much more into it haha.

I'm excited to get out again this weekend! Hopefully I'll have some success to post!

Get out there and have fun everyone! Best of luck!

Tracy