whognu
10-29-2019, 09:28 AM
Well, it’s been a couple years since my last report so I thought it time for an update ………
Backstory:
For the past several years my ‘regular’ hunting buddies have found themselves otherwise occupied and luckily for me, the lovely and delightful Mrs. has stepped up and has now (some say sadly) become my number one, go to, hunting buddy
I really shouldn’t complain tho………….she pays half the fuel
Anywho, this year’s adventure begins similar to last year with the frantic last minute “hey where did you put my….and my and my…..huh? who put it there?........followed up with my emphatic “I would have never put it there”….because I (allegedly) don’t put much away, or at least where things are ‘supposed’ to go
Up the canyon we go on a beautiful fall morning
Turn right at cache creek and drive a bit then turn left; drive up the fsr a couple clicks and voila, home sweet home
(because hunt time was going to be short I drove up the Wednesday prior to scout out a place to park the trailer – a serious upgrade from the tent of years’ past)
So, place the trailer under some trees, gather rocks for the fire ring, build a fire, put lawn chairs in appropriate place and we are ready to go!
Not 10 minutes from base camp (not to be confused with the real manly-man base camp which is remote and on top of a mountain or wilderness lake and involves major human effort and skill and woodsmanship and backpacks and 3 oz cookstoves..…..) I look up the bank and say to said wife “hey, there’s a dead deer”
Out we get and scramble up the bank and yupper, one dead mule deer doe. Perfect shot, no meat spoilage, still cold from the night air. Hmmmmm, quick work with the trusty knife would yield a couple dandy backstraps……nyet, best leave alone. Of note, while we were up viewing the dearly departed a couple trucks drove by and had a long distance looksee at us
Back in the truck we drive on; with a little birdy telling I should probably report this, given that I and my mobile deer blind were seen at the scene of the crime
Call the RAPP line and spill my guts; all good thanks for your concern
Back to spark the fire, have a medicinal rummer and off to the comfort one can only find under a bed of 42 mexican blankets….
End of day 1 - 15 does and a couple chickens
Day 2
– drive around – a lot - get out and walk a few ridges
Have a bush lunch at side of road – smokies and a cold beer – does it get any better than that?
Circling back to the dead doe…..we meet up with the local CO (nice young guy, hunter) and I grill him about local hunting…..not much going on as yet………..we talked about the doe and he basically said thanks for reporting it, and you could have told the RAPP line that you will process it and hang it in camp and we may or may not come by your camp to get it and take it to the food bank; if we don’t you can keep it
HMMMMMMMMMMM, it will likely never happen again, yet I would be inclined to take him up on it if there were a next time……….or at least take the back straps……..after taking a few pictures to show the judge !!
Back to spark the fire, have a medicinal rummer and off to the comfort of 42 mexican blankets….
End of day 2 – about another dozen muley does/fawns – yes different ones than day one – no bucks
Day 3
Found some new ground up high which just screams ‘mule deer heaven’ ………and the temperature drops and we get some snow
Chase a few deer - turned out to be does (not a large surprise)
Around noon, head off mountain and before stopping to make a fire and have lunch we drive down a heretofore unexplored access road to the lake
At this time my mind is pondering what deer would be out in the bald-ass sage brush prairie at noon?
Suffice it to say the goddess of deer hunters works in mysterious ways
100 yards ahead a deer walks across the road and he was walking into what turned out to be a lovely bowl, with striking views of the lake
I look at her, she looks at me…….”that was a buck, right?”
“Yupper”
stop, jack a couple shells and slowly/quickly walk up behind the well placed berm overlooking said bowl………
inching up the berm, knowing I will be sky-lighted I think I should probably get down on my sorry ass and crawl……halfway down, a quick glance and I spy a beautiful blanket of prickly pear cactus……who needs this deer anyways?
‘Me’
upright once again, I inch up the berm 6“ at a time, scanning the bowl left to right, back and forth, forth and back
sadly, (for him) he is halfway up my line of sight (ie. he watched me for a good 2-3 minutes....) when I finally see him – broadside 100 yds
take a quick knee, pinch one tight to his shoulder and he makes a half circle trot away, presenting another broadside shot at about 125 yd
while knowing he was done for, I have always been a ‘shoot till he’s at right angles to the vertical’ kinda guy
boom; 3” from the first
YES!!
Give the lovely and delightful the thumbs up
https://i.imgur.com/mc0GZjx.jpg
She immediately positions the mobile deer stand as close as humanly possible to the downed deer (I tell you it is uncanny how precise she is)
Hug and a kiss, a few pics and the arduous drag to the truck (+/- 125yds…..ish)
Back to the camp, crack an ice cold lucky and hang, clean etc etc etc
Spark the fire, have a medicinal rummer (please no judgement, doctor says one a day is almost as good as an apple)
https://i.imgur.com/aJnzBXM.jpg
End of day 3 – a dandy 3/2 mule deer a couple chickens
Day 4
Have coffee, big fire and break down deer
https://i.imgur.com/DMky5l9.jpg
Put fire out, take fire pit apart, redistribute rocks and leave the camp like it was when we arrived – pristine and full of cow shit
Drive home; another successful 1,000 km round trip………..
Till next time
https://i.imgur.com/v0XRPeD.jpg
xoxo
Backstory:
For the past several years my ‘regular’ hunting buddies have found themselves otherwise occupied and luckily for me, the lovely and delightful Mrs. has stepped up and has now (some say sadly) become my number one, go to, hunting buddy
I really shouldn’t complain tho………….she pays half the fuel
Anywho, this year’s adventure begins similar to last year with the frantic last minute “hey where did you put my….and my and my…..huh? who put it there?........followed up with my emphatic “I would have never put it there”….because I (allegedly) don’t put much away, or at least where things are ‘supposed’ to go
Up the canyon we go on a beautiful fall morning
Turn right at cache creek and drive a bit then turn left; drive up the fsr a couple clicks and voila, home sweet home
(because hunt time was going to be short I drove up the Wednesday prior to scout out a place to park the trailer – a serious upgrade from the tent of years’ past)
So, place the trailer under some trees, gather rocks for the fire ring, build a fire, put lawn chairs in appropriate place and we are ready to go!
Not 10 minutes from base camp (not to be confused with the real manly-man base camp which is remote and on top of a mountain or wilderness lake and involves major human effort and skill and woodsmanship and backpacks and 3 oz cookstoves..…..) I look up the bank and say to said wife “hey, there’s a dead deer”
Out we get and scramble up the bank and yupper, one dead mule deer doe. Perfect shot, no meat spoilage, still cold from the night air. Hmmmmm, quick work with the trusty knife would yield a couple dandy backstraps……nyet, best leave alone. Of note, while we were up viewing the dearly departed a couple trucks drove by and had a long distance looksee at us
Back in the truck we drive on; with a little birdy telling I should probably report this, given that I and my mobile deer blind were seen at the scene of the crime
Call the RAPP line and spill my guts; all good thanks for your concern
Back to spark the fire, have a medicinal rummer and off to the comfort one can only find under a bed of 42 mexican blankets….
End of day 1 - 15 does and a couple chickens
Day 2
– drive around – a lot - get out and walk a few ridges
Have a bush lunch at side of road – smokies and a cold beer – does it get any better than that?
Circling back to the dead doe…..we meet up with the local CO (nice young guy, hunter) and I grill him about local hunting…..not much going on as yet………..we talked about the doe and he basically said thanks for reporting it, and you could have told the RAPP line that you will process it and hang it in camp and we may or may not come by your camp to get it and take it to the food bank; if we don’t you can keep it
HMMMMMMMMMMM, it will likely never happen again, yet I would be inclined to take him up on it if there were a next time……….or at least take the back straps……..after taking a few pictures to show the judge !!
Back to spark the fire, have a medicinal rummer and off to the comfort of 42 mexican blankets….
End of day 2 – about another dozen muley does/fawns – yes different ones than day one – no bucks
Day 3
Found some new ground up high which just screams ‘mule deer heaven’ ………and the temperature drops and we get some snow
Chase a few deer - turned out to be does (not a large surprise)
Around noon, head off mountain and before stopping to make a fire and have lunch we drive down a heretofore unexplored access road to the lake
At this time my mind is pondering what deer would be out in the bald-ass sage brush prairie at noon?
Suffice it to say the goddess of deer hunters works in mysterious ways
100 yards ahead a deer walks across the road and he was walking into what turned out to be a lovely bowl, with striking views of the lake
I look at her, she looks at me…….”that was a buck, right?”
“Yupper”
stop, jack a couple shells and slowly/quickly walk up behind the well placed berm overlooking said bowl………
inching up the berm, knowing I will be sky-lighted I think I should probably get down on my sorry ass and crawl……halfway down, a quick glance and I spy a beautiful blanket of prickly pear cactus……who needs this deer anyways?
‘Me’
upright once again, I inch up the berm 6“ at a time, scanning the bowl left to right, back and forth, forth and back
sadly, (for him) he is halfway up my line of sight (ie. he watched me for a good 2-3 minutes....) when I finally see him – broadside 100 yds
take a quick knee, pinch one tight to his shoulder and he makes a half circle trot away, presenting another broadside shot at about 125 yd
while knowing he was done for, I have always been a ‘shoot till he’s at right angles to the vertical’ kinda guy
boom; 3” from the first
YES!!
Give the lovely and delightful the thumbs up
https://i.imgur.com/mc0GZjx.jpg
She immediately positions the mobile deer stand as close as humanly possible to the downed deer (I tell you it is uncanny how precise she is)
Hug and a kiss, a few pics and the arduous drag to the truck (+/- 125yds…..ish)
Back to the camp, crack an ice cold lucky and hang, clean etc etc etc
Spark the fire, have a medicinal rummer (please no judgement, doctor says one a day is almost as good as an apple)
https://i.imgur.com/aJnzBXM.jpg
End of day 3 – a dandy 3/2 mule deer a couple chickens
Day 4
Have coffee, big fire and break down deer
https://i.imgur.com/DMky5l9.jpg
Put fire out, take fire pit apart, redistribute rocks and leave the camp like it was when we arrived – pristine and full of cow shit
Drive home; another successful 1,000 km round trip………..
Till next time
https://i.imgur.com/v0XRPeD.jpg
xoxo