WoodOx
11-09-2007, 11:46 AM
Well, I couldnt resist. I set a goal for myself at the beginning of the year to kill a minimum 170 mule deer buck, but as the season draws to a close, I decided to head out yesterday.
It was about 3pm and I was stuck in heavy Kelowna bridge traffic. I was on my way to a little spot that I hunt with bow and shotgun, as its within city limits. I shot and missed 5 4pts last year with my bow, so I decided due to time limits (season close in 2 days) I would take the shotty.
I was hoping to get a couple hour hunt in, but the traffic was holding me up pretty badly. Before I knew it it was 3:45 by the time I got into my spot. Only just over an hour to hunt...
I posted some pics and mentioned some bucks from off this property earlier inthe year, but due to the nature of the property it acts as a corridor from a couple different mountains. I almost never see the same buck twice as they travel extensively from Kelowna to Vernon sort of direction.
So I get into the area and its just pissing rain with pea soup fog, restricting my vision to only a couple hundred yards. Not a huge disadvantage I think, as its fairly small area that is mostly wooded.
I get to the natural clearing that I want to slowly hunt and park my truck. Start glassing and immediatly pick up rut activity. Off to the left there is a wide three point running what looked like a fawn doe. Another doe in my middle vision and a small two point bedded to my far left. Not bad I think, so I keep glassing before I start hiking.
As my vision returns to the doe in the middle, I notice her acting somewhat uncomfortable. Shes standing there looking in my direction, but not at me. I watch her for a moment, and suddenly pick up a moving tree in the bottom left hand corner of my binos. Wait, thats not a tree, its a bedded buck :roll:
Anyways, I watch him but for some bloody reason he just will not turn his head towards me. Hes way too busy smelling the air and being comfortable, bedded next to this hot doe. I watch him for about 5 minutes and only seeing his side angle view, decide hes got decent forks, and its getting close to the end of the season, so lets persue him...
Got out of my truck to immediatly get wet. The rain is coming down hard now, but its good as its real quiet walking. Ive only got a comfortable range to 30 yards so it better damn well be quiet!
After much fussing through some long grasses and moving slowly as to not spook the hot doe I was about 30 yards looking sort of down on the buck. I only had a neck shot which is less than ideal with any firearm, never mind buckshot. I bleated a couple times and on the last bleat he looked somewhat in my direction but gave that nervous head jerk, like he just realized whats goin on. One shot in the neck put him down, he slowly rested his head almost as if he fell asleep.
After quickly loading him I rushed back into town to make my evening class. Damn university.
Anyways, after a decent short hunt I was done skinning him out by about 1am. He scores 165. Now for my region 3 tag, and Alberta/sask hunt!
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y258/agaucher/IMG_0619.jpg
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y258/agaucher/IMG_0639.jpg
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y258/agaucher/IMG_0633.jpg
It was about 3pm and I was stuck in heavy Kelowna bridge traffic. I was on my way to a little spot that I hunt with bow and shotgun, as its within city limits. I shot and missed 5 4pts last year with my bow, so I decided due to time limits (season close in 2 days) I would take the shotty.
I was hoping to get a couple hour hunt in, but the traffic was holding me up pretty badly. Before I knew it it was 3:45 by the time I got into my spot. Only just over an hour to hunt...
I posted some pics and mentioned some bucks from off this property earlier inthe year, but due to the nature of the property it acts as a corridor from a couple different mountains. I almost never see the same buck twice as they travel extensively from Kelowna to Vernon sort of direction.
So I get into the area and its just pissing rain with pea soup fog, restricting my vision to only a couple hundred yards. Not a huge disadvantage I think, as its fairly small area that is mostly wooded.
I get to the natural clearing that I want to slowly hunt and park my truck. Start glassing and immediatly pick up rut activity. Off to the left there is a wide three point running what looked like a fawn doe. Another doe in my middle vision and a small two point bedded to my far left. Not bad I think, so I keep glassing before I start hiking.
As my vision returns to the doe in the middle, I notice her acting somewhat uncomfortable. Shes standing there looking in my direction, but not at me. I watch her for a moment, and suddenly pick up a moving tree in the bottom left hand corner of my binos. Wait, thats not a tree, its a bedded buck :roll:
Anyways, I watch him but for some bloody reason he just will not turn his head towards me. Hes way too busy smelling the air and being comfortable, bedded next to this hot doe. I watch him for about 5 minutes and only seeing his side angle view, decide hes got decent forks, and its getting close to the end of the season, so lets persue him...
Got out of my truck to immediatly get wet. The rain is coming down hard now, but its good as its real quiet walking. Ive only got a comfortable range to 30 yards so it better damn well be quiet!
After much fussing through some long grasses and moving slowly as to not spook the hot doe I was about 30 yards looking sort of down on the buck. I only had a neck shot which is less than ideal with any firearm, never mind buckshot. I bleated a couple times and on the last bleat he looked somewhat in my direction but gave that nervous head jerk, like he just realized whats goin on. One shot in the neck put him down, he slowly rested his head almost as if he fell asleep.
After quickly loading him I rushed back into town to make my evening class. Damn university.
Anyways, after a decent short hunt I was done skinning him out by about 1am. He scores 165. Now for my region 3 tag, and Alberta/sask hunt!
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y258/agaucher/IMG_0619.jpg
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y258/agaucher/IMG_0639.jpg
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y258/agaucher/IMG_0633.jpg