BCBairdo
11-14-2007, 12:04 AM
Went up for my yearly Okanagan hunt with my buddy Peter for Muley and Whitetails. This year I was up there for last two days of Muley and then we hunted WT after that. This is one of my favourite hunts of the year because Peter is a deer-huntaholic and he loves to do it right....hike the timber and call them in...I have sure learned a lot from him over the years.
First morning saw several Muley does then jumped a large 3-point, can't believe a buck can be that wide without being a 4-point. Just goes to show you have to make sure before you pull the trigger. Then did a setup (put out scent) with some raking and can calling...within 20 min. a small 4-point came into me at 20 yards....not what I was looking for so I bid him adieu. Saw one other young 4-point that day but with the freezer full I wanted to hold out for Mr. Big.
Next morning found us in a torential downpour in the fog. The fog was so thick that we actually pulled the plug on our spot up in the mountain and headed down the mountain to an area that we could see a little better. We were just about to park the truck when we jumped a couple of Muley's when all of a sudden a big 4-point appeared. I was riding in the back so John hopped out and I followed with the binos. I made sure it was a 4-point but unfortunately John couldn't see it from where he was standing and the buck took off and disappeared over the ridge. I then ran back to the truck grabed my gun and sprinted down the road a couple hundred yards and then through the draw and over the ridge to see if he was still there. When I popped over the ridge it was deer pandamonium! There was at least 20 does running every which way through the trees including 2-points and 3-points and then there he was.....MR. BIG...bounding through the trees and over the next ridge. I dropped to my knees and hit the can call and lo and behold he turns (it was very thick bush) and starts working his way back up the ridge. He stopped at about 150 yards away and looked straight up towards me....I put the cross-hairs on his neck (I could only see his head but he was facing straight on and his rack was at least 4" past his ears on each side....oh my GOD)...my heart was pumping like crazy and finally he turned his head and I confirmed 1-2-3-4 points....and in the half a second it would have taken me to pull the trigger he bolted out of the only shooting lane I had and back into the thick timber and gone. I went down to the next ridge and couldn't see him anywhere so started to work my way back to the truck when all of a sudden....BOOM...a shot goes off about 150 yards further down the ridge from me. I headed back to the road to find that the truck was gone??? Where did they go? Then I look back down the road the other way and there is another buck on the road...holy crap it is another 4-point...it sees me and bolts down through the draw and over the ridge. I then hear a second shot go over only about 200 yards away (finishing shot I thought). I headed down the road to where the buck went in and saw John waving at me? He had shot at the first big buck we saw out of the truck and wanted some help looking for it. It turns out the other 4-point ran right by him that I had seen on the road but he never really saw it very well. I asked him if he had finished his deer off with a second shot and he said no....he thought it might have been Peter shooting. Peter then came and found us to report he shot a huge buck and it dropped in his tracks!!! We then started looking for John's buck but no blood? but we know John is a crack shot so the deer must be somewhere....we split up and start doing some grid searches along with a good bit of Praying and about 30 min. later Peter found the buck dead in a draw about 140 yards from where John shot.
This was the second double header we have had hunting together in three years and it was almost a triple header! There must have been some really hot does in the area and all the big bucks came in for some action......finally we were in the Right Place at the Right Time!!!!!
Here are the pics.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v480/BCBairdo/PeachlandBigBuckHunt2007020.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v480/BCBairdo/PeachlandBigBuckHunt2007023.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v480/BCBairdo/PeachlandBigBuckHunt2007024.jpg
First morning saw several Muley does then jumped a large 3-point, can't believe a buck can be that wide without being a 4-point. Just goes to show you have to make sure before you pull the trigger. Then did a setup (put out scent) with some raking and can calling...within 20 min. a small 4-point came into me at 20 yards....not what I was looking for so I bid him adieu. Saw one other young 4-point that day but with the freezer full I wanted to hold out for Mr. Big.
Next morning found us in a torential downpour in the fog. The fog was so thick that we actually pulled the plug on our spot up in the mountain and headed down the mountain to an area that we could see a little better. We were just about to park the truck when we jumped a couple of Muley's when all of a sudden a big 4-point appeared. I was riding in the back so John hopped out and I followed with the binos. I made sure it was a 4-point but unfortunately John couldn't see it from where he was standing and the buck took off and disappeared over the ridge. I then ran back to the truck grabed my gun and sprinted down the road a couple hundred yards and then through the draw and over the ridge to see if he was still there. When I popped over the ridge it was deer pandamonium! There was at least 20 does running every which way through the trees including 2-points and 3-points and then there he was.....MR. BIG...bounding through the trees and over the next ridge. I dropped to my knees and hit the can call and lo and behold he turns (it was very thick bush) and starts working his way back up the ridge. He stopped at about 150 yards away and looked straight up towards me....I put the cross-hairs on his neck (I could only see his head but he was facing straight on and his rack was at least 4" past his ears on each side....oh my GOD)...my heart was pumping like crazy and finally he turned his head and I confirmed 1-2-3-4 points....and in the half a second it would have taken me to pull the trigger he bolted out of the only shooting lane I had and back into the thick timber and gone. I went down to the next ridge and couldn't see him anywhere so started to work my way back to the truck when all of a sudden....BOOM...a shot goes off about 150 yards further down the ridge from me. I headed back to the road to find that the truck was gone??? Where did they go? Then I look back down the road the other way and there is another buck on the road...holy crap it is another 4-point...it sees me and bolts down through the draw and over the ridge. I then hear a second shot go over only about 200 yards away (finishing shot I thought). I headed down the road to where the buck went in and saw John waving at me? He had shot at the first big buck we saw out of the truck and wanted some help looking for it. It turns out the other 4-point ran right by him that I had seen on the road but he never really saw it very well. I asked him if he had finished his deer off with a second shot and he said no....he thought it might have been Peter shooting. Peter then came and found us to report he shot a huge buck and it dropped in his tracks!!! We then started looking for John's buck but no blood? but we know John is a crack shot so the deer must be somewhere....we split up and start doing some grid searches along with a good bit of Praying and about 30 min. later Peter found the buck dead in a draw about 140 yards from where John shot.
This was the second double header we have had hunting together in three years and it was almost a triple header! There must have been some really hot does in the area and all the big bucks came in for some action......finally we were in the Right Place at the Right Time!!!!!
Here are the pics.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v480/BCBairdo/PeachlandBigBuckHunt2007020.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v480/BCBairdo/PeachlandBigBuckHunt2007023.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v480/BCBairdo/PeachlandBigBuckHunt2007024.jpg