jlirot
10-16-2022, 11:09 AM
I tried to update my previous post but it was a bit of a hassle so I'll just start a new one.
Also, I tried to embed pix into the story - what a PITA. It wouldn't accept them so I gave up. :-)
Ok. I have a moment now for the longer story. I really appreciate the guys who take the time to put together a synopsis of their hunt. Guys like Caddisguy, etc., make an effort and it’s appreciated. Not only are the stories fun to read, but I learn something from them as well.
So, here’s my attempt.
I have an 11-year-old in baseball, so it’s been difficult to find time to go hunting. I know it’s the story of everyone’s lives but that’s my story and I’m sticking to it.
What I find most difficult is lack of scouting time. Time in the field helps to set up ideas of travel lanes and patterns. When I only have 4 days to be out in the field and juggle that with the need to be at work at least part of those days – it gets tough.
I didn’t get a deer last year for many of the reasons above so this year I’m really keen on filling the freezer!
I tripped over a log this spring looking for bears and banged my rifle. So, last Saturday after my son’s baseball game I headed up to the cabin. Early Sunday I was off to KTSA in Kamloops. Good thing I went. I was about 5” to the left at 100 yards. That was quickly remedied. I’ll do a separate post about my open site BLR woes – I can’t seem to get it dialed in and think I may need to scope it. My trusty Weatherby 270 is on point however so I’m good to go. Spot on at 200 gives me about 2” high at 100. From 20 to about 250 I don’t need to think too much.
Monday morning, I go to my ‘easy spot’. It’s not fancy but there’s a good clearing along a fence line and a swampy area. Sight lines are pretty good – out to 80-100 yards at the longest. I have seen does in here several times and twice a huge bear. The first time I saw the bear I didn’t have a shot. The second time – I wasn’t willing to deal with the beast on my own because I had limited time. If I see him again – he’s going to be hams and pepperoni – my freezer is empty.
Anywho, nothing going on at the easy spot, so I go home for the rest of the day to get some work done.
I’m back in the woods in the afternoon. I have a spot I call the ‘honey hole’. I almost always see deer back there. It’s a little pocket you can’t access with a vehicle because all the old FSR roads are on ranch land. I asked for permission, but because there are too many ass holes in this world, nice guys like me can’t get access. Anyway, the good news is that nobody goes back there. The bad news is that if I shoot anything – it needs to be hiked out. I got a deer there 2 years ago and a bear 1.5 years ago. The hike can vary from 1 mile to 300 yards through the woods. I can tell you from experience that hauling 150# of bear (it was a small one) through the woods for a mile or so gives a man a lot of time to consider whether it’s all worth it….
Anyway, Monday afternoon I do the hike into the honey hole. I know the whitetails hang out back there. I get into the spot where I usually see deer and do the slow walk/still hunting drill. It’s getting near sunset – nothing. There’s a really cool rainbow popping out so I pull out my phone and start to walk around a fallen tree to take a pic – oh $h!t! – there’s a mulie walking across the clearing!
I duck back behind the fallen tree roots and peek around the corner. It’s a doe with 2 fawns! I’m enjoying the view watching the doe and fawns amble along. They’re closing the distance but not heading directly towards me so it’s a nice spot to be in. I’m hoping a nice buck will show up behind them. He doesn’t.
Deciding that maybe instead of watching deer I can’t shoot, I should keep scouting for legal deer, I slowly look around. $h!t again! There’s 2 whitetail directly behind me at 40 yards! Fortunately, there was a spruce tree between us so I could get turned around to check them out. 2 fawns. They’re almost big enough to eat. Next year.
In my area there’s a solo whitetail doe with fawns. She’s been around with a fawn or two for 3-4 years. I’m not 100% certain it’s the same doe but I think so. She’s big and super wiley. On several occasions she has busted me – and more than once - given me the big snort without my even catching sight her.
However, there’s another group of whitetail sometimes close by her. A group of 4-6 does. Those are the one’s I’m looking for. Turns out that the doe and fawns were all alone today. They were working their way closer and closer to me and finally figured out something was up and scampered off. Shooting light is gone so I head back through the woods with a full or nearly full moon. I didn’t even need a light to get through the forest back to my truck.
Tuesday I have a work call in the morning so I don’t get out until the afternoon. I don’t have a lot of time, so I decide to try the evening sit in the ‘easy spot’. Nothing. I don’t think I even heard a squirrel.
I’m getting bummed. I saw some deer on Monday in the honey hole – but otherwise it’s been pretty dry. I thought I would see more. Oh well – that’s hunting.
Wednesday, I have an 8 am teleconference I can’t miss. It’s an important customer and the call includes my boss, so I need to be sharp. I don’t think I should be sitting on a log in the woods for the call. I should be showing my face on Zoom – but I can get away without the video so I figure I can squeeze in a quick morning hunt and take the call in the truck.
I decided to try a different spot. It’s accessible to everyone, maybe 3/4 of a mile away from the honey hole. It was logged about 4 years ago or so and runs adjacent to a road. Not a busy road but a road non-the-less. Even though it’s accessible, I have never seen anyone there. I try to stay off the beaten path a bit, but I don’t have a lot of time, so I figure out a spot to sit for sunrise.
Nothing. I sit until about 7, do a little slow walk around one of the clearings until 7:30, and start heading back to the truck for my call. 150 yards from the truck, wouldn’t you know it, I bust what looked like that group of 4-5 whitetails. Dammmmmmmmmitttttttt! They bust through the woods and into the clearing (I’m in the edge of the woods at that point). I can see them wandering around the clearing. It’s 7:45 and I don’t have time to try to reposition and see if I can close in on them. Hunt is blown.
I finish my call around nine, take a quick peek near the clearing, and decide it’s better to not disturb everything in case they’re still hanging out. I head home.
For the afternoon (Wednesday), I decide to take a different route into the honey hole. I won’t be able to see exactly where the whitetail with the fawns were but should be able to see where the mulie doe and her fawns were hanging out, and I can see a broad expanse of the little valley from a ridge. Even better, there’s plenty of stumps to use for a rest in case there’s a longer a shot.
Gorgeous fall day. Zero deer but I did see a really nice bull moose! He started at about 250 yards and cruised into the valley like a boss. I watched him for probably 20 minutes and he was broadside to me at 80 yards. I knew there was a moose in the valley. I have seen him twice before but couldn't tell if he had any antlers or not. I was hoping he was an immy. Alas not so but it made for an awesome evening.
No deer.
Continued on Next Post -
Also, I tried to embed pix into the story - what a PITA. It wouldn't accept them so I gave up. :-)
Ok. I have a moment now for the longer story. I really appreciate the guys who take the time to put together a synopsis of their hunt. Guys like Caddisguy, etc., make an effort and it’s appreciated. Not only are the stories fun to read, but I learn something from them as well.
So, here’s my attempt.
I have an 11-year-old in baseball, so it’s been difficult to find time to go hunting. I know it’s the story of everyone’s lives but that’s my story and I’m sticking to it.
What I find most difficult is lack of scouting time. Time in the field helps to set up ideas of travel lanes and patterns. When I only have 4 days to be out in the field and juggle that with the need to be at work at least part of those days – it gets tough.
I didn’t get a deer last year for many of the reasons above so this year I’m really keen on filling the freezer!
I tripped over a log this spring looking for bears and banged my rifle. So, last Saturday after my son’s baseball game I headed up to the cabin. Early Sunday I was off to KTSA in Kamloops. Good thing I went. I was about 5” to the left at 100 yards. That was quickly remedied. I’ll do a separate post about my open site BLR woes – I can’t seem to get it dialed in and think I may need to scope it. My trusty Weatherby 270 is on point however so I’m good to go. Spot on at 200 gives me about 2” high at 100. From 20 to about 250 I don’t need to think too much.
Monday morning, I go to my ‘easy spot’. It’s not fancy but there’s a good clearing along a fence line and a swampy area. Sight lines are pretty good – out to 80-100 yards at the longest. I have seen does in here several times and twice a huge bear. The first time I saw the bear I didn’t have a shot. The second time – I wasn’t willing to deal with the beast on my own because I had limited time. If I see him again – he’s going to be hams and pepperoni – my freezer is empty.
Anywho, nothing going on at the easy spot, so I go home for the rest of the day to get some work done.
I’m back in the woods in the afternoon. I have a spot I call the ‘honey hole’. I almost always see deer back there. It’s a little pocket you can’t access with a vehicle because all the old FSR roads are on ranch land. I asked for permission, but because there are too many ass holes in this world, nice guys like me can’t get access. Anyway, the good news is that nobody goes back there. The bad news is that if I shoot anything – it needs to be hiked out. I got a deer there 2 years ago and a bear 1.5 years ago. The hike can vary from 1 mile to 300 yards through the woods. I can tell you from experience that hauling 150# of bear (it was a small one) through the woods for a mile or so gives a man a lot of time to consider whether it’s all worth it….
Anyway, Monday afternoon I do the hike into the honey hole. I know the whitetails hang out back there. I get into the spot where I usually see deer and do the slow walk/still hunting drill. It’s getting near sunset – nothing. There’s a really cool rainbow popping out so I pull out my phone and start to walk around a fallen tree to take a pic – oh $h!t! – there’s a mulie walking across the clearing!
I duck back behind the fallen tree roots and peek around the corner. It’s a doe with 2 fawns! I’m enjoying the view watching the doe and fawns amble along. They’re closing the distance but not heading directly towards me so it’s a nice spot to be in. I’m hoping a nice buck will show up behind them. He doesn’t.
Deciding that maybe instead of watching deer I can’t shoot, I should keep scouting for legal deer, I slowly look around. $h!t again! There’s 2 whitetail directly behind me at 40 yards! Fortunately, there was a spruce tree between us so I could get turned around to check them out. 2 fawns. They’re almost big enough to eat. Next year.
In my area there’s a solo whitetail doe with fawns. She’s been around with a fawn or two for 3-4 years. I’m not 100% certain it’s the same doe but I think so. She’s big and super wiley. On several occasions she has busted me – and more than once - given me the big snort without my even catching sight her.
However, there’s another group of whitetail sometimes close by her. A group of 4-6 does. Those are the one’s I’m looking for. Turns out that the doe and fawns were all alone today. They were working their way closer and closer to me and finally figured out something was up and scampered off. Shooting light is gone so I head back through the woods with a full or nearly full moon. I didn’t even need a light to get through the forest back to my truck.
Tuesday I have a work call in the morning so I don’t get out until the afternoon. I don’t have a lot of time, so I decide to try the evening sit in the ‘easy spot’. Nothing. I don’t think I even heard a squirrel.
I’m getting bummed. I saw some deer on Monday in the honey hole – but otherwise it’s been pretty dry. I thought I would see more. Oh well – that’s hunting.
Wednesday, I have an 8 am teleconference I can’t miss. It’s an important customer and the call includes my boss, so I need to be sharp. I don’t think I should be sitting on a log in the woods for the call. I should be showing my face on Zoom – but I can get away without the video so I figure I can squeeze in a quick morning hunt and take the call in the truck.
I decided to try a different spot. It’s accessible to everyone, maybe 3/4 of a mile away from the honey hole. It was logged about 4 years ago or so and runs adjacent to a road. Not a busy road but a road non-the-less. Even though it’s accessible, I have never seen anyone there. I try to stay off the beaten path a bit, but I don’t have a lot of time, so I figure out a spot to sit for sunrise.
Nothing. I sit until about 7, do a little slow walk around one of the clearings until 7:30, and start heading back to the truck for my call. 150 yards from the truck, wouldn’t you know it, I bust what looked like that group of 4-5 whitetails. Dammmmmmmmmitttttttt! They bust through the woods and into the clearing (I’m in the edge of the woods at that point). I can see them wandering around the clearing. It’s 7:45 and I don’t have time to try to reposition and see if I can close in on them. Hunt is blown.
I finish my call around nine, take a quick peek near the clearing, and decide it’s better to not disturb everything in case they’re still hanging out. I head home.
For the afternoon (Wednesday), I decide to take a different route into the honey hole. I won’t be able to see exactly where the whitetail with the fawns were but should be able to see where the mulie doe and her fawns were hanging out, and I can see a broad expanse of the little valley from a ridge. Even better, there’s plenty of stumps to use for a rest in case there’s a longer a shot.
Gorgeous fall day. Zero deer but I did see a really nice bull moose! He started at about 250 yards and cruised into the valley like a boss. I watched him for probably 20 minutes and he was broadside to me at 80 yards. I knew there was a moose in the valley. I have seen him twice before but couldn't tell if he had any antlers or not. I was hoping he was an immy. Alas not so but it made for an awesome evening.
No deer.
Continued on Next Post -