Mtn Man
12-04-2007, 10:41 PM
Well, I started my whitetail trip a day earlier than anticipated. My mom and Dad and nephew were planning to head up a day before my 2 brothers and myself were going to. There was room in the truck so I decided to go with and get ahead start of the competition (my two brothers). All was well as we started are trip, fueled up in hope and continued on our way.
Somewhere near Hope slide the truck starts to make a whistling noise sort of like the noise deer make when startled but not so sure by what.
Still seem to run fine we continue to Princeton, stop for a bite to eat, and I switch with my dad and decide to drive. My dad’s top speed was about 50km an hour. I wanted to get there so I would actually have an extra day.
We were coming up the hill, before you drop into osooyos and all of a sudden "bang" like a gun going off, and the power stroke is not powerstrokin and the turbo is not turboing. The truck slows to 20 k and watching the gauges but everything shows fine. Crawl to the summit and coast into clearwater our destination, cause I heard there was big ones there.... just kidding. We coast into the Husky truck stop, pop the hood, to find my cat sucked into the turbo. Ok a little lie, I wish my cat… No seriously the turbo hose had become disconnected on one end. Out come the tools and the hose is reconnected and were on our way. Heading out of osooyos and up the hill just before the lookout “bang” The hose comes off again. This time I ignore the warnings about not to over tighten the clamps but I crank that thing till the end. On our way again. Finally arrive after about an extra two hours traveling time, we park and into the camper to bed.
Next morning wake up and the weather is fair about 5c and partly overcast, no snow on ground. Start walking from camp and jump deer within minutes. Not sure if they were does or bucks, but spooky deer. After seeing many deer, a big buck bolts into thick steep dark ravine. No shot, and figure almost impossible to pull one out of there. Turn around as all of the morning and early afternoon has slipped away. Head back towards camp and see a few does
No success the first day. My brothers show up late. I switch sleeping quarters into my trailer which my brother towed. Crawl into bed and dream of the big one
Next morning head out see more does, some unknowns. Here a bang from around the hill, Figure it to be one of my brothers as they headed that direction. Same spot where I was yesterday. Almost noon head back for lunch, My brother did get a 4x the weirdest droptine clump of horn on the other side. Must have hit it pretty hard when in velvet or something. Nonetheless a decent buck.
The weather starts changing cold north wind, it starts snowing hard. Only seen one doe that evening. Deer were moving though. Lots of track in my boot prints including some big buck track and lots of scrapes, some done within 20 minutes of me being there, and one 20 yards from the quad. Smart buggers.
Next morning its 15 below, sunny and that snow from the night before, completely crunchy. Crappy walking conditions. So the question to sit or not to sit? I can’t sit for long periods of time especially when it’s cold.
I make it to the start of the ravine where I had seen that big one bolt into. Decide to pick my way down. Noisy walking, so moved quite slow and did a lot of listening. Jumped one mystery deer almost right away. Never even saw it, just heard it. Decide to sit for a while in a bit of a small opening. A squirrel starts chattering away on a limb 10 yards away. This rodent won’t shut up. 5 minutes, 10 minutes, I start thinking, this thing has to die. I start wondering what a 180 grain bullet would do from 10 yards away. I raise my rifle. Put the cross hairs on him and say bang to myself. I get up slowly and move on.
I come across an old overgrown trail, but can see almost a hundred yards. I see the flick of a whitetail near the end of it. I decide to pursue. Painfully slow I walk with the snow like breaking glass under my feet. It takes me a good ½ hour to go 50 yards. Movement again. I crouch down; all I can see is an ear. Then no ear. I sit tight for 5 minutes or so, nothing at all. I keep making my way closer when I hear crunch crunch, crunch crunch. I raise my gun slowly turn and there’s a doe 10 yards away. I’m stopped mid stride, Swaying like grass in the wind, She keeps stepping closer and closer, I’m thinking she’s going to bust me, Then off to the side of her crunch crunch, movement out of the corner of my eye. It’s got good bone. I slowly turn head and shoulders, it steps into an opening and bang, he drops. I eject shell, chamber the next. Buck uprights himself. Broadside and still 10 -15 yards away, I pull the trigger and click, what the #!@$#$%^, Next bullet, bang he’s down. I walk up to it good buck, big buck, thank you God, finally! Turns out to be a 7x 5, 4 full size tines on one side, four as well on the other plus a 2 inch tine in the middle, and one eye guard on one side and two on the other.
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/medium/rock_creek_nov.jpg (http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/showphoto.php?photo=7217&size=big&cat=recent&limit=recent)
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/medium/white_tale_2.JPG (http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/showphoto.php?photo=7218&size=big&cat=recent&limit=recent)
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/medium/white_tail_3.JPG (http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/showphoto.php?photo=7219&size=big&cat=500)
Somewhere near Hope slide the truck starts to make a whistling noise sort of like the noise deer make when startled but not so sure by what.
Still seem to run fine we continue to Princeton, stop for a bite to eat, and I switch with my dad and decide to drive. My dad’s top speed was about 50km an hour. I wanted to get there so I would actually have an extra day.
We were coming up the hill, before you drop into osooyos and all of a sudden "bang" like a gun going off, and the power stroke is not powerstrokin and the turbo is not turboing. The truck slows to 20 k and watching the gauges but everything shows fine. Crawl to the summit and coast into clearwater our destination, cause I heard there was big ones there.... just kidding. We coast into the Husky truck stop, pop the hood, to find my cat sucked into the turbo. Ok a little lie, I wish my cat… No seriously the turbo hose had become disconnected on one end. Out come the tools and the hose is reconnected and were on our way. Heading out of osooyos and up the hill just before the lookout “bang” The hose comes off again. This time I ignore the warnings about not to over tighten the clamps but I crank that thing till the end. On our way again. Finally arrive after about an extra two hours traveling time, we park and into the camper to bed.
Next morning wake up and the weather is fair about 5c and partly overcast, no snow on ground. Start walking from camp and jump deer within minutes. Not sure if they were does or bucks, but spooky deer. After seeing many deer, a big buck bolts into thick steep dark ravine. No shot, and figure almost impossible to pull one out of there. Turn around as all of the morning and early afternoon has slipped away. Head back towards camp and see a few does
No success the first day. My brothers show up late. I switch sleeping quarters into my trailer which my brother towed. Crawl into bed and dream of the big one
Next morning head out see more does, some unknowns. Here a bang from around the hill, Figure it to be one of my brothers as they headed that direction. Same spot where I was yesterday. Almost noon head back for lunch, My brother did get a 4x the weirdest droptine clump of horn on the other side. Must have hit it pretty hard when in velvet or something. Nonetheless a decent buck.
The weather starts changing cold north wind, it starts snowing hard. Only seen one doe that evening. Deer were moving though. Lots of track in my boot prints including some big buck track and lots of scrapes, some done within 20 minutes of me being there, and one 20 yards from the quad. Smart buggers.
Next morning its 15 below, sunny and that snow from the night before, completely crunchy. Crappy walking conditions. So the question to sit or not to sit? I can’t sit for long periods of time especially when it’s cold.
I make it to the start of the ravine where I had seen that big one bolt into. Decide to pick my way down. Noisy walking, so moved quite slow and did a lot of listening. Jumped one mystery deer almost right away. Never even saw it, just heard it. Decide to sit for a while in a bit of a small opening. A squirrel starts chattering away on a limb 10 yards away. This rodent won’t shut up. 5 minutes, 10 minutes, I start thinking, this thing has to die. I start wondering what a 180 grain bullet would do from 10 yards away. I raise my rifle. Put the cross hairs on him and say bang to myself. I get up slowly and move on.
I come across an old overgrown trail, but can see almost a hundred yards. I see the flick of a whitetail near the end of it. I decide to pursue. Painfully slow I walk with the snow like breaking glass under my feet. It takes me a good ½ hour to go 50 yards. Movement again. I crouch down; all I can see is an ear. Then no ear. I sit tight for 5 minutes or so, nothing at all. I keep making my way closer when I hear crunch crunch, crunch crunch. I raise my gun slowly turn and there’s a doe 10 yards away. I’m stopped mid stride, Swaying like grass in the wind, She keeps stepping closer and closer, I’m thinking she’s going to bust me, Then off to the side of her crunch crunch, movement out of the corner of my eye. It’s got good bone. I slowly turn head and shoulders, it steps into an opening and bang, he drops. I eject shell, chamber the next. Buck uprights himself. Broadside and still 10 -15 yards away, I pull the trigger and click, what the #!@$#$%^, Next bullet, bang he’s down. I walk up to it good buck, big buck, thank you God, finally! Turns out to be a 7x 5, 4 full size tines on one side, four as well on the other plus a 2 inch tine in the middle, and one eye guard on one side and two on the other.
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/medium/rock_creek_nov.jpg (http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/showphoto.php?photo=7217&size=big&cat=recent&limit=recent)
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/medium/white_tale_2.JPG (http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/showphoto.php?photo=7218&size=big&cat=recent&limit=recent)
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/medium/white_tail_3.JPG (http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/showphoto.php?photo=7219&size=big&cat=500)