Shooter
11-02-2008, 11:19 AM
Well we just got back from Southern 5-02 after a week of hunting hard. Me and 5-spike took a trip up to the Lac La Hache area to try our luck with our 2 sons.
The area was new to us all so we went on a few suggestions and alot of google earth / Backroad map research.
The first day and 2 days were spent mostly road hunting while we looked the area over and tried to decide where the deer were hanging out. The first 2 days were also very warm and it didn't seem like the deer were moving much at all, a lot of places didn't appear to be holding very much deer sign either.
On day 3 of our hunt we had pretty much decided where we were going to focus our energy for the remainder of the week. Although we didn't see a whole lot of buck sign we were seeing a fair amount of does and where the does are the bucks should be near this time of year. Also my son had a doe tag but we didn't really wanna get a doe hanging too early as the weather was quite warm. So here it was on day 3 of the hunt and me and my son walk way up to the top af a huge slash. The wind wasn't blowing the direction that I wanted to be able to skirt up the side so we ended up cutting way into the back and circling back down the side from the top. This way the wind was in our favor. In one section of the cutblock it had a little bowl that went further into the trees than everywhere else and I wanted to check that. As we slowly made our way towards it I glassed a doe and a fawn bedded near the trees on a small ridge. Me and my son slowly crawled into range for him in case we decided she was a taker. It was really hard to judge how big she was as she was bedded just slightly on the far side of the ridge.
Well eventually she got up and started to feed while the fawn still layed there sleeping. It was then that we decided we would probably have better does in our sights throughout the week but we still watched for a bit just in case something else showed up.
The doe eventually fed her way into the trees and out of sight. That was when I decided to try out my new deer call. It was a fawn in distress call and I let out a pretty good wail on it and the fawn perked right up and stood tall now, but I still couldn't see the doe. So I blew again and low and behold the doe came BOLTING out of the trees straight at us!! She was running 100 mph and closed about 50 yards in an instant then stopped, looking straight at us. I still didn't think she saw us as we were in full camo and I was intertwined in a burn pile and my son was laying prone on the edge of the bank. So I blew again, and again she bolted straight at us.... I didn't think she was even gonna stop this time but she did about 40-50 yards away. ( I guess this is when she realized something fishy was up) It was then that she turned broadside looking at us and then slowly started walking back into the tress, fawn in tow. It was a REALLY cool experience to share with my son.
The next day we were in the same area at first light and as we were walking up one edge of the cutblock I glassed the far edge and spotted a HUGE doe standing on the edge of a ridge about 600 yards away and she already had us busted. She started to walk behind the ridge and looked like she was heading back down the hill on the tree line right towards where I knew 5-spike and his son were at. So I radio'd him and told him what was up while me and my son headed to where I had seen her last. I figured if we got up on the ridge near the tree line and 5-spike and his son started working their way up the hill side he may just push her back in our direction for my son to get a crack at her.
When we got up to the ridgeline there was no doe to be seen and there was absolutely no cover at all for either me or my son. I again tried my fawn call because it worked so well the day before I thought I may pull a doe out of the tree line. After I blew the call twice we waited and watched but nothing happenned. After about a minute 5-spike radio'd me and said he saw 3 does coming up the bank in my direction. Almost immediately after that we saw the first one pop over the bank and she busted us out in the open. I whispered to my son to get down and to not move a muscle. we both crouched and remained perfectly still. My gun was across my knees and my son was slightly behind me to my left so I wasn't even sure how he was set up and I couldn't move to check. At this point the radio in my pocket was going nuts vibrating away but again I couldn't even respond to that.
The deer that busted us didn't bolt but she was staring straight at us on high alert and was snorting and weezing away but to my amazement with us staying perfectly still she started coming right toward us again. Then another head popped over the bank and another... Then... another. The reason my radio was goin nuts was because 5-spike spotted a buck coming up behind the three does but he wasn't 100% sure where we were so he couldn't take the shot. The does and the buck had no idea that he was watching them and it was the hardest thing for him to have to do to keep that buck in his sights and not be able to fire because I wouldn't answer him.
Well as the buck popped over the bank I couldn't immediately see the horns as it was backdropped by some trees and branches but my son whispered "I think thats a buck". Sure enough, as I watched him turn his head I saw the horns. But we were still pinned down by the first doe. The other three never did get alerted by us but that first one sure wasn't taking her eyes off us. And they were closing ground on us. By this time they were withing 30 yards and I still couldn't risk raisng my gun because I was sure she would bolt and take them all with her. Then it happened... She turned her head for a split second allowing me to raise my gun. She caught movement and looked immediatly at me again but I got away with. And by then the battle was all done except the shot. About 3 seconds after my gun was raised the doe that was standing in front of the buck took a step to the right and at the same time the buck looked up the hill to my left and I took him behind the ear at about 30 yards. The does bolted immediately and my son never managed a shot at any of them but the only buck we saw on the whole trip was down.
Im sorry to say that my son never did fill his doe tag. We passed some up early and that came back to haunt us. He had some opportunities but nothing panned out in his favor.
I forgot my battery charger for my camera and it was almost dead so I didn't take many pictures during our trip for fear the camera would be dead if we really needed it (turns out I coulda taken some more scenery/wildlife photo's lol) But here is the picture of my small buck. Nothing huge for the area but like I said it was the only buck that even showed his face all week. And its still bigger than our Island deer. My second mulie ever.
http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee38/tnlpinkney/P1010156.jpg
Here is a picture of the pumpkin my youngest son carved. He sent me the picture on the morning that I took the buck so I credit him with sending me some good luck vibes.... Although I wish he used a 4-point rack..lol
http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee38/tnlpinkney/P1010159.jpg
We also saw some sheep in some yards on our way up. It was my son's first ever sheep sighting so it was pretty cool.
http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee38/tnlpinkney/P1010152.jpg
The area was new to us all so we went on a few suggestions and alot of google earth / Backroad map research.
The first day and 2 days were spent mostly road hunting while we looked the area over and tried to decide where the deer were hanging out. The first 2 days were also very warm and it didn't seem like the deer were moving much at all, a lot of places didn't appear to be holding very much deer sign either.
On day 3 of our hunt we had pretty much decided where we were going to focus our energy for the remainder of the week. Although we didn't see a whole lot of buck sign we were seeing a fair amount of does and where the does are the bucks should be near this time of year. Also my son had a doe tag but we didn't really wanna get a doe hanging too early as the weather was quite warm. So here it was on day 3 of the hunt and me and my son walk way up to the top af a huge slash. The wind wasn't blowing the direction that I wanted to be able to skirt up the side so we ended up cutting way into the back and circling back down the side from the top. This way the wind was in our favor. In one section of the cutblock it had a little bowl that went further into the trees than everywhere else and I wanted to check that. As we slowly made our way towards it I glassed a doe and a fawn bedded near the trees on a small ridge. Me and my son slowly crawled into range for him in case we decided she was a taker. It was really hard to judge how big she was as she was bedded just slightly on the far side of the ridge.
Well eventually she got up and started to feed while the fawn still layed there sleeping. It was then that we decided we would probably have better does in our sights throughout the week but we still watched for a bit just in case something else showed up.
The doe eventually fed her way into the trees and out of sight. That was when I decided to try out my new deer call. It was a fawn in distress call and I let out a pretty good wail on it and the fawn perked right up and stood tall now, but I still couldn't see the doe. So I blew again and low and behold the doe came BOLTING out of the trees straight at us!! She was running 100 mph and closed about 50 yards in an instant then stopped, looking straight at us. I still didn't think she saw us as we were in full camo and I was intertwined in a burn pile and my son was laying prone on the edge of the bank. So I blew again, and again she bolted straight at us.... I didn't think she was even gonna stop this time but she did about 40-50 yards away. ( I guess this is when she realized something fishy was up) It was then that she turned broadside looking at us and then slowly started walking back into the tress, fawn in tow. It was a REALLY cool experience to share with my son.
The next day we were in the same area at first light and as we were walking up one edge of the cutblock I glassed the far edge and spotted a HUGE doe standing on the edge of a ridge about 600 yards away and she already had us busted. She started to walk behind the ridge and looked like she was heading back down the hill on the tree line right towards where I knew 5-spike and his son were at. So I radio'd him and told him what was up while me and my son headed to where I had seen her last. I figured if we got up on the ridge near the tree line and 5-spike and his son started working their way up the hill side he may just push her back in our direction for my son to get a crack at her.
When we got up to the ridgeline there was no doe to be seen and there was absolutely no cover at all for either me or my son. I again tried my fawn call because it worked so well the day before I thought I may pull a doe out of the tree line. After I blew the call twice we waited and watched but nothing happenned. After about a minute 5-spike radio'd me and said he saw 3 does coming up the bank in my direction. Almost immediately after that we saw the first one pop over the bank and she busted us out in the open. I whispered to my son to get down and to not move a muscle. we both crouched and remained perfectly still. My gun was across my knees and my son was slightly behind me to my left so I wasn't even sure how he was set up and I couldn't move to check. At this point the radio in my pocket was going nuts vibrating away but again I couldn't even respond to that.
The deer that busted us didn't bolt but she was staring straight at us on high alert and was snorting and weezing away but to my amazement with us staying perfectly still she started coming right toward us again. Then another head popped over the bank and another... Then... another. The reason my radio was goin nuts was because 5-spike spotted a buck coming up behind the three does but he wasn't 100% sure where we were so he couldn't take the shot. The does and the buck had no idea that he was watching them and it was the hardest thing for him to have to do to keep that buck in his sights and not be able to fire because I wouldn't answer him.
Well as the buck popped over the bank I couldn't immediately see the horns as it was backdropped by some trees and branches but my son whispered "I think thats a buck". Sure enough, as I watched him turn his head I saw the horns. But we were still pinned down by the first doe. The other three never did get alerted by us but that first one sure wasn't taking her eyes off us. And they were closing ground on us. By this time they were withing 30 yards and I still couldn't risk raisng my gun because I was sure she would bolt and take them all with her. Then it happened... She turned her head for a split second allowing me to raise my gun. She caught movement and looked immediatly at me again but I got away with. And by then the battle was all done except the shot. About 3 seconds after my gun was raised the doe that was standing in front of the buck took a step to the right and at the same time the buck looked up the hill to my left and I took him behind the ear at about 30 yards. The does bolted immediately and my son never managed a shot at any of them but the only buck we saw on the whole trip was down.
Im sorry to say that my son never did fill his doe tag. We passed some up early and that came back to haunt us. He had some opportunities but nothing panned out in his favor.
I forgot my battery charger for my camera and it was almost dead so I didn't take many pictures during our trip for fear the camera would be dead if we really needed it (turns out I coulda taken some more scenery/wildlife photo's lol) But here is the picture of my small buck. Nothing huge for the area but like I said it was the only buck that even showed his face all week. And its still bigger than our Island deer. My second mulie ever.
http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee38/tnlpinkney/P1010156.jpg
Here is a picture of the pumpkin my youngest son carved. He sent me the picture on the morning that I took the buck so I credit him with sending me some good luck vibes.... Although I wish he used a 4-point rack..lol
http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee38/tnlpinkney/P1010159.jpg
We also saw some sheep in some yards on our way up. It was my son's first ever sheep sighting so it was pretty cool.
http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee38/tnlpinkney/P1010152.jpg