CRS
09-19-2009, 09:08 PM
OK, so it's my turn to write. I've only in the past 2 years returned to hunting after a 22 year absence. Only hunted Ont. on my uncles farm etc. But now kids are old enough that my wife doesn't care if I slip away for a day or two, and I really miss being in the woods pursuing game. I've been involved in 4x4ing, and fishing, but the call to hunt pulled me back in. After getting my CORE and Hunter # last year, I did a week solo hunt in Reg 3 looking for Immy moose and 4pt bucks.....came home with 6 grouse.....but it was a fantastic week. THIS year, I was DETERMINED to fill my freezer. "Can't eat antlers" was the way I was brought up. Let me preface something about my "Ont. Hunting" Squirrels, rabbits, etc. BUT, I read Jel's thread on deer, I bought a dvd on field dressing, searched every vid on youtube, I'm confident that I can handle this. I prefer to be on my own for the most part, but went with a few friends on the long weekend up around Lilloet and spent DAYS not seeing ANYTHING. (Don't worry, this is gonna get better!) SO...last night I say to my wife.."Honey, would you mind if I go hunting tommorow? "Sure go ahead!" was the reply. Awesome! Went and loaded up my Cherokee, my hunting rig. She comes out and surveys the stuff I'm packing. "Aren't you taking your Utility trailer?" "Nah, I'm only going close and just looking for the right bear...." So needless to say I packed light. The alarm went off this morning at 3:45am...."you're kidding, right!" was all that came from the other side of the bed. She quickly pointed out that it was POURING rain and a comment about only idiots go out in this...so I left. NOW, I "told" her I was going "X km" up this road. but WROTE "X+10km"on the note as to where I'd be. I have a SPOT, but one thing I've ALWAYS done is go to the area I say I'm going in case there's a problem, they'll know where to start looking. Got to "Xkm" mark, then realized I wrote it wrong. Sat and debated about hunting the area I wanted. NOPE, drove 10km up the road, took an old logging trail up a few hundred feet, then got out and proceeded to walk up into the cut. Threw 2 cartridges in the ought 6 and started going the .8km my GPS says I walked in. (remember this #) As I walk into the cut I look up to my left looking at the high side of the cut for a good place to stage my visual from. The plan was to sit, enjoy the solitude and have a snack or two, and IF something came out, well I have a bear tag, and my Mule / "NON EXISTENT, ghost like mythical Blackie tag" still. So I'm walking along this skidder road, looking up and see my perch! PERFECT. I'll just look down the cut to see the alley it'll give me....still walking I look right and there 80 yds away staring at me FROZEN is a Big blacktail buck! WHAT!?!?! I kept my step at the same speed, as he thinks I have'nt seen him and remained still. Flipped the safety, shouldered, found him in my scope, stopped and set it behind his front shoulder. For a second the world stood still. BAM! He spins 180 deg, still standing there, but he's hit. Jacked the second shell and with the squeeze of a trigger he dropped. There I stood. Watching where he'd fallen, but I can't see him. Slipped one more into the chamber and waited. 5mins. I start heading to his position. CLAMBERING over dead falls, into stump holes etc. BY MYSELF. Find him. He's done. Remove shell. raise gun like hockey stick and smile! SUCCESS! Took my pack off, cut my tag with hands a shakin! Took the orange panel out of my pack and layed it over the deer. Gotta get my truck up here! Clamber the 80 yds over this crap to the road. RUN the .8km to the truck. Get to the truck....LOCKED! (KEYS ARE IN YOUR PACK STUPID!) Failure RUN BACK the .8 km CLAMBER over 80yds of crap. get keys. BACK over 80yds of crap. WALK .8km to truck. Drive up to spot. CLAMBER over 80yds of crap. set out knives, saw etc. SO, I'm 6'3", 250lbs. I'm an Ironworker GF, and though I don't wear a belt everyday, I still consider myself to be a strong individual. Grab the antlers to pull him up a bit. He doesn't budge. He was kinda piled up under a log, so move the log, and try again. nothing. huh!?! DIg in my heels, both hand locked on, and fall back and he come up a bit.....OMG this things bigger than I thought. Get out knife, flip deer on his back and straddle his chest, which is up past my knees. put on the ONLY pair of rubber gloves I packed....and said out loud.."What did that DVD say to do?" Trial by fire. Started opening him up. Cut my rubber glove. Failure. The rush of gas hit me! Smelled just like the feed we gave the cattle! GUT SHOT! ARGH! Failure! So here we go. I WISH I'd had the chance to have someone SHOW me this, but, I'm here, and I'm not gonna let this animal be disrespected. It took me 45mins to dress him out. Did some things really good, did more really DUMB. Like when I had the one side done, and rolled him over and the gut sack spilled out ......right onto the area where my saw, other 2 knives, sharpener, were. Failure. Dig under and find everything. I'm an idiot. Keep going. Got to the back end. AH HA, my "butt out" tool I got myself for xmas! Neeyeah, need some more work with that. Failure. Got him done. NOW he'll be a cinch to pull out! I have a 4 ft endless nylon strap from work that I loop across my chest and one shoulder. Tied to it is a piece of rope that I tied around the deers hat rack. Lean into start hauling and.....nothing! Hmmm, OK, a little motivation is required. "C'mon PRINCESS PULL!" I yell through the valley, wind up a big pull and we move about a foot. IT TOOK ME JUST SHY OF AN HOUR, to drag that damn thing over those logs, stumps, holes. I have not pushed myself that hard since I was playing college ball. When I finally got to my truck, I was DRENCHED. Huffing and puffing I leaned on my winch bumper and proceeded to throw up! Yep. It's just like they show on TV folks! Look aroung for a place to skin him. ONLY 1 tree with a broken off branch that looks like it will work. So drive the jeep under the tree. Climb onto jeep and rig up a Shiv (pulley) climb down and free wheel the winch line up and through, back jeep up drag deer 20 feet (down hill now) hook him up and start to winch him up. The branch is about 3-4" diametre, but broken off. 2/3rd's of him comes off the ground, and the limb snaps, comes CRASHING down across the hood of my jeep...failure. OK, so take down rigging, drive ahead 10 feet to a crossditch, thus lowering the back bumper to ground level. (trucks got a 4" lift)SUCCESS! Pull out my tarp, and try to lift deer into jeep. Failure. OK, set up tarp and deer, and climb into back of Cherokee, with the back seats down, and pull the deer up and into the back and end up sticking my butt between the front seats using my wieght to pull him in...6'3" 250lbs, DOES NOT FIT between front seats of a cherokee and I end up falling down into the passenger seat foot well, ripping my CB off it's cieling perch. So I'm upside down in the leg well, I reach up and open the door, do a reverse somersalt out of my jeep. Go to the back of the truck, push the hind end in and close the hatch. SUCCESS! Go to gather my stuff.....It's still at the kill site...failure. CLAMBER back over 80 yds of hate, get in my jeep and head down to find a place to skin out. 15km's down the road, I find a heavy steel gate, that is locked for forestry operations, there is quite a hill up to the gate, and so I get out to check it's hieght. I have to reach up to get the top crossmember, so this has GOT to work! Back the truck up, spill the deer out using GRAVITY!....SUCCESS! Spin the jeep around, rig up a shiv, hook up the deer by the neck, and winch him up! BUT.....his head is as high as it physicall can go, and his butt is still on the ground! failure. Oh well it's gonna have to do. Put the tarp back under him, and away I go skinning. Actually found this part to be pretty good. SUCCESS! ...until...got to the back legs...."scent glands!" DAMN, what was I supposed to do with those again? Thinking........."use a differnt knife, don't let them touch anything..." Screw it, I'll cut the back legs off above the knee! SUCCESS!. As soon as I saw there was now no where to HANG the deer like on the videos, I knew I'd screwed up. Failure. Got him done, left on the head, "unit" and a patch of hide, JUST like the regs said! SUCCESS!, let him down, rolled up the winch line, put away my stuff, spun the truck around opened the hatch.........remember we're going uphill now.....and my truck has a 4" lift.....failure. Even without the hide this things still heavy! IT TOOK EVERYTHING I HAD TO GET IT BACK INTO THE TRUCK! Soaking wet from sweat, exhausted, thirsty, and with a grin so big my ears were getiing wet, I headed for home. All the windows open in the truck and I'm ontop of the world!