ydouask
11-10-2009, 12:40 AM
:mrgreen: Its not like my Fiancee didn't know about my passion for hunting and all things outdoors, but maybe I neglected to mention that early November would forever be a difficult time to interrupt the annual Mule Deer Hunt in future years. Nov. 08, 1969. Yeah, forty years, still married to the same wonderful lady and still chasing those Mule Deer. Lucky, eh?
Oct 31, 2009. Warren, #2 son, aka Sherpa Packer, and I head out into the hills. The weather is really crappy, snowing, raining, foggy, just perfect. Chains on all four wheels required. We set up the 12'x14'x5' wall tent on pallets and scrap sheets of plywood, cover that with a tarp and old carpet, hook up the Woodsman Wood Stove from Deluxe Wall Tents, set up the table, cots, drying rack, extinguish the lantern and proceed to toss and turn all night.
Warren and I are both wondering if his brother, Rattler, and Brambles are trying to sleep in a tent tonight too. But wait, how come it is so bright? Is the lantern still on, or have the skies cleared to reveal a Full Moon? Hmmm.
Up at 6:00 A.M. to clear skies, full moon , -4*C...very noisy. Hmmm.
This is a picture of Camp at about 7:00 A.M. on Nov. 01/09.
http://i877.photobucket.com/albums/ab337/Ydouask/DSC00579.jpg?t=1257838321
Twenty five minutes and three Km's from camp and the only new track is that of a Grizzly. Great. For an animal that is supposed to be few in number we sure have been crossing paths with them with amzing regularity. Glassing, Glassing, and Ohhhh! Deer!! Mule Doe... she's out in the open feeding on a steep hillside... about 6000' in elevation. Glassing, glassing, and more glassing. It is still not full light and, just a sec., is that a boulder, or what? BINGO ! Shooter buck. 460 yds, behind (in) masses of Alders. Pretty far, and no shot. Watched him for two hrs. in that time he fed, tore up trees, lip curled, followed the doe at a respectful distance. She ignored him. They were inching their way closer when their beepers must have gone off...and they bedded down. She in the wide open, he, behind another bunch of Alder.
Time to call in the the spotter and try to get closer. Yes, we use radios ( I quit trying to follow those boys a few years back !) Interestingly enough, prior to B.C. Ram's Blind Mulies article in B.C. Outdoors I had constructed a blind to take advantage of any opportunity that should present itself on this hillside.
Joined by Warren, we packed up the spotting scopes, water, misc. gear and headed up my pre-cut trail. It took a little better than a half hour to get there, but it put us at 330 yds from the buck. Good rest, unseen, quiet... wait. We waited till 1:00 PM. before he got up for a little stretch and walkabout. Ready, aim, CLICK, I had neglected to chamber a round. " Did you hear that?" I said to my son. He was glued to his spotting scope and said, " Come on Dad, do you want me to shoot him?" After a fine demonstration of marksman ship ( *@$#^&%) The buck hit the ground. The rest was tough but fulfilling work... nothing unusual for us. Here is a picture of Warren before he began dragging Baker down the mountainside.
http://i877.photobucket.com/albums/ab337/Ydouask/DSC00549.jpg?t=1257835818
The recovery took all afternoon. It would have been much easier to have cut him in half and packed him out, but we wanted to play with the quads, snatch block and winches. Got him to the truck at 6:00 P.M. Good fun. Just a beautiful buck... looks like about 175 or so.
And here are a couple of pictures at home. After a week's hanging without feet, hide, head, he weighed in at 202# at the local butcher shop. He was very fat. We're looking forward to more great venison. Oh, we were home on Nov.06,2009....way before the Anniversary... as usual.:-D:-D
http://i877.photobucket.com/albums/ab337/Ydouask/DSC00610.jpg?t=1257838610
Yes, I'm happy. Freezers are lookin good too.
http://i877.photobucket.com/albums/ab337/Ydouask/DSC00605.jpg?t=1257838743
Oct 31, 2009. Warren, #2 son, aka Sherpa Packer, and I head out into the hills. The weather is really crappy, snowing, raining, foggy, just perfect. Chains on all four wheels required. We set up the 12'x14'x5' wall tent on pallets and scrap sheets of plywood, cover that with a tarp and old carpet, hook up the Woodsman Wood Stove from Deluxe Wall Tents, set up the table, cots, drying rack, extinguish the lantern and proceed to toss and turn all night.
Warren and I are both wondering if his brother, Rattler, and Brambles are trying to sleep in a tent tonight too. But wait, how come it is so bright? Is the lantern still on, or have the skies cleared to reveal a Full Moon? Hmmm.
Up at 6:00 A.M. to clear skies, full moon , -4*C...very noisy. Hmmm.
This is a picture of Camp at about 7:00 A.M. on Nov. 01/09.
http://i877.photobucket.com/albums/ab337/Ydouask/DSC00579.jpg?t=1257838321
Twenty five minutes and three Km's from camp and the only new track is that of a Grizzly. Great. For an animal that is supposed to be few in number we sure have been crossing paths with them with amzing regularity. Glassing, Glassing, and Ohhhh! Deer!! Mule Doe... she's out in the open feeding on a steep hillside... about 6000' in elevation. Glassing, glassing, and more glassing. It is still not full light and, just a sec., is that a boulder, or what? BINGO ! Shooter buck. 460 yds, behind (in) masses of Alders. Pretty far, and no shot. Watched him for two hrs. in that time he fed, tore up trees, lip curled, followed the doe at a respectful distance. She ignored him. They were inching their way closer when their beepers must have gone off...and they bedded down. She in the wide open, he, behind another bunch of Alder.
Time to call in the the spotter and try to get closer. Yes, we use radios ( I quit trying to follow those boys a few years back !) Interestingly enough, prior to B.C. Ram's Blind Mulies article in B.C. Outdoors I had constructed a blind to take advantage of any opportunity that should present itself on this hillside.
Joined by Warren, we packed up the spotting scopes, water, misc. gear and headed up my pre-cut trail. It took a little better than a half hour to get there, but it put us at 330 yds from the buck. Good rest, unseen, quiet... wait. We waited till 1:00 PM. before he got up for a little stretch and walkabout. Ready, aim, CLICK, I had neglected to chamber a round. " Did you hear that?" I said to my son. He was glued to his spotting scope and said, " Come on Dad, do you want me to shoot him?" After a fine demonstration of marksman ship ( *@$#^&%) The buck hit the ground. The rest was tough but fulfilling work... nothing unusual for us. Here is a picture of Warren before he began dragging Baker down the mountainside.
http://i877.photobucket.com/albums/ab337/Ydouask/DSC00549.jpg?t=1257835818
The recovery took all afternoon. It would have been much easier to have cut him in half and packed him out, but we wanted to play with the quads, snatch block and winches. Got him to the truck at 6:00 P.M. Good fun. Just a beautiful buck... looks like about 175 or so.
And here are a couple of pictures at home. After a week's hanging without feet, hide, head, he weighed in at 202# at the local butcher shop. He was very fat. We're looking forward to more great venison. Oh, we were home on Nov.06,2009....way before the Anniversary... as usual.:-D:-D
http://i877.photobucket.com/albums/ab337/Ydouask/DSC00610.jpg?t=1257838610
Yes, I'm happy. Freezers are lookin good too.
http://i877.photobucket.com/albums/ab337/Ydouask/DSC00605.jpg?t=1257838743