dawn2dusk
10-16-2006, 10:36 AM
Hey boys
Thanks for all you posters whoi helped me out wiht advice etc http://www.huntingbc.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=6855
It worked! I got my first deer and it was a buck although I could have taken either with LEh anterless WT tag. Bagged it yesterday morning around 8am. Was a great hunt. Arrived in Sidley meadows (just east of Osoyoos near Anarchist Mountian)on Sunday night Oct 8th. Found a nice little spot to camp. Parked the truck for the week and prepared the CT90 trail bike for some hard use. Spent Monday mostly scouting around. Scared up a few WT does. But LEH was not valid until the 10th. Hopefully they would be around on Tues. But as luck works the weather got hot and sunny. Deer vanished. Had to work even harder. Found some other stands that had been setup by other hunters and tried them. Nothing. Went back to hardcore scouting on CT90 on Wed. Did a big circuit saw over a dozen grouse, a moose and a pair of coyotes. Stopped at a high elevation clearcut that had lots of sign and did a still hunt for a couple hours. Two mule does walked by me and did not even know I was there. Slowly dialed in over the next couple days to the habitat/trails/travel/time patterns of the predictable but yet whiley whitetails. Weather began to change on Sat and so did the deer movements increase. Sat had a shot at one. Had been sitting still hunting behind some rocks. Unfortuntatly forget to move all the dry sticks and leaves away. When I went to take aim made some crunching noises and spooked it off. So lesson learnt, I found an improved spot with better visibility and rests for the gun. Cleared all the crunchy stuff away and made mental note to keep more relaxed next time. Got up at 5am on Sunday (last two hours of my week hunt as needed to get ferry back to the island), slammed some coffee and oatmeal, hopped on the CT90 and made my way in the dark and drizzle down a bumpy deactiveated road for 10km to my "secret spot". Parked the bike then hiked for about 20min. Still dark. Settled into my stand. Was nice cause I can lay down and rest my head back, almost like being at work! :) 6:30 am rolls by and the first light of a new day shows itself. 7am light enough now to take a shot. 7:30am rolls by nothing. Not too worried though cause based on previous days I knew the deer moved through this part of their daily routine between 8 and 9am. 8am rolls by and I tell myself to get ready. The forest is silent except for an occasional chatter from a squirrel. Or a visit from an all too curious whisky jack. I was in a semi state of consiousnous dreaming about bucks when I opened one eye to check my clearing and sure enough there is a deer standin there. Another lesson I had learnt last week re:still hunting was to not freak out and go for shot right away. I just sat there and took some deep breaths. The deer was about 150yards away, ears were perked up and he was lookin up in to the clearing right at me. Stay still I told myself. I was dressed to the hinds in camo including face mask. The stand was a hollow in the ground surround by large rocks and logs. No way he could see me. His ears go down and he starts to nibble some grass. I move into shooting position with puma-like stealth (at least compared to Sat screw up). No noise. Calm. Breathing. Heart is racing. Almost in my mouth now. Can see deer in scope cross hairs. Kept both eyes open. A little breeze from the wromg direction blew through, I watch the deer and he smelt me I think. Starts to do a nervous trott into the breeze straight up towards me. Come to daddy. Followed him up the whole way in the scope. At one point about 80yrds he had to go through a little dip out of sight. Seemed like forever. Was like o no...he got away. Then he popped up out of the ditch coming right at me with the same trott. At 50yrds he began to slow down. At this point i realized he was not a she. He was lookin right me. Could swear he was thinking..."hmmmmm something don’t look right about that stump with the stick pointing at me". That was the last thing that went through his brain I think. One shot from my .308 with 180 grain bullet into the heart. Was all over for him. Was a little disappointed at the meat loss from all the damage. But one thing I learnt from this site is how to be ethical. Wanted a quick death for little dude. He was a fork. Never did fill my anterless WT LEH tag, maybe I go back in Nov. on my way to 5-15 Likely area for next hunt.
Thanks to all you posters who provided advice and help. It was invaluable in my pre-hunt preperation.
Pictures need to be developed but will get one up for you. Best pic is of the buck strapped on back of my CT90!
Thanks for all you posters whoi helped me out wiht advice etc http://www.huntingbc.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=6855
It worked! I got my first deer and it was a buck although I could have taken either with LEh anterless WT tag. Bagged it yesterday morning around 8am. Was a great hunt. Arrived in Sidley meadows (just east of Osoyoos near Anarchist Mountian)on Sunday night Oct 8th. Found a nice little spot to camp. Parked the truck for the week and prepared the CT90 trail bike for some hard use. Spent Monday mostly scouting around. Scared up a few WT does. But LEH was not valid until the 10th. Hopefully they would be around on Tues. But as luck works the weather got hot and sunny. Deer vanished. Had to work even harder. Found some other stands that had been setup by other hunters and tried them. Nothing. Went back to hardcore scouting on CT90 on Wed. Did a big circuit saw over a dozen grouse, a moose and a pair of coyotes. Stopped at a high elevation clearcut that had lots of sign and did a still hunt for a couple hours. Two mule does walked by me and did not even know I was there. Slowly dialed in over the next couple days to the habitat/trails/travel/time patterns of the predictable but yet whiley whitetails. Weather began to change on Sat and so did the deer movements increase. Sat had a shot at one. Had been sitting still hunting behind some rocks. Unfortuntatly forget to move all the dry sticks and leaves away. When I went to take aim made some crunching noises and spooked it off. So lesson learnt, I found an improved spot with better visibility and rests for the gun. Cleared all the crunchy stuff away and made mental note to keep more relaxed next time. Got up at 5am on Sunday (last two hours of my week hunt as needed to get ferry back to the island), slammed some coffee and oatmeal, hopped on the CT90 and made my way in the dark and drizzle down a bumpy deactiveated road for 10km to my "secret spot". Parked the bike then hiked for about 20min. Still dark. Settled into my stand. Was nice cause I can lay down and rest my head back, almost like being at work! :) 6:30 am rolls by and the first light of a new day shows itself. 7am light enough now to take a shot. 7:30am rolls by nothing. Not too worried though cause based on previous days I knew the deer moved through this part of their daily routine between 8 and 9am. 8am rolls by and I tell myself to get ready. The forest is silent except for an occasional chatter from a squirrel. Or a visit from an all too curious whisky jack. I was in a semi state of consiousnous dreaming about bucks when I opened one eye to check my clearing and sure enough there is a deer standin there. Another lesson I had learnt last week re:still hunting was to not freak out and go for shot right away. I just sat there and took some deep breaths. The deer was about 150yards away, ears were perked up and he was lookin up in to the clearing right at me. Stay still I told myself. I was dressed to the hinds in camo including face mask. The stand was a hollow in the ground surround by large rocks and logs. No way he could see me. His ears go down and he starts to nibble some grass. I move into shooting position with puma-like stealth (at least compared to Sat screw up). No noise. Calm. Breathing. Heart is racing. Almost in my mouth now. Can see deer in scope cross hairs. Kept both eyes open. A little breeze from the wromg direction blew through, I watch the deer and he smelt me I think. Starts to do a nervous trott into the breeze straight up towards me. Come to daddy. Followed him up the whole way in the scope. At one point about 80yrds he had to go through a little dip out of sight. Seemed like forever. Was like o no...he got away. Then he popped up out of the ditch coming right at me with the same trott. At 50yrds he began to slow down. At this point i realized he was not a she. He was lookin right me. Could swear he was thinking..."hmmmmm something don’t look right about that stump with the stick pointing at me". That was the last thing that went through his brain I think. One shot from my .308 with 180 grain bullet into the heart. Was all over for him. Was a little disappointed at the meat loss from all the damage. But one thing I learnt from this site is how to be ethical. Wanted a quick death for little dude. He was a fork. Never did fill my anterless WT LEH tag, maybe I go back in Nov. on my way to 5-15 Likely area for next hunt.
Thanks to all you posters who provided advice and help. It was invaluable in my pre-hunt preperation.
Pictures need to be developed but will get one up for you. Best pic is of the buck strapped on back of my CT90!