luckynuts
03-15-2012, 02:32 PM
Well i figure it's time to post at least one of my adventures. Mark did such a good job with the sheep hunt that i will just stick to the basics
November 23rd found me checking out some new areas as the spots i have been scouting and set up blinds and building licks in for the kids were either heavily logged this year or had a drilling rig basically set up beside the blind jeesh:shock:
Anyhoo i had just checked out an area found some deer sign and seen a little 4pt whitey nothing special but a little more sign than from the previous spots thinking maybe might be a good spot for the boys. Coming out with 2 more areas on the list to check i spotted twin bull moose and figured I would snap a couple of photos.
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/P1040357.jpg
After taking a couple of quick ones I realized Brrrrrrr it really was -27. As i was putting away the camera I turned and was looking around up behind me when I spotted what I thought was another bull moose right on the timbers edge. as I lifted up the binos to see how big he was I became quite week in the knees. This was no moose rather a fricking large mulie buck, Dark really dark antlers heavy wide and super tall. By far the largest buck I have seen up here in the peace or anywhere for that matter. Too far for a shot I ran back to the truck donned on extra clothes grabbed my pack and checked the time 10:30 am and he was out feeding wow.
Well we played cat and mouse in the timber for a long time with him trying to back track me several times to catch my sent. I would run back and loop around to find his tracks crossing mine. Never was he really spooked but to smart to allow me to get close enough glass him in the thick timber. The day ended as one of my best days hunting yet. I got home that night and told the wife im sorry but im not available all week. Didn't sleep a wink that night. Next morning me and a buddy Mike went back in there hiked all day and seen nothing but tracks.
Friday found me back in the same area, though this time the wind was coming hard out of the west and the temperature warmed up quite a bit. I was coming down an overgrown pipeline which allowed me to see across an older logged valley and right at timber line up on the other side was a patch of golden grass still standing above the snow pack a bit smaller than the size of a house lot. I immediately spied 2 does coming out of the thick willows into the patch of grass and a very large dark shape hanging out in the willows not to far away. I got excited I knew this had to be the buck I seen 2 days before. I made a game plan and headed for them at a slow run.
2 hrs later I was in the timber behind them about 30 yds from the edge, slowly making my way to where i had ast seen them glassing every couple of steps. All of a sudden a doe comes ripping past me with a large buck on her heels wheezing and snorting. Too much thinking and not enough action and they where swallowed up by the snow ladden spruce branches. I immediately backtracked and went in deeper until i found their tracks lucky for me they did a semi circle and ended almost back out from where they entered. After 40 mins of carefully taking a step or two and glassing I soon spotted a doe beded then another and a little ways away i picked up the buck and a third doe. I would like to write down everything I thought about and did in the next 15 mins but I aint a good story teller so i wil say this. After having my cross hairs on this buck until i couldnt hold the rifle no more and then looking over him with my binos i made the decision not to shoot him. This buck was a great buck he had a similiar frame to the one my son shot the year before but with a little more mass. Though he was not the same buck i had seen 2 days ago his eye guards were smaller he wasn't as wide nor as heavy. As I backed out of there and continued my search for the king I had this nawing thing called doubt swirling in my head until it got dark. Another sleepless night.
Saturday was a total bust warmed right up to plus temps with high winds, the snow was crusted over to the point it could almost support my weight.
Sunday was my last day to hunt the weather cooled down was -15 when i awoke, forecast was calling for a chance of snow. The early morning proved uneventful. Did see a nice whitetail buck with 6 does and one mulie doe. I jumped in the truck and went for a drive to warm up. Was around 11am when it started to snow and man did it snow. I turned the truck around and came back and hiked into where i seen the mulie doe. Nothing, I clashed some antlers together and grunted a few times every 10mins or so and glassed. Was snowing so hard i could barely see 60-70 yds.
The snow storm eventually tapered off but the sky remained overcast with hints of blue up above. I had just started up another session of rattling when i spied a wolf off to my left, Fawker was all ready flat out when i reached for my gun and over the crest and out of view when i got it shouldered. 2nd wolf rattled in in 3 yrs. Well as i sat there thinking she's done for another year and reflecting on two of the best days i had ever had playing chess er i mean deer hunting I grabbed my binos and glassed a heavy poplar ridge in the distance just as the sun was breaking through the cloud cover. Shite i think those are bloody deer up there, I break out the spotting scope yep oh Fawk! a 1/3 down from the top there he was in all his glory. I crammed my gear in the pack and ran as hard as i could back to the truck as i would need to drive as close as I could if I wanted a chance at him today.
Wind was wrong, the snow was crunchy and there were at least 4-5 does with the buck. I tried to minimize the chance of being winded and raced to where I last seen them. Just about where I thought they should be I spooked 4 does above me that I didn't see, they took off straight up and to my left. I went as fast as I could straight up as I broke in to a small clearing I could see the big guy just entering the far side maybe 200yds away I raised my gun poof my glasses completely fogged over, toss them off just in time to see his white ass one last time before it disappeared. I swung to my right a bit and the other guy I passed on 2 days before was with 2 does giving all they had to make it in the timber with another 7 does following close behind. I lowered my gun let out a Fawk picked up my glasses and leaned against a tree to catch my breath. As I was contemplating cutting my wrists for not taking the very unethical shot at a deer of a lifetime I noticed a buck standing in the middle of the clearing just looking at me, then he would turn and looked towards the far timber. As if he was an old man with a walker very slowly he would try to walk away. I almost burst out laughing cause he looked so funny but i realized he was a hurting dude. I probably let him get another 25-30 yds before I decided he wasn't going to make the winter and death was going to be slow and painful. I got a good rest and grunted as he turned put I him out of his misery. Turns out he had been shot before high in the shoulders. When i caped him out he was full of green and brown puss. Not sure if he would have made the winter or not as at the time it was turning out to be like a normal winter up here, hindsight eh? I boned him out and caped him and broke in the MR6500. Sorry for the bad pics something happened when i resized them? Also i did take the time to stuff his bloody tongue back in his mouth just wouldnt stay there. Hands were getting chilly gave up.
W.
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/P1040360.jpg
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/P1040363.jpg
November 23rd found me checking out some new areas as the spots i have been scouting and set up blinds and building licks in for the kids were either heavily logged this year or had a drilling rig basically set up beside the blind jeesh:shock:
Anyhoo i had just checked out an area found some deer sign and seen a little 4pt whitey nothing special but a little more sign than from the previous spots thinking maybe might be a good spot for the boys. Coming out with 2 more areas on the list to check i spotted twin bull moose and figured I would snap a couple of photos.
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/P1040357.jpg
After taking a couple of quick ones I realized Brrrrrrr it really was -27. As i was putting away the camera I turned and was looking around up behind me when I spotted what I thought was another bull moose right on the timbers edge. as I lifted up the binos to see how big he was I became quite week in the knees. This was no moose rather a fricking large mulie buck, Dark really dark antlers heavy wide and super tall. By far the largest buck I have seen up here in the peace or anywhere for that matter. Too far for a shot I ran back to the truck donned on extra clothes grabbed my pack and checked the time 10:30 am and he was out feeding wow.
Well we played cat and mouse in the timber for a long time with him trying to back track me several times to catch my sent. I would run back and loop around to find his tracks crossing mine. Never was he really spooked but to smart to allow me to get close enough glass him in the thick timber. The day ended as one of my best days hunting yet. I got home that night and told the wife im sorry but im not available all week. Didn't sleep a wink that night. Next morning me and a buddy Mike went back in there hiked all day and seen nothing but tracks.
Friday found me back in the same area, though this time the wind was coming hard out of the west and the temperature warmed up quite a bit. I was coming down an overgrown pipeline which allowed me to see across an older logged valley and right at timber line up on the other side was a patch of golden grass still standing above the snow pack a bit smaller than the size of a house lot. I immediately spied 2 does coming out of the thick willows into the patch of grass and a very large dark shape hanging out in the willows not to far away. I got excited I knew this had to be the buck I seen 2 days before. I made a game plan and headed for them at a slow run.
2 hrs later I was in the timber behind them about 30 yds from the edge, slowly making my way to where i had ast seen them glassing every couple of steps. All of a sudden a doe comes ripping past me with a large buck on her heels wheezing and snorting. Too much thinking and not enough action and they where swallowed up by the snow ladden spruce branches. I immediately backtracked and went in deeper until i found their tracks lucky for me they did a semi circle and ended almost back out from where they entered. After 40 mins of carefully taking a step or two and glassing I soon spotted a doe beded then another and a little ways away i picked up the buck and a third doe. I would like to write down everything I thought about and did in the next 15 mins but I aint a good story teller so i wil say this. After having my cross hairs on this buck until i couldnt hold the rifle no more and then looking over him with my binos i made the decision not to shoot him. This buck was a great buck he had a similiar frame to the one my son shot the year before but with a little more mass. Though he was not the same buck i had seen 2 days ago his eye guards were smaller he wasn't as wide nor as heavy. As I backed out of there and continued my search for the king I had this nawing thing called doubt swirling in my head until it got dark. Another sleepless night.
Saturday was a total bust warmed right up to plus temps with high winds, the snow was crusted over to the point it could almost support my weight.
Sunday was my last day to hunt the weather cooled down was -15 when i awoke, forecast was calling for a chance of snow. The early morning proved uneventful. Did see a nice whitetail buck with 6 does and one mulie doe. I jumped in the truck and went for a drive to warm up. Was around 11am when it started to snow and man did it snow. I turned the truck around and came back and hiked into where i seen the mulie doe. Nothing, I clashed some antlers together and grunted a few times every 10mins or so and glassed. Was snowing so hard i could barely see 60-70 yds.
The snow storm eventually tapered off but the sky remained overcast with hints of blue up above. I had just started up another session of rattling when i spied a wolf off to my left, Fawker was all ready flat out when i reached for my gun and over the crest and out of view when i got it shouldered. 2nd wolf rattled in in 3 yrs. Well as i sat there thinking she's done for another year and reflecting on two of the best days i had ever had playing chess er i mean deer hunting I grabbed my binos and glassed a heavy poplar ridge in the distance just as the sun was breaking through the cloud cover. Shite i think those are bloody deer up there, I break out the spotting scope yep oh Fawk! a 1/3 down from the top there he was in all his glory. I crammed my gear in the pack and ran as hard as i could back to the truck as i would need to drive as close as I could if I wanted a chance at him today.
Wind was wrong, the snow was crunchy and there were at least 4-5 does with the buck. I tried to minimize the chance of being winded and raced to where I last seen them. Just about where I thought they should be I spooked 4 does above me that I didn't see, they took off straight up and to my left. I went as fast as I could straight up as I broke in to a small clearing I could see the big guy just entering the far side maybe 200yds away I raised my gun poof my glasses completely fogged over, toss them off just in time to see his white ass one last time before it disappeared. I swung to my right a bit and the other guy I passed on 2 days before was with 2 does giving all they had to make it in the timber with another 7 does following close behind. I lowered my gun let out a Fawk picked up my glasses and leaned against a tree to catch my breath. As I was contemplating cutting my wrists for not taking the very unethical shot at a deer of a lifetime I noticed a buck standing in the middle of the clearing just looking at me, then he would turn and looked towards the far timber. As if he was an old man with a walker very slowly he would try to walk away. I almost burst out laughing cause he looked so funny but i realized he was a hurting dude. I probably let him get another 25-30 yds before I decided he wasn't going to make the winter and death was going to be slow and painful. I got a good rest and grunted as he turned put I him out of his misery. Turns out he had been shot before high in the shoulders. When i caped him out he was full of green and brown puss. Not sure if he would have made the winter or not as at the time it was turning out to be like a normal winter up here, hindsight eh? I boned him out and caped him and broke in the MR6500. Sorry for the bad pics something happened when i resized them? Also i did take the time to stuff his bloody tongue back in his mouth just wouldnt stay there. Hands were getting chilly gave up.
W.
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/P1040360.jpg
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/P1040363.jpg