Had some good success this year, but put the time in and hunted hard in October.
Mostly at the mule deer honey hole.
Had the oct 1st weekend with a big buck jumping away at 200yards and never stopping to give me the look back.. the thing that nightmares are made of, the image you see when you close your eyes. I know this place holds good deer numbers and good genetics, and the lay of the land makes for some fun hunting, with lots of variables and transition areas.
I was determined to get one thanksgiving, even though it was abbreviated due to a buddies commitments, we were acting like it was a regular weekend, anyway.
Back up to the mountain and the place is actually quiet, compared to usual thanksgiving weekends previous.
We decided to settle in to a spot half way up the mountain and set out for a wander.
Myself and two friends split up for the morning hours and glassed our asses off hike our asses off, glass and glass and hike and glassed some more.
We are full recon mode getting a lay of where the deer out and working the vantage points that have been productive in other years. Without any bucks spotted.
We meet back at the truck around 4pm and all we have seen is for fawn doe fawn doe doe doe doe fawn etc. Good numbers but classic low buck ratio.
As we are eating a very late lunch at the truck I am scanning the ridge for movement and notice a doe walking up out of the low side, around 150yds away.
She must have been bedded in the thick stuff and was alerted to our presence. Not a few minutes later a buck! He was trotting then sniffing them trotting then sniffing, with its nose down to the ground. On the same trail the doe had taken over the ridge.
I grabbed my riffle and found a convenient stump for a rest. It was a little shaky so I had to re adjust my body position and kicked some rocks by accident. Alerting the buck, with the tumbling rocks but my rest is solid.
The buck turned his head and is glued on me. I line the crosshairs up with his breadbasket... and the .308 barks.
It sends him down, a second bullet finished him quickly.
I take a moment and remember how thankful I am, and grateful the for the meat I will have for the freezer. A beautiful young 3x3 mule deer buck that is a fine looking deer.
It was an easy drag back to the truck with the three of us
As night fell and we celebrated with some IPA's , a bonfire and some laughs.
The next morning, on the drive out, our last chance as we are headed home that day. Wevdescend the mountain, and I spot a deer 400m up in the slash....
I was surprised I caught the white rump with the naked eye, but with a closer look with the 10x's shows it happeneds to be a buck.
My buddy took his time and lined up a shot with his 7mm mag and let the buck have it.
Watching the buck drop in the vapour trail is always very exciting.
A fork horn, again, a beautiful deer that will fill our familys freezer.
A quick celebration and we drag the buck down the hill, and we were on our way home.
Happy hunters on thanksgiving weekend.
Now I had previously booked a buncha time off at the end of October and was able to help another group of buddies who are new to hunting with trying to there tags, there first ever deer tags, although we got spring bears may long as a group together earlier this year. This was there first "deer camp". We were looking for any buck so we went back to the hole.
In this area we do a lot of spot and stalk, but still hunting the old deactivated roads produced good for us so I follow buddy #1 down an over grown road.As we wander I'm seeing sign everywhere. We keep slowly walking, where we then bump the big body of a deer as it's very close and trying to get some distance.
I whisper at my friend with intent "buck!"
He freezes like he's stoned cold and can't do anything.
My buddies shocked.... locked up.
So is the buck looking right at us at 70 yards now.
I can tell the buck has a big rack and I'm wondering why the gun hasn't barked or even been brought up to his face.
I say "calm down and breathe. ..(nothing).... do you not see it?" I ask. He is shaking so I think he sees it. He then takes a deep breath steps forward raises his gun.
Bang! .30/06 goes of and the buck drops with a spine shot instantly.
A beautiful 4x4 buck with browtines. What a first deer. It's a big bodied deer that was loaded with fat, we were all so happy.
We cleaned the buck up and had a great evening by the campfire cooking deer heart, tounge and tenderloin for dinner.
The season ended in the blacktail woods with less trips then I'd like, and only saw some does and no bucks but that is hunting!
I'm a so lucky to have good buddies and to be able to get out with them, and hunt these beasts!!!
Some great animals above in this thread!
I'm already excited for next year!
