sureshotshane
Active member
Howdy Folks,
This is a long one.
It's been a busy season taking guests on various hunts from Roosevelt elk, to Columbian black-tailed deer and bear. This is the story of a couple bears recently killed in CA. Hopefully I'll have time in a different post for a recent blacktail buck story. Still more hunts to come too. This is of a personal hunt..
Day Before Opener:
Story starts the day before opening day of deer/bear season here along the North Coast of California. I had a colleague and friend who I owed a hunt too and he had a deer and bear tag. I was bringing my rifle, but I had my bar set pretty high for the type of buck I'd pull the trigger on. I planned a hunt that I'd always wanted to do. There is a long ridge, that's extremely steep and rugged but the walking is relatively easy when on the top, the ridge runs about 17 miles as the crow flys. Nobody hunts it but I've seen bucks on the ridge from across the canyon a mile away. You can go in one trailhead and out another and make it a through hunt. We did the shuttle, and it took about 5 hours.
Day 1:
Opening morning was cold, 100% cloud cover and a bit breezy. Perfect conditions for deer. We mostly were making tracks in the morning trying to get away from the crowds, but periodically glassing. We spotted a small 2x3 early on that we passed.
A detail worth noting is that a storm came through on the first few days of opener of rifle deer. In California, that's what hunters dream of. To me it can be good and bad, depending on a lot of factors. The day before opener was overcast and cold, we started out in the evening and got in 3-4 miles. That landed us squarely where the 50 other hunters (no exaggeration) would be for opening day.
At 9:30 and about 7 miles in we found a camp that already had a small 4x4 back to camp and they were apparently in their tents napping. I "joked" that the buck was too small and we didn't want that buck anyhow. I assumed this would be the last people we would see for the next 4 days, I was right. We found a great glassing rock just beyond their camp and I quickly spotted a herd of deer about 1000 yards away and exactly in the direction we were going to be traveling anyways. Included in the herd was at least one buck. I thought at first glance in my 18X binoculars that it may be to small, but after inspection with the spotting scope I realized that I was totally wrong, it was indeed a massive 4x4 with width about 4-6 inches beyond its ears. A very respectable blacktail by any measure. Honestly I was a bit shocked to be seeing these deer in the location they were.
We made our way over, the wind was perfect but we couldn't get closer than 350 yards without losing our only shooting window through the trees and brush. We spent some time trying to get a good rest, but finding one was a difficult on the incline. The hunter said he felt good and shot, I saw it go right over his back. He overcompensated. We went over to investigate but I knew what happened. We did jump a small forkie in the meantime that we passed. I immediately started glassing to try to work something else up. It was midday but the conditions were perfect.
I spotted 2 bucks down the backside of the ridge. I had hoped it had the one that was shot at but after getting the bigger glass out, we knew they weren't worth the chase.
View attachment _DSC8626.JPG
Day 2:
Fast forward to 2 am and the real storm blew in. We had posted up for the night on the top of the ridge where we could glass come first light. The wind shifted in the night, it started blowing a gale, and the rain began. No big deal, my tarp can handle anything. Conditions at shooting light were so horrible you couldn't glass. Even if you could see more than 50 yards, the wind made it impossible to be stable even with a tripod. We hunkered in our sleeping bags, glassing out from the tarp when and if we could.The clouds lifted and rain turned to showers but the wind continued. We packed up camp and started down the ridge, trying to stay on the leeward side.
I spotted two bucks not long after we broke camp. Decided they weren't exactly what we were after, although they were in a good position.
View attachment _DSC8628.JPG
View attachment _DSC8634.JPG
Day 3:
Fast forward through a long, windy and cold second day to the third day of the season. We were in an excellent area, not a hunter but us. It was overcast and cold but no bucks were spotted throughout the morning and midday. Our spirits not dampened at all though because I know there is infinite places for them to hide and the sign was there. Just needed to find one through all the cover. We hiked to what I would describe as blacktail heaven. We got there just as the shadows we're getting long from the burnt snags.
No bucks, no bucks, a doe and spike, no bucks. And in the last 10 minutes of legal shoot time a buck appeared out of nowhere. This is the reason you stay till the bitter end, what you hope for every evening. A buck appears where you've glassed a couple dozen times. Within shooting distance thankfully because there wasn't any time for a stalk. A beautiful perfect 4x4. It was 318 yards. This time it was my turn. I hastily used my tripod and a shooting yoke to make a shot. Buck runs forward and out of sight. I busted the rocks right in front of it. I quickly made my way over to be sure of what happened and I as I looked down at the perfectly white rocks that the buck was standing over, I saw no blood and when I glanced up the shadow of the buck could be seen sky-lined going up and over the ridge.
To be clear - this was a real bummer. Getting a shot on a blacktail of these stature happens to some people maybe once in a lifetime. Would I be able to repeat this in the same season? My shot felt solid but in hindsight you start to question everything when you miss. Had I hit it, we would have been high-fiving and talking about what a great hunt. Tomorrow is a new day.
View attachment _DSC8650.JPG
Day 4:
We woke up ready. Remember this is blacktail heaven. We arrived early at the same glassing point as the evening prior. There was lots of ground to cover with the eyes. This time we knew we wouldn't get lucky with something in the vicinity so we glassed the distance, up to 1.5 miles away in some places. The fog would blow in and back out and we glassed when possible. Between drifts of fog I spotted a buck about 3/4 mile away. I knew was a good one at first glance. We got the spotter out but it wasn't needed.
This was going to be a tough stalk. Visibility would be extremely limited by brush and the hiking downright miserable but we had to give it a try. We watched the buck until it fed its way over a finger ridge and out of sight. A lot of bushwacking later and once we got up above the area we last sighted the buck, we knew that he would live another day. The buck went into its hole for the day and finding it would be impossible.
View attachment _DSC8649.JPG
This is a long one.
It's been a busy season taking guests on various hunts from Roosevelt elk, to Columbian black-tailed deer and bear. This is the story of a couple bears recently killed in CA. Hopefully I'll have time in a different post for a recent blacktail buck story. Still more hunts to come too. This is of a personal hunt..
Day Before Opener:
Story starts the day before opening day of deer/bear season here along the North Coast of California. I had a colleague and friend who I owed a hunt too and he had a deer and bear tag. I was bringing my rifle, but I had my bar set pretty high for the type of buck I'd pull the trigger on. I planned a hunt that I'd always wanted to do. There is a long ridge, that's extremely steep and rugged but the walking is relatively easy when on the top, the ridge runs about 17 miles as the crow flys. Nobody hunts it but I've seen bucks on the ridge from across the canyon a mile away. You can go in one trailhead and out another and make it a through hunt. We did the shuttle, and it took about 5 hours.
Day 1:
Opening morning was cold, 100% cloud cover and a bit breezy. Perfect conditions for deer. We mostly were making tracks in the morning trying to get away from the crowds, but periodically glassing. We spotted a small 2x3 early on that we passed.
A detail worth noting is that a storm came through on the first few days of opener of rifle deer. In California, that's what hunters dream of. To me it can be good and bad, depending on a lot of factors. The day before opener was overcast and cold, we started out in the evening and got in 3-4 miles. That landed us squarely where the 50 other hunters (no exaggeration) would be for opening day.
At 9:30 and about 7 miles in we found a camp that already had a small 4x4 back to camp and they were apparently in their tents napping. I "joked" that the buck was too small and we didn't want that buck anyhow. I assumed this would be the last people we would see for the next 4 days, I was right. We found a great glassing rock just beyond their camp and I quickly spotted a herd of deer about 1000 yards away and exactly in the direction we were going to be traveling anyways. Included in the herd was at least one buck. I thought at first glance in my 18X binoculars that it may be to small, but after inspection with the spotting scope I realized that I was totally wrong, it was indeed a massive 4x4 with width about 4-6 inches beyond its ears. A very respectable blacktail by any measure. Honestly I was a bit shocked to be seeing these deer in the location they were.
We made our way over, the wind was perfect but we couldn't get closer than 350 yards without losing our only shooting window through the trees and brush. We spent some time trying to get a good rest, but finding one was a difficult on the incline. The hunter said he felt good and shot, I saw it go right over his back. He overcompensated. We went over to investigate but I knew what happened. We did jump a small forkie in the meantime that we passed. I immediately started glassing to try to work something else up. It was midday but the conditions were perfect.
I spotted 2 bucks down the backside of the ridge. I had hoped it had the one that was shot at but after getting the bigger glass out, we knew they weren't worth the chase.
View attachment _DSC8626.JPG
Day 2:
Fast forward to 2 am and the real storm blew in. We had posted up for the night on the top of the ridge where we could glass come first light. The wind shifted in the night, it started blowing a gale, and the rain began. No big deal, my tarp can handle anything. Conditions at shooting light were so horrible you couldn't glass. Even if you could see more than 50 yards, the wind made it impossible to be stable even with a tripod. We hunkered in our sleeping bags, glassing out from the tarp when and if we could.The clouds lifted and rain turned to showers but the wind continued. We packed up camp and started down the ridge, trying to stay on the leeward side.
I spotted two bucks not long after we broke camp. Decided they weren't exactly what we were after, although they were in a good position.
View attachment _DSC8628.JPG
View attachment _DSC8634.JPG
Day 3:
Fast forward through a long, windy and cold second day to the third day of the season. We were in an excellent area, not a hunter but us. It was overcast and cold but no bucks were spotted throughout the morning and midday. Our spirits not dampened at all though because I know there is infinite places for them to hide and the sign was there. Just needed to find one through all the cover. We hiked to what I would describe as blacktail heaven. We got there just as the shadows we're getting long from the burnt snags.
No bucks, no bucks, a doe and spike, no bucks. And in the last 10 minutes of legal shoot time a buck appeared out of nowhere. This is the reason you stay till the bitter end, what you hope for every evening. A buck appears where you've glassed a couple dozen times. Within shooting distance thankfully because there wasn't any time for a stalk. A beautiful perfect 4x4. It was 318 yards. This time it was my turn. I hastily used my tripod and a shooting yoke to make a shot. Buck runs forward and out of sight. I busted the rocks right in front of it. I quickly made my way over to be sure of what happened and I as I looked down at the perfectly white rocks that the buck was standing over, I saw no blood and when I glanced up the shadow of the buck could be seen sky-lined going up and over the ridge.
To be clear - this was a real bummer. Getting a shot on a blacktail of these stature happens to some people maybe once in a lifetime. Would I be able to repeat this in the same season? My shot felt solid but in hindsight you start to question everything when you miss. Had I hit it, we would have been high-fiving and talking about what a great hunt. Tomorrow is a new day.
View attachment _DSC8650.JPG
Day 4:
We woke up ready. Remember this is blacktail heaven. We arrived early at the same glassing point as the evening prior. There was lots of ground to cover with the eyes. This time we knew we wouldn't get lucky with something in the vicinity so we glassed the distance, up to 1.5 miles away in some places. The fog would blow in and back out and we glassed when possible. Between drifts of fog I spotted a buck about 3/4 mile away. I knew was a good one at first glance. We got the spotter out but it wasn't needed.
This was going to be a tough stalk. Visibility would be extremely limited by brush and the hiking downright miserable but we had to give it a try. We watched the buck until it fed its way over a finger ridge and out of sight. A lot of bushwacking later and once we got up above the area we last sighted the buck, we knew that he would live another day. The buck went into its hole for the day and finding it would be impossible.
View attachment _DSC8649.JPG
