Deer hunting with Randy....

[Big Fin]

There are some trips that have one focus; have as much fun as you can. This was one of those hunts. All the folks we joined up with on this hunt were great folks, all having fun, and none being too concerned about how many tags were filled or how big of deer were taken. It helped me realize why I try to add one of these fun-focused hunts to every season.

Thanks to John, Gerald, his boys, and Michael for telling a great story of how fun hunting can be. I'm packing for the next trip and will be without service for a while. I'll try to add what I can when technology allows.

 

[MN Public Hunter]

subscribed

 

[7mm08mo]

This has the makings of an epic thread, subscribed.

 

[TRS_Montana]

This is the first thread I have ever subscribed to. Mostly so I can see more of cushman stuffed into that orange vest holding a large caliber between his legs :hump:

 

[Gerald Martin]

Randy was scheduled to join John, me and the boys on Thur. afternoon. Since we had a longer drive than Randy, John and I elected to get into camp on Wed. evening. The boys and I rolled in just after dark and started setting up our tent in the motel's camping area. There was one other tent already set up in the small area set aside for camping. Turns out we were setting up beside another Hunttalker. Shootsmanybullets and several friends were in the middle of their annual hunt as well.

We had just finished getting the wall tent set, cots arranged and the stove fired up when John arrived. We told a few stories and ate some cup noodles but the long drive for both of us had us hitting the cots fairly early.

Thursday morning was spent driving around some new country that I hadn't hunted before and checking out access points. Randy had several spots in mind but I wanted to expand my knowledge of the local area as well. We only saw a few mule deer does on public and a small mule deer buck and some does on private. Gusty winds and 20 degree temperatures had most of the deer bedded in protected areas by the time we rolled thru.

Randy rolled into town around one p.m. He treated us to lunch at the local diner and then we set out to do a quick hunt. That evening's hunt was mostly about working the kinks out of videoing and coordinating the six of us working together. Randy picked out a small piece of BLM ground close to town and did the famous "Newberg Nudge" through some likely bedding cover hoping to push deer past John and Michael. Gareth, Timothy and I stayed together and watched a back door exit in a side coulee. All we saw that night were some mule deer does that would have given Gareth an easy shot had there been a buck present.

John and Michael stood sentinel in the wind and froze while swapping stories that may have included a shred of truth. We all agreed it was too fine of an evening's hunt to ruin by shooting a deer and retired to the local diner to make a fool proof plan for the next morning. (actually, none of us agreed with that last sentence, but we did go to dinner and plan for Friday's hunt.)

 

[rtraverdavis]

I’ve got the popcorn going...

 

[duckhunt]

This is going to be a good one.

 

[VAspeedgoat]

Do Timothy and Gareth know any new words? You know the short kind like I kind spell. Maybe new ways to conjugate them together.

Anyways, I know it was a great trip, I can't wait to watch. Thank you guys for sharing.

 

[MT_elk]

Looking forward to it!

 

[noharleyyet]

Randy'isms & Cushman'isms & bleeps.....gonna like

....Director's cut?

 

[ShootsManyBullets]

Timothy and Gareth laid 'em down last week!
Cush - PM me your cell # and I'll send you over some of the photos I took from my corner of the tent. It was a mini Rende in there with all the food, drink, and BS.

 

[Gr8bawana]

I laughed out loud when the one in the tree got sluiced. That's a serious grouse hunter there!

Grouse fever!

 

[dcopas78]

I've been anxiously awaiting this one as well.

 

[Gerald Martin]

Randy'isms & Cushman'isms & bleeps.....gonna like

....Director's cut?

Plenty of 'isms this trip, but not many that would require bleeps for family friendly viewing. Randy and John's eloquence was pretty much kept to G-rating.

 

[Lab]

[video=youtube;qpauUqsSGGw]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qpauUqsSGGw[/video]

Some serious grouse problems for Randy. I'd say it's time for an intervention but it's obviously too late

Upland game oh man love it. I hunt out in eastern Colorado for pheasants a deer. You can kill your limit on both in short order. Especially whitetails.

 

[Sytes]

Ok John... What'd ya say in my elk-less thread?

Type faster, Damn it!

And... include all the brass pole, midget, taco bell, coc-caine-ethem... i mean, coka-cola, fire blazin', intermission funnies you want!

Type faster, Darn it all!

This would make an epic bloopers reel!

EDIT: Just saw Gerald's post. Oh, right! This has to be the best G rated movie script, eva!!! Thinking back on the movies w/ subtle, adult laced humor amidst G rated viewership cheerfully laden giggles and laughter! Mel Brooks meets Nickelodeon hunt trip.

HOLY SCHNIEKIES!!! There is a "Rate this thread" clicky! Haha!

Out with it, John!

 

[JohnCushman]

Plenty of 'isms this trip, but not many that would require bleeps for family friendly viewing. Randy and John's eloquence was pretty much kept to G-rating.

Not in Randy's truck Me and Michael had quite a few conversations that will never make it on the episode as well lol

 

[Gerald Martin]

On Friday morning John, the boys and I all had visions of sleeping till dawn, getting a leisurely breakfast at the diner and rolling down to road to hunt out of our mobile blinds like nearly every other hunter.

Randy on the other hand apparently felt like we had deer to kill and TV to produce. so he suggested we wake at an obscene hour and be 30 miles ahead of the competition before legal shooting light.

The first tinges of light revealed plenty of deer along the road on private land. John was riding with Randy and Michael ahead of the boys and I. Randy told me later that John was affirming his high standards of the size of buck he was holding out for by stating, "I'd shoot that one!", with each buck we passed.

Legal light, a parcel of public land and some nice bucks heading off of private to bedding cover on public, intersected nicely. We pulled off the road, set up the spotters and tried to plan a stalk. Two whitetail bucks that were in an area John could easily navigate in, headed up across the road into a steep timbered draw. Several mule deer does and a nice framed buck were already in the draw.

In order to bypass a small piece of private land bordering the road, the stalk required side hilling up and around several side ravines. John's bone on bone knees and the steep terrain helped him make the decision to defer this stalk to younger legs that still had cartilage on their kneecaps.

He didn't need to urge us twice to go after the bucks. It was Timothy's turn for first shot this morning. Randy grabbed my camera and followed after the boys and I. We made a great stalk and set up where we could watch the area we thought the mule deer had bedded in. Unfortunately, the deer had moved out of the area while we were coming in. The whitetails had also passed through and were nowhere to be found.

No worries, we had the rest of the day and plenty of country to explore. Off to the next spot!

 

[Gerald Martin]

double post

 

[el unit]

Great thread. I was waiting for this one.