Odocoileus virginianus

Sarah and I made our way to Missoula on Thanksgiving day, and after 4 hours of tense, icy driving we arrived! My typical request of only wanting, "A hug, a handshake, and a Thanksgiving meal" came true...but it only got better. My sister blessed me with some much needed wool hats (one of which has already become my daily wear), Sarah got me some nice GoreTex rain pants and a web belt, and my Mom got me some of those cool Sam Adams beer glasses. My Dad wrapped it up with a box of 7mm shells. Uhmm, sorry Dad, I don't have a 7mm! When he returned from the back room, he had an unused 7 mag! No kidding! It was all shock at that point and I'm pretty excited to get out and shoot it. It's a great looking rifle and I already decided to keep the iron sights on it. After dealing with all the snow and trying to protect my scope, it would be a welcome option to have open sights.

We made it back Saturday, and I headed into the woods Sunday at 1030. I had seen a lot of deer movement the other day around 1300, so figured I'd go out a little later. I made it up the skating rink of a road and headed up the hill at 1100. I decided to check out a corner of the clearcut where I had spooked a deer earlier in the week after not being able to make it out with the stumps and whatnot. I looked up there and saw something that looked like a deer, but then I concluded it was just a tree bole. WAIT...that tree bole just moved!!!

I hunkered under a big ponderosa and made myself a little nest. The deer was a doe, but after the other day of gridding that whole area looking for the deer I missed, I knew it was a popular spot with them...and there MUST be a buck nearby. So, I set up my pack as a rest and layed down to keep an eye on her.


My quick hide


View from my rest...the deer was at the far timberline...240 yards, doesn't look like it does it?

I ranged her and saw she was at about 240 yards! I figured I should hold a little high if I did see anything. So, I'm laying there watching this doe when she looked back in the timber. Uh oh, game on! Sure enough, there was a buck! He turned and chased her out of the clearcut and was just cresting the ridge himself, almost out of sight, when I made some sort of grunting noise to get him to stop. He stopped! With basically no time to think, I held high on his chest and pulled the trigger!

After the shot, I scanned and scanned the area, but saw no sign of the deer. DAMMIT! The recoil felt like a .22 and the report sounded like a small crack. Hmm, again, I pulled the bolt and looked down the barrel...no obstruction. Well, I checked my watch and it was 1120 or so; I took my time going up the hill because I figured I'd be tracking if I did hit him and I wanted to give him time to bed down or at least to die close by. It was a long walk up there in 12 inches of snow and I spent the whole time praying to find evidence of a hit. I got to where I thought he was standing and didn't see anything! REALLY?!! Did I miss completely again? Is my scope off? That's when I took a couple more steps and saw his back! He hadn't taken a single step, just dropped in his tracks. I have NEVER had that happen!

My first thoughts were of relief and thanks. My next thought was, "I need to call Sarah!" (I had the odd privilege of cell service there.) After that quick phone call and having to sit down to keep from shaking too much, I took some photos of my first deer in 5 years!


Great place for contemplation

Beautiful critter

I then began the task of getting him cleaned up. I strung his legs out so they wouldn't be in the way, then touched the knife to his belly and the hair moved! Now, I have heard of guys starting to cut on a seemingly dead deer, only to have them jump up very much alive. SO, I touched his eye again. Okay, he's dead, but what the hell? Nerves? I touched the knife to his belly again and again, the hair moved. Curious, I pulled the hair back only to see TICKS! Hundreds of ticks...I'd say easily 10 per square inch. Well, work was still work, so I began. Within 15 minutes, I had everything taken care of...after only gutting an elk and a moose in the past couple of years, I was amazed at how easy it was.

I was so excited I forgot to put my tag on him! So I dug around and found my tag...then rapidly became confused...aren't these things supposed to have little month/day things to cut out? Hmm, in my excitement I had grabbed the license/receipt for my deer tag. Slow down Tom. I got the tag cut out and used about 10 feet of rope to secure it to his antler, I was NOT going to lose it on the drag out.

The buck from where I shot

I drug him down the hill to my little nest and took some more photos, totally forgetting to pick up the shell casing that I was trying to remember to pick up. I got to the pickup and was pulling out at 1230. When I shot, I was about 200 yards as the crow flies from the truck. The deer fell at 240 yards from there. The total drag was only about 500 yards, downhill, in a clearcut, in 12 inches of snow! Pretty darn nice! And all told, I was in and out in 1.5 hours!

Just an interesting photo

So I negotiated the treacherous roads on my way to Butch's house to string this guy up in the woodshed. As I'm driving I noticed a little yearling doe come sprinting toward the road on the driver side...she missed the car in the other lane and I tried to speed up so I wouldn't hit her. Well, she connected with my rear quarter panel and gave me a nice dent. She fell in the road and thrashed around...I felt bad because I figured she was injured. But, I watched her for a bit and the thrashing was just because of the ice. Once she got her feet, she ran off into the woods. A relief!

I used the truck to string this buck up into the rafters to skin it out...it was a little heavier than I thought it would be. I kept feeling something on the back of my neck and finally found the tick that was crawling around. Talk about having the creepy-crawlies for the rest of the evening! But, I got my work done and looked at my watch....it took longer to hang him up and skin him than it did to get him out of the woods...2 hours!

I had found my bullet inside the hide on the far side and put it on the tailgate to save. I forgot, of course, before I left so I'm hoping it's still in my truck bed. Turns out I really didn't need to hold high, because the shot hit him high and pretty much destroyed the lungs...but it passed close enough to the spine on the far side that I think that's why he didn't go very far. The shock must have done it.

I'm really glad things turned out in the end...it feels good to get rewarded for the hard work and time I put into it. I figured out the country, figured out where and when the deer were moving, and made it work. It was my first ever shot at an animal from a prone position, it was the longest shot at an animal in my lifetime, and it was the only animal that dropped dead in it's tracks. Can't ask for a better belated birthday present than that!

I am pleased.

Polar Bear Blood

...Is something I do not have.

Quick note about yesterday's hunt. I hiked around for a coupla hours then set up in a spot to just kinda see what was moving. I heard a tree groan...bluuuhhhat...but there was no wind! Finally figured out it was a buck who heard me walking in the uber-cold-squeaky snow and grunted at me! I blew on my little grunt tube and looked over my shoulder to see said deer, at 40 yards, leaving the county. That was weird....I guess I sounded bigger than him. I poked around some more and then set up in the clearcut again to watch the entry point into it...

I sat there for 30 minutes in 0-5 degree temps when finally I heard a branch break! In 8-10 inches of snow, that means something! But, it echoed, so I was looking the wrong way when a doe busted me at about 50 yards...downwind! It scared me so much I damn near shit my pants. I left since it was pitch black out, and was cold enough that even after a 45 minute drive home, I still wasn't completely warm! (How many of you have tried to warm your fingers in a truck's defroster? Sucks doesn't it?)

But, my usual lack of optimism wasn't present, so I decided to take today off and hunt! Up early, I was leaving the truck at shooting light...around 0700. About 600 yards from the truck..still in the clearcut, I looked up the hill near the timberline and saw a deer! Shoot, that was quick! I got behind a rise and closed the distance to about 250 yards...hunkering under a ponderosa blowdown. I scanned and scanned, but couldn't see the deer (what looked like a little buck.) Well, no worries...I stood up and walked a bit and glanced up long enough to see the white flag of the deer leaving. DAMMMMMMMIT. Despite what you may think, spotting deer in a clearcut in snow isn't as easy as it sounds. They look like all the other stumps out there.

Okay, well, I poked around the hills for a couple more hours (5 to be exact) and saw nothing. No fresh sign (well a little) and no real good leads. So, I finally made my way back to the truck. However, I wanted to see if anything crossed my tracks in the morning, so I went back down that way. Sure enough, a lot of deer HAD been milling around in that area since I passed through and I was relatively pissed. If I COULD, I WOULD have sat down and made myself a little sniper nest...but as it was only about 5 degrees...after 15 minutes of sitting, it was enough. Well, there I was, walking down this road when I heard something running above me! I looked through a very small opening to see a doe run past! She was tearing out of there like something was chasing her...and after a heard the grunt, I knew a buck was on her tail!

I saw a flash in the thick underbrush, so knew the buck would reach the opening quickly. Rifle up, safety off, I waited. He passed the narrow opening and I saw him in the scope...there was no squeezing of the trigger, I was to the point where I needed to throw lead! I saw the crosshairs on his body and PULLED! And...it will be known...I actually REMEMBER closing my eyes! I had that perfect shot-picture in my head and figured I was dead on! Upon reaching the tracks however, I found no blood nor hair. I tracked this pair for a good 45 minutes, then gridded the countryside for a dead deer. NOTHING. Well shoot, I guess I missed clean. A standing/off-hand shot at a deer running flat-out at 50-60 yards...through a narrow gap in the brush? I think I did well even recognizing what was going on enough to put it all together in about 3 seconds. To flip the scope cover, take the safety off, see the opening and shoot at a running target? I'll take a little bit of pride in that...but also wallow in shame for missing! I actually took the bolt out of the rifle and looked for a lodged bullet in the barrel, I was THAT confident in the shot.

But, seeing the tracks of fleeing deer going straight up the mountain helped me realize I missed clean. Then I saw some more running tracks going downhill to the creek! Perhaps that's my buck and he's headed toward water...bleeding internally! (Small chance I know, but I always have to do my best to figure out what happened to the critter I shot at...if I shoot at all.)

So I followed this track down to the creek, across the creek, and up into the thick timber. I kept tracking, hoping to figure out what the deer were doing and if I could catch up to this buck again. But, I was still hustling and spooked a DIFFERENT buck who tore through the brush so fast all I could see were antlers and snow flying! He was a pretty buck and big to boot!

I hustled after him, and knowing the trails, set up in a spot I hoped to see him cross. Before I knew it I was looking at a doe with two yearlings...right out in the open...eating. No buck with them, I just kept them in the scope trying to will them to grow antlers. By this time, I realized that all my chasing, tracking, and gridding left me pretty sweaty. Because I got COLD. I called it even though the deer were moving. My thought was that perhaps I could get home, change my wet long underwear and head back out! On my way home I saw a BIG buck that looked like it stood seven feet tall, in the middle of the road, staring at me. Right next to a couple houses. REALLY? Are you EFFING kidding me?!!

Well, by the time I got to the house it was about 1430. To get changed and head back out would give me only about 45 minutes of light...and only about 30 of those would be legal shooting light! I took a hot shower and called my folks.

All in all, it was a good...but bummer of...a day. I'm glad I missed clean, but I'm still disappointed that I missed. The game continues!

So What's the Best Way to....

...hunt during a blizzard?




Hmmm, with a temperature of 7 now...it's gonna be chilly! And I WANT to hunt?

Priest lake resulted in nada, so now it's back to hunting my late-season areas here near town. I didn't mention it before, but I've been fighting a sinus infection since around the beginning of elk season. I finally went to the doctor on Veteran's day and got an antibiotic called "sulfa-somethinoranother." After a week of taking that and generally feeling like poo, I woke up and discovered my body was covered in a light rash! Ahh, another antibiotic that I'm allergic to; awesome.

So I went back in and he gave me Claritin, a Rx for a serious steroid (used for severe allergic reactions) and a Rx for Zpack. I didn't have to use the steroids or Zpack, so that's good. I finally feel better and am much less dizzy, so I'm itching to hunt! (No pun intended...the rash is gone.)

We've had a pretty good snow storm moving through the past couple of days...I think we have about six inches or so in town. Yesterday the wind stopped around 1000 and I kept staring out the window thinking I should go hunting. I finally couldn't take it and left at 1300, changed, grabbed my gear, and was hunting by 1400. With only about two hours of shooting light, I needed to get moving. I kept crossing tracks of deer that must have been out just hours prior to me getting there, but I didn't see anything.

Well, it was 1600 and getting dark, but I set up in a clearcut and was watching the timberline...trying to will something out into the open. Nada. So at about 1630, heading back down to the truck, I saw a little buck run off the road I was heading for. It was so dark that I could FEEL the snowflakes but couldn't see them...so I figured that was a little too late for a shot.

This morning is the end of a blizzard warning (I think it goes through 1000.) I'm already thinking about when I should get out again...hmm, probably right when the wind dies like yesterday right? Yah. My goal is to just have more time to hang out in the woods as there were deer tracks everywhere one might think there should be deer. Set up in a likely spot and wait I guess. Luckily, I figured out a system of clothes that kept me toasty warm, even when sitting...but do that for six hours vs two? Not sure how tough I am, but it's better than being at work with very little to do. (Can you tell?)

All I'm doing is making reference calls for a hiring panel I'm on, and not many people are around to take my call, but I still managed to get four of seven done yesterday!

With that, send me all the luck you can muster. I'm to that point now. Ooh, but I do have a week in December where I can use the bow to try and shoot either a whitetail doe or buck...so I may still try that. Bowhunting on snowshoes? Hell yeah!

The long-awaited 2010 Elk Camp Post

Alright ya'll. I've drug my feet for long enough...but I'm sure you all have figured out what didn't happen on the annual elk trip. Pictures will have to come later...but even then, I think I only have a handful of decent ones.

Butch and I took off Saturday the 9th of October and headed for the place we've been going to the past couple of years. We came around the corner to "our" camp and found it taken! A little down the road we found a do-able place, but figured a little scout down the road was in order before we settled down. So Butch took off on an ATV and I swatted aphids and secured some firewood for the night. Well, there were no other spots within about five miles...so we made this spot work.

We leveled the trailer, took care of the ATVs, and set up a tarp...banking on the heavy rains they were calling for on Sunday. And boy did it rain Sunday! We strung up some more tarps and then went logging behind camp. It was pretty convenient to get firewood...I think I had five or six trees on the ground and they were within ATV winching distance of camp! So Butch yarded those next to the trailer and we then cut them into rounds and had a nice windblock made in no time. With so much wood and so much rain...what to do? Well, we did our best to just burn wood and stay warm of course!

Monday we hiked into our secret spot..."the hole" if you will. We sidehilled from camp and didn't see any fresh sign, didn't jump any deer...absolutely NOTHING. We made it to the far saddle and headed up the hill to cut a road that would be easier walking down to camp. Up close to the top of the hill I found a huge deer skull with some serious antlers...but it had been there a pretty long time. Still a neat find though.

Tuesday, we drove down to the (now blocked off) road that led us into the area where I killed the elk a couple years ago. We walked down the road for a couple miles and didn't see much fresh sign, didn't see any living thing except maybe some birds, and so were basically just on a walk. After a couple hours we turned back and again returned to camp empty handed.

Wednesday we headed back to the same closed road and tried hiking down another road that led along a nice long ridge. Not too long into it, we ran into some guys coming up the way we were going. They had been to the end and hadn't seen anything...so after some deliberation...we headed back to camp. From there, we headed further down the main road to a little spot that overlooked the Cabinet Mountains just for something to do. Butch made some phone calls and I made a smudge fire to keep the aphids down. Returned to camp...that was it!

Thursday was a break day, so we headed into Clarkfork to make some more phone calls and get some supplies. One of the things we bought was a cheap can opener that, when tested, simply didn't work. Such a simple piece of equipment and it was still a piece o' shit. The can opener on the leatherman was the tool of choice.

Friday was the opening day of the three day cow season...so we went back into the hole and poked around some more. We saw the same thing we saw on Monday...NOTHING. We were a bit lower down on the ridge, so had to push through a lot of brush and blowdown to get back up to the road. But at one point we found that we stopped in the EXACT same spot that we had taken a break four days earlier. Bizarre. But, then we couldn't find the deer head...go figure.

Saturday, we were having some coffee and trying to get motivated to hike around in the critter-devoid hills when I heard some crashing in the brush near camp. I immediately jumped up and got my rifle...but by the time I came out, Butch was saying, "It's a moose and it's big. Get your camera!" Got some crappy pictures of a HUGE bull and I'm confident it was the same big moose I saw last year in the same spot. Pretty cool that he's still around. Later that morning we went out to a little deer-ridge that Butch knew about and split up. Didn't see anything, but I thought I had heard a doe snort.

Sufficiently tired of not seeing anything, we broke camp Sunday and came out.

Saw a few elk racks in the back of pickups on the drive back to Coeur d'Alene...just enough to get the blood boiling.

So that was it! We're still wondering where we're going to go next year. Where are the elk?

Ooh, but we're headed to Priest Lake in a couple hours to look for deer! We'll stay the weekend and battle the predicted frigid temperatures...but at least be able to hunt in some snow! I'm ready to go!