Seasons off to a good start without me.

[.300Savage]

Well I just got an update from Dad and 1 of our partners got a 4X4 opening day afternoon and 1 of our buddys got another 4X4 last Sunday. We usually don't get much activity tell the end of season so I'm hoping this is a preview of how the rest of the season will go and not them shooting everything before I get back to the states and out there to hunt.

I asked Dad to get me some pics and I'll try to post em when I get em.

Good luck to everybody, be safe, shoot straight and save some for me.

[HookedOnQuack]

What zone/area?

[.300Savage]

B5/private
We get a decent buck off the public land around us from time to time. Deer lick springs, Platina, Wildwood area. Just pay attention to the signs and gates. There is alot of private land around and also dope growers, but great genetics. The area around Deer Lick especially seems to do well we've always attributed it to the minerals from the springs. HTH cause that's all I'm giving up.

[.300Savage]

Last update a double resulting in another 4x4 and a 3x3. The 4pt was our partners GF's first buck. No pics of any of the deer yet but, I hear 1 of the 4pts was a dandy maybe even close to mine last year. I'll try to get pics soon and post em up.

[.300Savage]

Well still no pics but, w/B-Zones closed I thought I'd update again. We finished season w/our usual 6 Bucks which not less than years past is still kind of a let down. Though we did see more and better(ish) bucks. I think the benefits of the motion fire are finaly starting to show. So our guest that shot the bigger of the 4X4's tried to fill his second tag on closing Saturday am, Friday night we made our plans for our morning flush hunt w/a flock of Beagles and a GSP and went off to sleep. Saturday am arrived w/a slight plan change one of our partners tells me hay will you take care of breakfast I have to go up top to call my bookie breakfast should have been ready at this point (he's trying to save for a wedding) reluctantly I agree as I know cooking now would put us/me out of camp about 45 min after shooting light (that's why we pick 1 person to deal w/breakfast, they start early and we are where we need to be at shooting light) no sooner do I get my boots on then 2 trucks come flying into camp at Mach alot, 1 a partner and the other a guest. By my tone of voice they can tell I'm not happy with Rob, to which they say skip breakfast. So I jump in 1 of the trucks and we're off. We stop to glass tge canyon we were to push that morning. First look reveals nothing and we go to see if a particularly beary area has anything for us that am. No dice. So we start back to camp for breakfast and to collect dad and the dogs. We are stopped in rout by one of those corners you come around that glares out the whole windshield. Well while we're stopped, we glass again (same spot as first thing this am) Mel drops his glasses and stops mid sentence and is suddenly back in his truck then back w/rifle in hand cycling the bolt, what what where is it what is it. There's a buck but now I can't find him. Shots were fired I never did see the buck neither of us heard a whop but, 2 partners and I go to look for blood w/Mel directing from his shooting location. A JRT and cow dog in tow the 3 of us head over. We hop off the quads and start hiking down not 20 yds off the quads and 1 of our partners spots 2 buck trying to sneak out the back door. Again w/the shooting. I only saw 1 buck @ first tell I hear a whop then see a buck real over the 1 I could see and roll into some manzanita now the second buck is running and jumping all over the place then whop and he's out of sight. At this point I'm thinken damn were now at 8 bucks this season. So we go start looking for the bucks well I get to with in 15 yds of the second whop and a JRT beats me there and all you can here is crashing followed by an angry JRT that sounds like it goes forever. I was in best position so I start chasing this mess to the bottom. While trying to catch a wounded deer and an angry Jack I hear the cow dog sound off and assume the other buck in the pair has been found. I finaly get towards tge creek @ the bottom and Jack is still giving this buck hell, not unusual both dogs in this story are know for hating animals (they aren't finished w/them just cause there dead) so I figure good the buck bleed out and Jacks trying to tear off a piece. Just in case I work slightly ahead of the commotion down below then back in and down tell I can see Jack but, no buck yet (trees and brush in the way) but I'm starting to think by the way Jack is circling they this buck is a fighter. I get down to where I can finaly see the scene and Jack has this buck bayed up in a low spot in the creek and is circling to keep him there. I get close and try to call Jack away so I can put this buck down for good (spine shot broke rear leg) every time Jack gives the buck enough distance that I feel safe the buck trys to break for it. I see a window and the game is over.

I had probly 45 min after the shot alone w/Jack and this buck before backup arrived to help w/the drag up and thought a lot, I felt bad that things did not end faster (I hadn't yet seen a deer take more than 1 dose to harvest, and my thinking that he had bleed out at the bottom slowed me down a bit, now I was wishing I had sprinted down there). He was a decent fork and I was glad he wasn't bigger as when footing was available I could drag him solo.

The first buck shot at was a clean miss, the first buck hit somehow disappeared. Every person and every dog in camp combed from 9:30 (when dad arrived w/the beagles) until 2pm and no more than a 20yd blood trail was found.

So rather than 8 we ended w/6 bucks collected.

[henmar77]

wow

[.300Savage]

wow

Yeah I didn't realize how much I typed either tell just now when I looked back at it.
To add more there was another opportunity that would have put us at 9 for the season, I have been trying to get one of my hunting partners buddys on a buck the last 2 seasons (he has yet to harvest a game animal) I put him on one that ended up being a nice fork but I was only able to confirm that when he turned to disappear into the brush and never be seen again. I knew he was legal (I could see 1 fork but his right antler was in front of some dead oak so hard to tell) but by the time I got Joe over to where he could see the buck then had him find a spot to shoot from the buck got inpatient and left.

And the better bucks spotted were all out of range or those glimpses you get as a buck disappears, I was told a guest spotted 1 I'll look for next season if he makes it supposed to be a nice 3 or 4 pt on 1 side and a 16" spike on the other. I'd take him both on management and cause I like odd stuff.