Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Parker Colburn's AZ Javelina Hunt Video
Watch Darr's son Parker harvest his first Javelina. Great job Parker!
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Parker's Javelina Hunt
The pig turned broadside and Parker drew his bow. The wind started gusting and I could see Parker's bow moving all over. He held at full draw until the wind settled down and then took the shot. The arrow sailed an inch over the pigs back and he ran closer to us. The pig was standing behind a rock at 10 yards. I handed Parker the rifle and the pig stepped out. Parker made a perfect shot and had his first big game animal. Parker was so excited and so was I! Jay came over and joined us for some pictures. Jay was able to get the shot on video. We shared a lot of laughs and Parker told the story over and over again on the way home. I had so much fun on this hunt and seeing my son so excited about hunting is what it is all about. Hopefully we will get to do it all over again in a few years when my youngest son Paul is 10. Take a kid hunting or fishing!
Friday, January 27, 2012
Outdoorsmans Resource Guide Promo
Great resource for us at JSO and CSO during the year traveling around the state of Arizona!
Thursday, January 26, 2012
The Meateater
Check out this video http://themeateater.com/videos/local-knowledge-with-cody/ with JSO friend, Cody Nelson, with the Outdoorsmans and Meateater Steve Rinella I love the Meateater show. It is a refreshing show and Steve likes to "whack em n stack em"
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Benjamin Fogelson AZ Coues Buck
Applying for the fall draw I never thought I would be writing this story now. I had decided that I was going to put in for a premier Arizona trophy Coues whitetail tag, thinking I would be waiting up to 10 years. I couldn’t believe it when I saw the words “draw success.
My tag started December 9th and ended December 31st. However, due to school I had to wait till the 15th to begin hunting. Scouting was difficult because of a full school schedule so I scouted maybe three times before the hunt. I hunted a few days with my dad opening week and saw no big bucks. A couple friends that had been wanting to come help me on the hunt were getting jammed up with work and other obligations. I headed back down on the 22nd and 23rd to hunt a few mores days before Christmas. I saw a few smaller bucks and one decent buck.
Now, I cannot tell you how many people had told me that the week after Christmas the big bucks begin to go crazy and start coming out of the wood work. Thursday the 29th we woke up usual time (6:00am) and met with my other friends who drove down to help us with the remaining of the hunt. We started glassing and saw a few smaller bucks but nothing worth chasing. Just before we were going to call it and head in for lunch we glassed up a small buck feeding. We ran off to sneak in for my dad to get a shot at the buck when a bigger buck reveled himself. The moment had finally come, it was all starting to unfold. We were a good distance away from the buck and got all our optics on him. Taking one look through the spotter I knew he was the one. The buck bedded down under a mesquite tree, which triggered the beginning of our stalk. It only took us 10 minutes to get into position for the shot. The buck was chasing a doe 250 yards up the hill. My first shot I missed low and then at 275 yards he presented a perfect quartering away shot and down he went. My dad followed up, “He’s down”. All the way up to him millions of things were going through my mind. Making it up to the top I looked over and saw the buck pilled up at the base of a small juniper. I went over to him and pick up his rack and was in disbelief. All my hard work had paid off in the end. I am very appreciative the have harvest such a beautiful trophy animal and to have shared it with my friends and my dad. He scores 93 7/8. My biggest to date. "
Great Buck Ben! Thanks for sending!
Monday, January 23, 2012
Motherlode Turkey Mouth Calls
Listen to the audio of these great calls that friend of JSO, Joe Slaton, owner of Motherlode Turkey Calls loaded up.
Medusa
Equalizer
X-Terminator
More at Motherlode Turkey Calls
Also check out the Motherlode You Tube Channel
Medusa
Equalizer
X-Terminator
More at Motherlode Turkey Calls
Also check out the Motherlode You Tube Channel
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Friday, January 20, 2012
Colburn and Scott Outfitters Mexico Coues Deer Hunt Part 2
Here is part 2 of our Mexico Coues Deer Hunt with Kit and Paul Critchlow.
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
"State Division" 2012 North Star Open Turkey Calling Contest - St. Paul, MN
Scott Ellis wins the friction division in MN State championship!
Grand Canyon Wolf Recovery
Check out this disturbing group and their plans for Arizona. Do you think they are just kidding and playing around??
http://www.gcwolfrecovery.org/project.html
OUR PROJECT
Our Mission:
The Grand Canyon Wolf Recovery Project is dedicated to bringing back wolves and restoring ecological health in the Grand Canyon Region.
Project Accomplishments:
2009-2010 Project Accomplishments
2008 Project Accomplishments
2005-2007 Project Accomplishments
Our Current Goals:
2011 Project Outlook
Published Articles:
Grand Canyon Wolf Recovery Project in the Press
Why the GCE is the Last Best Place for Wolves in Arizona:
There is low road density and a good prey base
There are few opportunities for conflict with humans or livestock, because there isn’t too much of either. Plus, we even have a few wolf-friendly ranchers who have cattle around the potentially suitable habitat for wolves in the GCE (which means they are willing to practice good animal husbandry techniques and they recognize the value of wolves to the ecosystem)
Note: Defenders of Wildlife, one of the GCWRP member organizations, has The Bailey Wildlife Foundation to provide support for livestock owners to help PREVENT depredation. In addition, federal funding has been set up as a compensation program, operated by the US Fish and Wildlife Service to pay ranchers whenever there is a loss of livestock due to depredation by a wolf that was reintroduced.
Download the Defenders of Wildlife
Livestock and Wolves Guide Here
Finally, the majority of the GCE is national parks, national forest, and national monuments…it is our land, public land.
Bringing the Wolf Back to Grand Canyon:
By the late 1920's wolves had been almost completely eliminated from the landscape of northern Arizona. With the arrival of Europeans to the Southwest in the seventeenth century, bringing with them cattle and sheep, most wildlife endured similar persecution. Elk and pronghorn antelope were slaughtered, at first for their meat and later to reduce competition with domestic stock. Stockmen killed virtually any creature, from prairie dog to bighorn sheep, thought to compete with domestic livestock. No group of animals suffered as much as did predators, and none so completely as the wolf.
This was particularly true in Arizona where the livestock industry and government hunters launched total war against the wolf in the 1890's. The exterminators did not understand and, therefore, gave no regard to the important role predators play in nature. Generally, little regard was given to nature at all. The complete extermination of the wolf in Arizona took 60 years and cost millions of taxpayers’ dollars. In the process, distinct subspecies were extirpated from the southwestern United States. Early wolf taxonomists (Young and Goldman 1944) identified two distinct subspecies in the GCE (C.l. mogollenensis and C.l. youngii); however, recent taxonomic revision (Nowak 1995) recognizes only one subspecies (C.l. nubilus), and current genetic research may show original occupation of much of GCE by the Mexican wolf (C.l. baileyii) as well. Regardless of which subspecies once dwelt throughout the GCE, it is certain that the region’s ecosystem suffers without the top predator.
Wolves at Grand Canyon were targeted for additional reasons. In 1906, Theodore Roosevelt signed into law a bill establishing the Grand Canyon Game Preserve on the Kaibab and Coconino plateaus. Lacking insights into the ecological role of predators, the government immediately hired hunters to protect "harmless" game animals, such as deer and bighorn sheep, from predators such as cougars and wolves. Between 1906 and 1923 government hunters and others reportedly killed hundreds of cougars and bobcats, thousands of coyotes, and many wolves. The slaughter of most of the mountain's predators, including every wolf, contributed to the explosive increase of deer on the Kaibab Plateau. The deer population peaked in 1924 somewhere between 30,000 and 100,000 animals. Overgrazing by deer and cattle, combined with a severe drought, brought disease and starvation. Thousands of deer perished. Incredibly, predator extermination continued.
Now we skip ahead to 1998. Under the Endangered Species Act, an “experimental, non-essential population” of Mexican wolves, bred in captivity, was introduced in the Blue Range of eastern Arizona. Not without difficulty or compromise, however. One compromise was the artificial boundary imposed on the wolves’ movement away from the reintroduction area. If a wolf adventures (as young males and females are biologically required to do to form their own packs) beyond the boundary, then they are captured and returned. One such wolf actually made it to Flagstaff in 2004 before being hit and killed as it crossed Hwy. 89 on the east side of town.
All hope is not lost. The Grand Canyon Ecoregion has been identified by wildlife ecologists as offering extraordinary habitat for wolf recovery. The region contains vast expanses of undeveloped land in national parks, monuments, and forests, and contains ample food for wolves. Scientific research* indicates that this region, extending from the Mogollon Rim all the way up to the high plateaus of southern Utah, can sustain at least 200 wolves
Who Are We?
Grand Canyon Wolf Recovery Project coordinates the efforts of our Coalition Partners throughout the Southwest, who have come together to help achieve the recovery of Mexican gray wolves in the Grand Canyon region. Wolves play a crucial role in sustaining and restoring the diversity of life in our nations wildlands.
The Grand Canyon Wolf Recovery Project advocates for the recovery of the Mexican gray wolf through education and public outreach. We participate in local and regional events and are often asked to give presentations on wolf related issues in classrooms throughout Northern Arizona. Educating the public and organizing local communities to participate in our work is crucial to our efforts in restoring the Mexican gray wolf to the Grand Canyon region. We effectively engage with public citizens and bring a strong messages to the government agencies charged with protecting wolves and maintaining sustainable habitat conditions for wolves and other wildlife.
The organizations involved with the coalition have a long history of success with predator issues. Coalition members, including Defenders of Wildlife, Sierra Club, and the Center for Biological Diversity were instrumental in returning the wolf to southeastern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico, through the Mexican Wolf Recovery Program. Many of the organizations are currently working together on the upcoming forest management plans to ensure that lowered road densities, recovery of other native species, and extirpation of non-native species, are a priority, creating safe havens and safe passages for wildlife and paving the way so that some day we may hear the sound of wolves howling across Arizona.
Goals for 2011:
Current Programs and Activities:
The Grand Canyon Wolf Recovery Project (GCWRP) is dedicated to bringing back wolves and restoring ecological health to the Grand Canyon region. One key management strategy is to eliminate all restrictions to wolf dispersal and movements. Occupation of areas outside of the current Blue Range Wolf Recovery Area will be required in order to achieve full recovery of Mexican wolves. Communicating and engaging with Grand Canyon National Park personnel and surrounding land management agencies is essential to achieving successful and meaningful wolf recovery in the American southwest. At the same time, the GCWRP and coalition partners are working to cultivate a new constituency of citizen advocates for wolves in the Grand Canyon region.
Our strategies for wolf recovery in the Grand Canyon region consist of several key approaches:
1) Influence a change of management policies inhibiting wolf recovery in the Grand Canyon region. This includes encouraging the FWS to work quickly and concurrently on a new recovery plan and project rule for Mexican wolves, so that the policies prohibiting the natural dispersal of wolves in the Grand Canyon region are eliminated. Because officials in several counties in the Blue Range Wolf Recovery Area have come out in opposition to wolves, we will work to educate and influence local government officials in the Grand Canyon region and encourage them to demonstrate their support for wolf recovery.
2) Engage and influence the Grand Canyon National Park and other key land management agencies to support wolf recovery in the region. GCWRP activities include meetings with the Superintendent of Grand Canyon National Park, networking with key representatives of adjacent Forest Service lands, bringing land managers and scientists together for collaboration across political boundaries, and participating in land management processes that affect wolves.
3) Cultivate a constituency and build a base of support for the restoration of wolves to the Grand Canyon region. Primary activities are tabling at area events and at the Grand Canyon’s North and South Rims during the summer, giving presentations to schools and organizations, public art installations to raise awareness about wolves, and hosting outreach/education events in regional communities, including Flagstaff and Grand Canyon.
Current Goals and Objectives for 2011:
Goal 1) Change management policies inhibiting wolf recovery in the Grand Canyon region.
Goal 2) Influence the Grand Canyon National Park and other key land management agencies to support wolf recovery in the region.
Goal 3) Cultivate a constituency and build the base of support for the restoration of wolves to the Grand Canyon region.
OUR PROJECT
Our Mission:
The Grand Canyon Wolf Recovery Project is dedicated to bringing back wolves and restoring ecological health in the Grand Canyon Region.
Project Accomplishments:
2009-2010 Project Accomplishments
2008 Project Accomplishments
2005-2007 Project Accomplishments
Our Current Goals:
2011 Project Outlook
Published Articles:
Grand Canyon Wolf Recovery Project in the Press
Why the GCE is the Last Best Place for Wolves in Arizona:
There is low road density and a good prey base
There are few opportunities for conflict with humans or livestock, because there isn’t too much of either. Plus, we even have a few wolf-friendly ranchers who have cattle around the potentially suitable habitat for wolves in the GCE (which means they are willing to practice good animal husbandry techniques and they recognize the value of wolves to the ecosystem)
Note: Defenders of Wildlife, one of the GCWRP member organizations, has The Bailey Wildlife Foundation to provide support for livestock owners to help PREVENT depredation. In addition, federal funding has been set up as a compensation program, operated by the US Fish and Wildlife Service to pay ranchers whenever there is a loss of livestock due to depredation by a wolf that was reintroduced.
Download the Defenders of Wildlife
Livestock and Wolves Guide Here
Finally, the majority of the GCE is national parks, national forest, and national monuments…it is our land, public land.
Bringing the Wolf Back to Grand Canyon:
By the late 1920's wolves had been almost completely eliminated from the landscape of northern Arizona. With the arrival of Europeans to the Southwest in the seventeenth century, bringing with them cattle and sheep, most wildlife endured similar persecution. Elk and pronghorn antelope were slaughtered, at first for their meat and later to reduce competition with domestic stock. Stockmen killed virtually any creature, from prairie dog to bighorn sheep, thought to compete with domestic livestock. No group of animals suffered as much as did predators, and none so completely as the wolf.
This was particularly true in Arizona where the livestock industry and government hunters launched total war against the wolf in the 1890's. The exterminators did not understand and, therefore, gave no regard to the important role predators play in nature. Generally, little regard was given to nature at all. The complete extermination of the wolf in Arizona took 60 years and cost millions of taxpayers’ dollars. In the process, distinct subspecies were extirpated from the southwestern United States. Early wolf taxonomists (Young and Goldman 1944) identified two distinct subspecies in the GCE (C.l. mogollenensis and C.l. youngii); however, recent taxonomic revision (Nowak 1995) recognizes only one subspecies (C.l. nubilus), and current genetic research may show original occupation of much of GCE by the Mexican wolf (C.l. baileyii) as well. Regardless of which subspecies once dwelt throughout the GCE, it is certain that the region’s ecosystem suffers without the top predator.
Wolves at Grand Canyon were targeted for additional reasons. In 1906, Theodore Roosevelt signed into law a bill establishing the Grand Canyon Game Preserve on the Kaibab and Coconino plateaus. Lacking insights into the ecological role of predators, the government immediately hired hunters to protect "harmless" game animals, such as deer and bighorn sheep, from predators such as cougars and wolves. Between 1906 and 1923 government hunters and others reportedly killed hundreds of cougars and bobcats, thousands of coyotes, and many wolves. The slaughter of most of the mountain's predators, including every wolf, contributed to the explosive increase of deer on the Kaibab Plateau. The deer population peaked in 1924 somewhere between 30,000 and 100,000 animals. Overgrazing by deer and cattle, combined with a severe drought, brought disease and starvation. Thousands of deer perished. Incredibly, predator extermination continued.
Now we skip ahead to 1998. Under the Endangered Species Act, an “experimental, non-essential population” of Mexican wolves, bred in captivity, was introduced in the Blue Range of eastern Arizona. Not without difficulty or compromise, however. One compromise was the artificial boundary imposed on the wolves’ movement away from the reintroduction area. If a wolf adventures (as young males and females are biologically required to do to form their own packs) beyond the boundary, then they are captured and returned. One such wolf actually made it to Flagstaff in 2004 before being hit and killed as it crossed Hwy. 89 on the east side of town.
All hope is not lost. The Grand Canyon Ecoregion has been identified by wildlife ecologists as offering extraordinary habitat for wolf recovery. The region contains vast expanses of undeveloped land in national parks, monuments, and forests, and contains ample food for wolves. Scientific research* indicates that this region, extending from the Mogollon Rim all the way up to the high plateaus of southern Utah, can sustain at least 200 wolves
Who Are We?
Grand Canyon Wolf Recovery Project coordinates the efforts of our Coalition Partners throughout the Southwest, who have come together to help achieve the recovery of Mexican gray wolves in the Grand Canyon region. Wolves play a crucial role in sustaining and restoring the diversity of life in our nations wildlands.
The Grand Canyon Wolf Recovery Project advocates for the recovery of the Mexican gray wolf through education and public outreach. We participate in local and regional events and are often asked to give presentations on wolf related issues in classrooms throughout Northern Arizona. Educating the public and organizing local communities to participate in our work is crucial to our efforts in restoring the Mexican gray wolf to the Grand Canyon region. We effectively engage with public citizens and bring a strong messages to the government agencies charged with protecting wolves and maintaining sustainable habitat conditions for wolves and other wildlife.
The organizations involved with the coalition have a long history of success with predator issues. Coalition members, including Defenders of Wildlife, Sierra Club, and the Center for Biological Diversity were instrumental in returning the wolf to southeastern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico, through the Mexican Wolf Recovery Program. Many of the organizations are currently working together on the upcoming forest management plans to ensure that lowered road densities, recovery of other native species, and extirpation of non-native species, are a priority, creating safe havens and safe passages for wildlife and paving the way so that some day we may hear the sound of wolves howling across Arizona.
Goals for 2011:
Current Programs and Activities:
The Grand Canyon Wolf Recovery Project (GCWRP) is dedicated to bringing back wolves and restoring ecological health to the Grand Canyon region. One key management strategy is to eliminate all restrictions to wolf dispersal and movements. Occupation of areas outside of the current Blue Range Wolf Recovery Area will be required in order to achieve full recovery of Mexican wolves. Communicating and engaging with Grand Canyon National Park personnel and surrounding land management agencies is essential to achieving successful and meaningful wolf recovery in the American southwest. At the same time, the GCWRP and coalition partners are working to cultivate a new constituency of citizen advocates for wolves in the Grand Canyon region.
Our strategies for wolf recovery in the Grand Canyon region consist of several key approaches:
1) Influence a change of management policies inhibiting wolf recovery in the Grand Canyon region. This includes encouraging the FWS to work quickly and concurrently on a new recovery plan and project rule for Mexican wolves, so that the policies prohibiting the natural dispersal of wolves in the Grand Canyon region are eliminated. Because officials in several counties in the Blue Range Wolf Recovery Area have come out in opposition to wolves, we will work to educate and influence local government officials in the Grand Canyon region and encourage them to demonstrate their support for wolf recovery.
2) Engage and influence the Grand Canyon National Park and other key land management agencies to support wolf recovery in the region. GCWRP activities include meetings with the Superintendent of Grand Canyon National Park, networking with key representatives of adjacent Forest Service lands, bringing land managers and scientists together for collaboration across political boundaries, and participating in land management processes that affect wolves.
3) Cultivate a constituency and build a base of support for the restoration of wolves to the Grand Canyon region. Primary activities are tabling at area events and at the Grand Canyon’s North and South Rims during the summer, giving presentations to schools and organizations, public art installations to raise awareness about wolves, and hosting outreach/education events in regional communities, including Flagstaff and Grand Canyon.
Current Goals and Objectives for 2011:
Goal 1) Change management policies inhibiting wolf recovery in the Grand Canyon region.
Goal 2) Influence the Grand Canyon National Park and other key land management agencies to support wolf recovery in the region.
Goal 3) Cultivate a constituency and build the base of support for the restoration of wolves to the Grand Canyon region.
Monday, January 16, 2012
Hen Talk by Motherlode
Joe Slaton with Motherlode Turkey calls has provided this video. Always awesome stuff with Joe! It's time boys dust off the calls and tune them up. Gobble time is just around the corner. Listen hard to the hens.
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Ulmer Edge Broadhead by Trophy Taker
I have seen these broadhead in person but have not harvested anything with them yet. I have heard lots of rave reviews though. To see more goto TROPHYTAKER.COM
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Saturday, January 7, 2012
Colburn and Scott Outfitters Mexico Coues Deer 2012 Part 1
Here is the video of the great buck Kit Critchlow was able to harvest in Mexico with us this last week.
Friday, January 6, 2012
Kit Critchlow's Coues Buck
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Coues Buck Down
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
New Year's Day Buck
Brody and I headed out to find a cow on Sunday. We failed. We did see 9 bulls, about 100 mule deer with 2 shooter bucks. I managed to get a little footage of the better buck. At first glance, he's no gawker, but after closer examination, I believe he has broken off both of his G2's. This could make him a dandy and certainly one to find next year. It's always nice to see a couple that have survived!
Happy New Year!
Happy New Year!
Monday, January 2, 2012
Nebraska Whitetail Deer Hunt 2011
Between guiding late hunts in Colorado and Arizona, I was able to sneak away to Nebraska for three days for the opening weekend of rifle season. I went with Brody Henderson of Eagle, CO. We rolled in late the night prior to the opener. Having no time to scout, we studied our maps and picked out a likely looking area about a mile and a half from the nearest road. We hiked in an hour before daylight, found good vantages, and waited. Soon after daylight, the deer started moving, and we were seeing lots of deer. Unfortunately, we also were seeing lots of hunters. It was a real pumpkin patch! Looking 360 degrees, I could see 14 hunters, some as close as 250 yards. By 8:30 am we decided it was time for a different scene. We knew we could find a spot with less pressure than that.
We studied maps again at the truck and decided to try plan B and scout some good looking stuff from the road on the way over. We arrived around noon and headed up the nearest ridge to get a look and feel for the new area. No sooner did we top out, we spooked a nice buck and doe that were bedded at the top of a burned draw. We reminded ourselves to slow down. We hadn't seen another hunter yet, and the place had plenty of fresh sign. Five more minutes of still hunting led us to peek into another burned out bowl. I still can't say if we bumped these deer or if they were just up feeding in the middle of the day, but the bowl was holding five does and three bucks. They caught our movement and a couple white flags went up, luckily the whole group wasn't in on it and that bought us enough time to survey the deer.
The group started to crest the rim of the bowl and I was worried that I might be denied a shot because the deer would be skylighted. I picked the closest buck and, as I was getting my gun up, the buck did a 180 and thought he would just slip out the backside. That brought him off the skyline. I took a knee, aimed and fired. The buck stood motionless, trying to disappear. It was a clean miss. The buck just stood there, I believe this was his survival tactic. Unfortunately for him, it allowed me enough time to cycle the bolt, lean into the closest deadfall snag and steady my rifle. The second shot connected and he crumpled. Brody and I looked at each other in awe, not believing we had just waltzed into 8 deer that had not yet been pressured. He immediately took off to try and see where the rest of the group was going.
Once Brody cleared the rim, I took off to see what I had. As I neared, the buck stood on his front legs. The shot had dropped him, but not killed him. I put one in his neck to finish the kill. I was packing my 300 WSM with 180gr. Accubonds that day. Some might say that's overkill for a Whitetail, but in this case it made the difference. At a distance of about 150 yards, my first shot was a miss, the second shot, once I steadied, was a hit but nowhere close to the vitals. The spine shot that had dropped the buck, was closer to his rear quarter than his shoulder. I'm guessing an easy 18" from my point of aim. Had I been packing a lighter caliber, the hunt might not have ended that quickly. Although not dead, the .300 WSM had anchored him.
I'm usually not one for rushed shots. I'd love to always lay over my pack and touch one off prone, but sometimes you just don't have the time. This was certainly a "flash" hunt. We were only hunting three days, opening morning had been a pumpkin convention, and we had just bumped a buck. I was feeling the pressure to shoot. I shoot a fair amount of rounds through my CZ American .22LR and know my offhand capabilities. 150 yards off the knee is certainly stretching it for me. In retrospect, I should have shown the animal a little more respect and found a better rest for that distance. Maybe I should have crept along a little slower so as not to be detected in the first place. I put some lead in the air that day and ended up killing a dandy buck. A little luck is always appreciated, but I'm reminded that the more I practice, the more I shoot, the more I hunt, the less luck will be needed. Had that buck slipped out somehow, I still would have learned a lesson in still hunting and the buck might have been around the next day to chase again.
We studied maps again at the truck and decided to try plan B and scout some good looking stuff from the road on the way over. We arrived around noon and headed up the nearest ridge to get a look and feel for the new area. No sooner did we top out, we spooked a nice buck and doe that were bedded at the top of a burned draw. We reminded ourselves to slow down. We hadn't seen another hunter yet, and the place had plenty of fresh sign. Five more minutes of still hunting led us to peek into another burned out bowl. I still can't say if we bumped these deer or if they were just up feeding in the middle of the day, but the bowl was holding five does and three bucks. They caught our movement and a couple white flags went up, luckily the whole group wasn't in on it and that bought us enough time to survey the deer.
The group started to crest the rim of the bowl and I was worried that I might be denied a shot because the deer would be skylighted. I picked the closest buck and, as I was getting my gun up, the buck did a 180 and thought he would just slip out the backside. That brought him off the skyline. I took a knee, aimed and fired. The buck stood motionless, trying to disappear. It was a clean miss. The buck just stood there, I believe this was his survival tactic. Unfortunately for him, it allowed me enough time to cycle the bolt, lean into the closest deadfall snag and steady my rifle. The second shot connected and he crumpled. Brody and I looked at each other in awe, not believing we had just waltzed into 8 deer that had not yet been pressured. He immediately took off to try and see where the rest of the group was going.
Once Brody cleared the rim, I took off to see what I had. As I neared, the buck stood on his front legs. The shot had dropped him, but not killed him. I put one in his neck to finish the kill. I was packing my 300 WSM with 180gr. Accubonds that day. Some might say that's overkill for a Whitetail, but in this case it made the difference. At a distance of about 150 yards, my first shot was a miss, the second shot, once I steadied, was a hit but nowhere close to the vitals. The spine shot that had dropped the buck, was closer to his rear quarter than his shoulder. I'm guessing an easy 18" from my point of aim. Had I been packing a lighter caliber, the hunt might not have ended that quickly. Although not dead, the .300 WSM had anchored him.
I'm usually not one for rushed shots. I'd love to always lay over my pack and touch one off prone, but sometimes you just don't have the time. This was certainly a "flash" hunt. We were only hunting three days, opening morning had been a pumpkin convention, and we had just bumped a buck. I was feeling the pressure to shoot. I shoot a fair amount of rounds through my CZ American .22LR and know my offhand capabilities. 150 yards off the knee is certainly stretching it for me. In retrospect, I should have shown the animal a little more respect and found a better rest for that distance. Maybe I should have crept along a little slower so as not to be detected in the first place. I put some lead in the air that day and ended up killing a dandy buck. A little luck is always appreciated, but I'm reminded that the more I practice, the more I shoot, the more I hunt, the less luck will be needed. Had that buck slipped out somehow, I still would have learned a lesson in still hunting and the buck might have been around the next day to chase again.
 |
| AS HE LAY |
 |
| Dragging this buck out, I stripped down to my KUIU 250 wt. merino and never got over heated. |
 |
| Outerwear: Stormy Kromer cap, KUIU Guide Jacket, Sitka 90% pants, Lowa Ranger boots. Baselayers and midlayers, including socks: all merino wool from quality manufacturers including Smartwool, KUIU, and Icebreaker. |
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| At 18 1/2" inside, he's my widest whitetail to date. He grosses roughly 138". |
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| I think the B&W photo shows how both the KUIU Vias camo and the Sitka Optifade break up my outline in this open, burned country. |