Deer hunt 2016

[Red Sparky]

This year I had a mule deer tag down in 23 not a coues tag. I just got back and here is how it went. Friday before leaving I went to the Dr. for what I believe was strep throat. They took swaps and sent me on my way with 3 pills to reduce the inflammation in my throat but no antibiotics. I left Saturday morning and got a quick look and hunt in before the wife and kids came down. We spent Saturday night until Monday morning in Reserve eating and goofing off.

 

Monday afternoon came and I took off the walking boot I was in and put on my homemade walking splint. I walked around the top of the mesa still hunting. I was surprised as I was not seeing any elk sign. I had this elk hunt the last two years and there were not any new rubs, droppings or tracks like there had been in the last two years. I went to an old blind that overlooks a meadow to sit for the evening. I could tell I had a fever and a headache as I watched the meadow. There were fresh deer tracks and I had seen deer here for the last two years so felt good. It was getting close to dark about 7:30 and since I had been hearing goats, a hallucination of the fever I am sure, I got up and blew out six does about 100 yards away.

 

Tuesday morning came and I ended up "road hunting" from camp. I still hunted to the SW down a road all the way to the end of the road that over looks Frieborn Canyon. I walked about 3.4 miles according to the GPS one way. I had lunch and walked back. I saw my group of bucks in some finger ridges that go up and down in elevation from 50-150 feet on the mesa. We played cat and mouse for the next four hours until dark.

 

Wednesday morning came with a light drizzle. I threw up the tent real fast and put my bedding in there, everything got covered in tarps. I "road hunted" again this time to the NW 2.2 miles to a tank on top of ridge in the direction the bucks had been going the night before. There was a side by side parked just off the road so I took off due east cross country a mile to a water catchment tank. The year before about 10 vehicles a day had been down that road but not much traffic this year, maybe the SXS only once from the main road. At this point I had the rain gear I bought from a member here on. After going from on ridge to another, dropping 200 feet and then gaining 600 feet in 1/4 mile I reached the catchment.

 

The top that catches the water was full and running down the hill but the 8 ft. diameter x 2 ft. deep tank was dry as a bone. I checked the valve from the two 10,000 tanks and knocked on the tanks but they were empty. I went back to the top and reached down into the cold water. I pulled out one rock after another until I found the magic one, it was like pulling a stopper on a bathtub and the water went down the pipe to the tanks. I cleaned out the bottom and put everything back together. Then I cleaned all the pine needles and dirt out of the trough. I could kill the idiots that threw rocks through the screen and stopped the water flow down into the big tanks. I stood in a dry spot under a tree and watched that tank for about an hour and it had refilled about 1/2 the drink tank. After about 15 minutes I noticed a lock box to a trail cam that had been broken into and smashed to bits. I felt guilty even though I had done nothing wrong. I just hate thieves.

 

It was still still raining and I was about 3.5 miles from camp so I hauled it back to camp. I found out why nobody had been to the catchment. 3 big Ponderosa Pine trees had fallen across the road so no telling how long that catchment had been dry. When I got back to camp even the rain gear could not stand up to that amount of rain for that long and I was soaked.

 

Thursday morning comes and my ankle is killing me and I still have a fever with a bunch of crud in my throat. I stay on top still hunting and standing. I hear something that howls instead of yips. There is no mention on the USFW site about any wolf pack in that area but I wonder. Hunting the finger canyons I catch my four bucks. We play cat and mouse all day until I get a 170-180 class buck 40 yards from me. He is looking away as I draw and settle the pin and release. I am still watching where I want to hit as I pick up the arrow going perfectly to the boiler room. 15 feet before the arrow hits the deer, a limb I did not see explodes in water and my arrow takes off for the sky easily clearing his back by 5 feet. They go bounding into one of the deep canyons.

 

Friday morning comes with me sitting among some rocks and trees. I hear those howls again, not yips, and they are close. As the sun comes up in this little valley I am watching I catch five canines looping in from the west. They pass me 50 yards upwind and the two adults have collars on them. Now I know why there are no elk up here like there have been in the past.

That evening I am sitting in the blind over looking the meadow again. I have a terrible crud in my throat and splitting headache. It is about 4:30 and I lay down in the blind trying to stay in the shade. It is long before dark and I sit up suddenly and start coughing up a storm. Two little coues does had snuck in from the SW and were about 20 yards when this happened. I think they turned inside out getting out of there.

 

So that was my deer season until I go back in Jan. and my elk hunt is coming up soon. Can't wait to get back out.

[naturebob]

Fricken wolves make Me sick. SSS Everyone please............BOB!