Posted on: September 27th, 2009 Dad’s Bull
Dad Elk 2009
My dad just got back from his elk hunting adventure across the West. And what an adventure he had.
I posted earlier that he had killed a nice six-point several weeks ago. That would be a great elk season for most bowhunters; however, his elk-hunting excitement was just beginning.
With his next tag, Dad had his eyes set on large six-point he found with huge fronts. One morning Dad spotted the bull moving across an opening with 16 cows and 2 smaller bulls. He waited until evening and set up where the herd went into the trees earlier that morning.
As the sun started setting, Dad heard a bugle above him. Soon after, the large bull pushed his cows down the hill 100 yards to the north of where Dad set up. After the herd passed, Dad circled backward and scrambled down the hill to try to cut them off. He was 30 seconds late.
The herd had moved out of the trees and into a large opening. Dad hit his cow call a couple times and the bull slowly trickled back into shooting range. After settling the pin and dropping the string, Dad stood over his biggest bull in nearly 25 years of elk hunting.
The bull was impressively big. This animal had a gigantic body that weighed between 800 and 900 pounds. The antlers were equally impressive. But what stands out is the extreme mass of this bull. There is more than 60″ of mass on a frame that weighs 28 pounds. The bull’s gross green score is 343. A true giant of an elk. Congratulations to Dad on accomplishing a long-time bowhunting goal.
Posted on: September 21st, 2009 Scratching Post
I was checking trails for recent deer usage a couple weekends ago when a putrid smell hit the back of my nasal passage that nearly made me gag. No deer smells that bad and I knew a bear had to be close.
On the steep sidehill, along a well-worn trail, I came across this “scratching post” a black bear had been frequenting. It was obvious the bear had been using it for sometime. And that he had used it not too long before I stumbled across it as there were fresh gouges carved out.
I wouldn’t normally get too excited about this sign, as I was deer hunting, but the scratches were really high. I’m about 6-foot-1 and I was looking up at them! I knew this had to be a big bear. (For comparison, that is an old telephone pole in the picture.)
Since I did have a bear tag, I looked around the area a little closer as my “deer scouting” quickly turned into “bear hunting.” About 100 yards from the post I found a bedding area the size of a kiddie pool that been nicely prepared and was full of long black hair.
I didn’t see the bear while I was there, but I know he is living close by. I will be back.
Posted on: September 15th, 2009 Trail Cams
Clear flash photos
Excellent trigger speed
I’ve never used trail cams before. I’ve seen dozens of people on TV talking about their benefits but the majority of them are hunting whitetails. Here in California I didn’t see how they could be as beneficial. But this year, in preparation for my trip to Kansas in November, I bought a couple Cuddebacks Capture. So I decided to learn to use them while hunting the Coast Range this summer.
I found them easy to use, quick to set up and I love the idea of seeing what’s in an area while I’m not. Also, I didn’t see many deer this year in the areas I normally hunt so I was able to branch out into new areas by simply strapping cameras to trees.
Here are a couple of pics that I got this year. One of a buck I desperately tried to find during daylight hours and the other demonstrates the trigger speed (which was a concern before I bought them but isn’t anymore).
I’m still learning all the options and how best to use them but I can see that trail cameras will be a part of my hunting arsenal for years.
Posted on: September 15th, 2009 Catching Up…
Shawn Wood Blacktail 2009
I’ve been a little busy so I’ll try to catch up fast.
I’ve been hunting the past two weekends but haven’t closed the deal. I made one stalk on a decent buck only to get busted by the two does he was with when they fed over the hill in front of me at 21 yards. Other than that it has been a slow year for me. I have hunted blacktails 12 days this archery season without a shot opportunity. That’s the nature of the game…
Others have been more successful. I was hunting with my buddy, Shawn, this past weekend and he shot a nice 4×3. The buck was a bit out of range for my Hoyt so he used his .300 Win Mag to anchor the buck at 407 yards. It was a great looking blacktail.
So often while bowhunting I see animals I never get a chance at shooting. So it was nice to see someone reach out touch a nice buck that was so far away. Congrats to Shawn on a great California blacktail.
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