Weekend Bowhunter

Posted on: January 11th, 2012 Banzai Coues’ Buck

Zack Walton Coues’ Deer 2012

What can I say? It has been an unbelievable season. After arrowing two big Columbian blacktails with my California tags, I had been hoping to get away for at least a few days during January to chase bucks in Arizona.

I have made the trip to the southwestern desert almost every year for most of my life. Last winter, after changing positions in my career, I was not able to get away for the hunt. Needless to say, I have been thinking about it all year long. After very limited time away from work this year, and a 2012 work calendar that was quickly filling up, I doubted I’d be able to make it work.

But I found a string of a few days that I could sneak away and I quickly hit the road. I left after working on Thursday and drove 15 hours, getting to my hunting spot just in time to squeeze in a 30-minute nap and go hunting at daybreak. I saw only a few does and no bucks that morning.

Midday I met up with good friend Troy Elam and we scoured the area, checking every bit of water we could find for deer sign. After looking at a dozen spots without much luck, Troy and his dad, Bruce, thought of one more waterhole we should check. It was a long way off—more than an hour by quad—so we headed toward it hoping to arrive before the nightfall.

We made it just as the sun was dropping below the mountains to the west. I circled the water and found a decent amount of tracks. Figuring this was the best spot we had found, we quickly set up a ground blind and brushed it in with nearby foliage. We finished at dark and headed back.

I finally got a couple hours of sleep before my alarm went off ridiculously early. I wanted to be in the blind by early morning and knew it would take a while to get there. After packing a lunch, a good book, some water and other items, I drove away in the dark for what I figured would be an all-day sit.

The road, if you could call it that, was pretty nasty and it took me until sunrise to reach my parking spot. From there, I made the ¾ mile hike into the ground blind. I took my time setting up my blind openings and clearing shooting lanes, until it was just right. By 8 a.m., I settled in and tried not to start “watch watching.”

The weather report was calling for temps in the low 70s and I knew deer would be very tempted to visit the water hole. At about 9:15, I got movement and saw a deer moving toward the water. I picked up my binos and saw two 4-inch daggers poking from the skull of the small buck. For those of you who have not hunted Coues’ deer, they are a beautiful deer to watch. Especially up close.

The spike dropped his head and spent about 10 or 15 seconds slurping away before turning and trotting back to cover. In my experience, Coues’ deer rarely spend much time at water and he was no exception. However, before he left, I snapped a couple pictures of him.

Just as fast as I had company, I was again alone. I went back to watching birds play at the water’s edge and consistently checking for movement. After about an hour, I peeked out the window’s corner and saw legs moving through the mesquite trees. I leaned forward and picked up antlers. A quick peak through my binos showed a wide frame with eight points. A definite shooter!

By this time, the buck was already drinking water and I clicked the button on the rangefinder and saw 35. I hunkered down, drew and slowly rose to the point I could clearly loose an arrow without hitting the blind. The buck was quartering to me and I picked a spot on the point of the shoulder to focus my aim.

Suddenly, the three dozen birds that were bathing themselves flew from the water’s edge back to the nearby trees. That caused the buck to jerk his head up and focus his black eyes on the commotion. Perfect! I took advantage of the opportunity and aim low on the buck’s chest, anticipating him to drop at the sound of the bow, until the tension on the string disappeared.

I don’t know if I hit exactly where I was aiming or if he dropped and I shot a little low, but at the point of contact, instant blood spray dominated my eyes’ attention as the arrow centered the heart. The buck whirled and struggled to keep his front legs under him.

From the blind, I could see bright red blotches with my naked eye more than 40 yards away. I knew he wouldn’t make it far, but forced myself to wait 30 minutes before getting out. I spent most of that time standing. Have you ever tried to pace in a Double Bull blind? It’s tough.

Finally, I allowed myself to check the blood trail. It was thick, constant and short. Merely 40 yards later I found him piled into a bush. It wasn’t until and grabbed ahold of his antlers and yanked to free him from the thorny bush that I saw the giant eye guards. I knew the buck was pretty wide, with a nice frame, but I didn’t look close enough to see how impressive his browtines were.

I sat down, most of me overwhelmed with excitement, a small part of me exhausted from sleep deprivation, and the rest of me in disbelief that everything came together as planned. I also reflected on a hunting season that gave me two great blacktails and now a great Coues’ deer.

It took me most the day to take pictures, clean, pack and skin the buck. By nightfall, I was drained and hit my pillow with a heavy thud. I think a lot of people would not have tried to squeeze in a three-day hunt when they have to drive 1,000 miles each way, but it worked this time for me. And even if I didn’t shoot a buck, it still would have been worth it.

Special thanks to everyone in Arizona who helped out and made me feel as welcomed as family. It was, and is, greatly appreciated.  Look forward to seeing you all again soon.

Here are some interesting numbers about my archery season:

• 101 = Hours from the time I left my driveway until I returned on my Arizona trip.
• 30 = Number of hours spent on the freeway that trip.
• 2,724 = Miles driven on three trips (not including during the hunt)
• 6 = Total number of days bowhunted this season.
• 3 = Number of bucks at which I shot.
• 6 = Total number of arrows shot.
• 3 = Number of Pope & Young animals.
• 5 = Inches of each eyeguard on my Coues’
• 240 = Total inches of Columbian blacktail antlers
• 86 2/8 = Inches of Coues’ antlers
• 1 = Lucky Hunter!

Good luck everyone this year in 2012. I hope it is a great one for you!

Posted on: October 21st, 2011 Relentless365

                Relentless365 Magazine

Hey everyone, hope your hunting seasons are going well. Make sure to check out the latest issue of Relentless365, which is on newsstands now. My current column, In-Sight, is on the benefits/drawbacks to hunting wilderness areas alone. It can be the best–and worst–time you will ever have hunting!

To learn where you can find the magazine, or for more information about California’s Premier Hunting magazine, go to http://www.relentless365.com/.

Posted on: May 6th, 2011 Relentless 365

                        Relentless365 Spring 2011 Issue

Check out the newest issue of Relentless365, on newsstands now. The Spring 2011 issue is full of informative statistics about the upcoming California big game draw, successful hunting stories and, of course, my quarterly column on better bowhunting called “In-Sight.”

This issue, I wrote about the benefits of spring for a cooped-up bowhunter. Springtime offers bowhunters a plethora of options. From turkey hunting, to carp fishing, to countless archery tournaments, spring is one of my favorite times of the year to be a bowhunter.

If you would like to know where to pick up your issue of Relentless365, check out their website at http://www.relentless365.com/. You can also sign up for a subscription and have issues delivered straight to your door. Good luck this spring!

Posted on: March 25th, 2011 Dinner Time…Again

Mustard Venison with Fennel

I don’t know what you had for dinner tonight, but this is what I had. My wife, Anne, made this delicious dish of Coues’ deer tenderloin (which, if you have never had it, might be the most incredible tasting meat from any animal on earth), matched it with fennel and peas in a mustard-based sauce, and served it on top of long-grain brown rice. If that sounds good to you, you’re in luck. It was as easy to make as it was to eat.

Main ingredients:

• 1 lb. quality cut of venison (we used Coues’ deer tenderloin), thawed overnight
• 1 fennel bulb, sliced
• 1 cup frozen petite peas
• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• Garlic powder (not garlic salt)

For the mustard sauce:

• Juice of one lemon
• 1 heaping Tbsp. seeded (whole-grain) mustard
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 tsp. honey
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. pepper
• 1 Tbsp. fennel fronds, chopped

How-to:

Rub the tenderloins with olive oil and generous amounts of salt, pepper, and garlic powder, and set aside.

Thoroughly mix the sauce ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.

Heat olive oil to coat the bottom of a large skillet on high heat. Sear tenderloins for three minutes on each side. Reduce heat to medium and add sliced fennel. Stir and cook for two to three minutes. Add mustard sauce, stir to coat, and cook for two to three more minutes. Remove meat from the skillet to a cutting board or plate and let stand. Tenderloins should be cooked to medium rare at this point.

Add peas to skillet with the fennel. Stir and cook and until peas are warmed through. Slice tenderloins and add back in with vegetables. Stir and serve, or — since everyone has their preference – keep cooking until meat slices have reached desired level of doneness.

We ate it with brown rice, but this dish would pair well with buttered pasta or even potatoes.

Serves 2 hungry people. (Easily doubles or triples to feed a family.)

This is one of the most rewarding times of a successful hunt–because it tastes so good! Send your recipes to zwalton5@hotmail.com to share with others.

Posted on: February 3rd, 2011 Arizona Applications

The deadline for Arizona’s elk and antelope big game draw is February 8. Applications must be in the Arizona Game and Fish Department by end of closing on that day. Non-residents can now purchase hunting license online, put applications for the big game draw must be mailed. Fees for a non-resident hunting license are $151.25.

Arizona is one the premiere states for trophy elk and antelope in the West. If you are looking to do some out of state hunting, Arizona is a great state to plan for future hunts. Here is a link to the Arizona Game and Fish Department website. Start getting your bonus point this year!