Summary:Whatcom county kill, 2pt with 1 good eyeguard, and 1 weird eyeguard. Wasn't rutted up, and came in to a grunting/rattling.
Little kill --> big Story: We pulled into a clearcut just before dawn and started walking at first light. The clearcut was near the bottom of the mountain, and as such most folks seem to skip it for the much larger clear cuts on top. This cut has 3 roads bottom, mid, and upper. We started at the top road. Walked in from the timber, up a grown over road. We got to the end and continued on a game trail to the opposite edge of timber. My buddy was assisting me as he tagged out on Wednesday with a lowland buck. I posted up with a good view and he began to rattle and grunt with a grunt-tube. The tube was set for "mature buck." The maple leaves falling this time of the year play some awful tricks on the ears, and I swear I heard a buck coming from the timber for some time, but after nothing materialized after 15 minutes we started heading back to the truck for greener pastures-- or rather clearcuts as it may be.
Half way back, my friend climbed on top of log and immediately spotted a set of white ears and a rack staring at us from about 225 yards in the clearcut. I'm not certain when a man develops the eye for fur, but this is my second year of hunting and I haven't developed it yet. So he says, "BucK!" and i run up next to him and see nothing but clear cut, "where, where?" Finally he give me a landmark beneath the big maple. I spot him with my binos and rest my elbow on the log hes standing on, but my scope is not zoomed in enough, and i need a good rest so I lay on my belly and turn my scope to 10x, as I'm trying to find it in the scope the buck figures he's seen enough of us and sprints out of the area (downhill). THis is the first buck I've seen this season in 6 days of hard all day hunting. So many emotions flooding in... disappointment, and shame being at the top of the list. I caught some crap from my friend on the way back, how he coulda popped it, etc, etc. I politely ask if we could possibly not talk about it anymore.
We hotstep it back to the truck and head for the middle road in the clearcut. This time we parked right at the spur road and walk it in. We posted up below the leave timber patch where the buck disappeared passed. I was looking up-hill ensnared by the ambiguous cracks of the falling maple leafs. My friend climbed the stick pile at the landing, and after a couple minutes the buck surfaced on his side. The buck again had decided sticking around would not be in his best interest, and my friend didn't see him until he was on a dead run across and down the clearcut. I scoped him on his run (zoomed back out to 6x) and as my friend blew a grunt (now dialed back to young buck), the buck stopped dead looking back, 3/4 broadside, I instantly pull the trigger, and he crumbles in place. Various yells, screams, chirps, you name it came out as I half ran, half slid, half fell (i know it doesn't add up) down the clearcut.
God likes hunters, I've been praying for a blessing disguised as a buck solid since the season opener. This was a gift, it was 100 yards off hand, i had only an instant to shoot, and it was a perfect shot, thank the Lord (not my skill -- I'm just not that good). This is my second snap shot kill in as many years, so though its not the biggest blackie up this season, I am extremely grateful. Like a guy said already, I am very happy to just tag out, fill the freezer, and put a rack on the wall. Its been a tough season with very little movement so anything over a spike I was shooting at
Last year I didn't butcher my deer, so this year I did, and it was a really fun time boning out the meat. I wrapped all my steaks (just the back straps and tender loins), the rest is going to sausage, jerky, burger from Del Fox.
