Slayfest 2013!

[Karl Blanchard]

My season is always long and drawn out, from September to December most years, so I decided to start a thread now and that way I can update after every weekend instead of all at once.

First deer hunt was Muzzleloader season.  Headed east to my usual haunts with my good buddy dan.  About an hour into opening morning Dan glassed up a nice 5x5 whitetail and snuck into 100 yards and put a great shot on him.   After I got over to him and we took pictures, I decided to hike over the hill and peak into a little canyon that sometimes holds deer.  Since it was a short hike and I didn't expect much I just grabbed my gun and left my pack and sticks.  Well of course the second I poke my nose over the crest of the ridge I spot a dandy of a 3x3 muley with eye guards bedded up in some sage.  With no rangefinder or sticks, I do my best to get solid for a shot I guessed to be 190-200yds.  When the smoke blew out and he was on his feet (very much unharmed) I immediately knew he was no more than 150yds.  I got inside 80yds on that buck two more times that day but never had a shot opportunity again.

That same evening we moved to a different location and immediately I found two bedded whitetail bucks.  Got inside 30 yds on them and took the bigger of the two with one shot.  It was my first animal since Aaron was killed and I am glad that I was by myself.  I just sat with my buck and my thoughts for a while.  I can't really explain the feeling.  It wasn't happy or sad.  I cried a little and smiled a little.  Just felt.....different.

[Karl Blanchard]

Dans buck!

[Jason]

A couple dandy Bucks..congrats!!

[huntnphool]

 

[ICEMAN]

This thread is going to keep tears in my eyes for a long while.

Congratulations, good work, good luck and looking to more posts!

[jackelope]

Way to go, Karl.
Keep em coming!!

[Michelle_Nelson]

Those are a couple dandy bucks!

[Natures Way]

Nice bucks congrats!

[bullcanyon]

Special hunt there bud!  Congrats!

[Karl Blanchard]

Well since Dan and I hunted muzzleloader season, it allowed us to give our wives our undevided attention for opening weekend of rifle deer.  My wife, Dan's wife, my friend Phil and his wife, Dan's nephew and another friend all headed down to the same dirt that we killed our bucks durring the smokepole season.  Phil's wife was the first to draw blood with her second doe tag (also her first hour of hunting ever).  A little while later Ryan drew blood.  Dan's wife, who is also pregnant, made a successful stalk on a group of bucks and shot the largest of the five, and the largest taken that weekend.  That evening the wife and I took a hike up to the canyon where I missed the big 3pt.  As we were slowly working our way up the canyon, my wife grabs my pack and says "deer"!  Yes, somehow I missed this buck bedded in the grass and my wife spotted it.  This buck was playing possom at a mere 110 yds.  His antlers were in the tall grass and points were hard to make out so I eased my pack off and got the spotter out to confirm 3 points.  I finally had to lip squeek at him and as he turned his head in the direction he was getting ready to run, I confirmed 3 on a side.  The words "he's legal, kill him" barely got out of my mouth and she tipped him over in his bed!  We hugged, high fived, took pictures and boned him out.  As we were hiking out we got a call from Dan saying that he had gotten his nephew on a 3 pt and he had made a great shot.  Four bucks and a doe for day one!

Day two came and the only tag left was Phil's wife Trisha.  About two hours after daybreak I finally glassed up a group of bucks, with two being legal.  Phil told me to take her on the stalk since I knew the country better and he is impatient.  The bucks had bedded on top of a little hill with a good vantage point so we had to do a little hands and knees and belling crawling.  We used another little knob to get to 135yds of them.  She says to me, "what the hell are we doing?!!"  I set up her sticks and tell her to aim her rifle at the top of that little knob infront of us.  When she looked through the scope and saw the bucks head and neck she let out a big shudder and started to shake like crazy   Can any of you remember putting the sights on your first buck?  It was priceless!  I made her scope him for a while to get the nerves out and then asked her if she was ready for me to stand him up and she replied "Hell yes! Lets do this!"  Coyote howl with my mouth and he jumped to his feet and stared in our direction.  I don't think he even locked his knees before that .270 barked!  After Phil got down to us and pictures were done, I boned him out and loaded him in the pack and off we went. 

This coming weekend, Dan and I have 4 youth hunters, two of which also have second doe tags, and a disabled hunter so I should have more story and pics coming soon.   This is my wife's buck.

[Karl Blanchard]

Dan's wife and nephew

[Karl Blanchard]

Trisha and Phil with her doe and me and Trisha with her buck

[Karl Blanchard]

group of bucks and hunters

[Karl Blanchard]

After rifle season is over I get a week off and then my dad and I are off to Colorado for deer and elk.  Its gonna be good to hunt with my dad, just the two of us.  Last time we hunted together was last elk season with Aaron.  I am gunning for a 170 buck and a legal bull but above all I really want to get my meat hunting father a good buck!  We are hoping to be out of colorado by Thursday to be back into washington for the opening weekend of my dads late palouse tag.  I put him in with Aaron this year just so Aaron's points wouldn't go to waste and they drew.  Phil and his daughter Ashley will be meeting us over there as she drew a tag as well, along with a co-worker there will be 3 more whitetail hitting the dirt. After that Dan, Phil, and I have second doe tags to fill, along with my friend Jeremie who still has a buck tag to fill during the late muzzy season.  To end the season, Phil drew a late smokepole tag for the West Klickitat.  Busy time of year I tell you what!  I love it though!

[deerhunter_98520]

You are going to be busy! Enjoy those hunts and take lots of pics to share...lookin forward to seeing your guys success