DeerFest 2015!!! year in review

[Karl Blanchard]

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[Karl Blanchard]

Opening weekend of Washington's deer season was the worst I can remember.  Deer looked rough, not many fawns, and from what I gathered, the whitetails are facing a 65-70% die off in the area due to blue tongue.  I passed a few small legal bucks.  The crew killed two and a couple second doe tags but def a disappointment. 

Second weekend I stayed home and hunted some OLD haunts I haven't hiked around in for close to a decade.  I took a coworker of mine along and we killed a fat little three point, mid morning on Saturday.  He doesn't want pics posted so I have to honor his wishes. 

Sunday, I decided to go deep into some rough rocky country that I have summer climbed but never hunted.  6 miles in all I found was fog and rain.  I melt pretty easy so after about 4 hours of that crap I aborted mission and headed to lower country.  About an hour before dark, as I was having a cup of coffee and munching a sandwich, I caught some movement across the canyon from me.  Some heavy beamed 4x4 stood to stretch his legs and then bedded right back down.  He had the perfect spot.  With light fading fast I scrambled to come up with a way to get to him. At 450 yards, I could have killed him at my leisure,  but I could not for the life of me figure out a way to get to him that didn't involve wet rocky cliffs.  Only way was to climb the ridge and slide down the chute he was in.  There was not enough light to safely make that move though.  If it had been the day before I could have tipped him over and come in and got him in the a.m. but with work on Monday I had to sit there in agony as shooting light faded to black.  He was the best buck I have ever laid eyes on in the mountains west of Yakima, hands down.

[Karl Blanchard]

So with no meat to cut up this week I was able to square away gear for the next trip early and have a nice easy week (except for the no sleep thing ).  Got off work by 1300 yesterday and it was wheels up for Southern Colorado    My goal was to try and make salt lake city before I shut her down for a few and I crushed it!!!!  13hrs and well past Salt Lake I kicked the seat back and shut my eyes.  As has been my whole week, I couldn't sleep much.  An hour and a half later I said screw it and put the hammer back down!

Another 6 hours in the saddle and I arrived on the killing fields!  This place is crazy!  The juniper and pines, are an impenetrable wall when you hit 10,000ft and below that it's this rocky, sparse juniper/sage country with tons of cactus.  Unlike anywhere I have hunted.  Oh and deer EVERYWHERE!!!!!   I'll get some pics tomorrow.   Not now though, I'm going to bed!

[Bigshooter]

Looking forward to more pics.

[The Weazle]

Still following.

[Karl Blanchard]

Since i hit the ground running and hunted till dark, motivation was low to set up shop so it was a mountain house and bed.  This was my tent last night   not the most comfortable but but easy.

[predatorG]

I think I need to start buying more tags....

[Karl Blanchard]

Colorado deer blood has been shed     it's hot, I'll post pics after we get him out.  Jeremie's  deer, not mine.

[GUscottie]

need pics!!!

[Karl Blanchard]

He failed to look close at his main beams which are super short.  Mid 160's.  At least now I have someone to carry my spotter

[predatorG]

How much wall space do you have exactly?

[pd]

How much wall space do you have exactly?

House must be filled, using the garage now?

Great stories, BLRMan.

[Karl Blanchard]

How much wall space do you have exactly?

House must be filled, using the garage now?

Great stories, BLRMan.

    Actually, I only have a few in the house, most are out in the garage.  I actually have a pile of euro's I need to get on skull hooked and put up.  Thanks for all the positive comments guys!

[buglebuster]

There's plenty of wall space, but idk what Mrs. Blrman would think about more in there

[Karl Blanchard]

This is what a lot of the country looks like.  I'm really bad about taking pics but am gonna try really hard to do more.  It was 67 degrees today!  Not the weather I would like but we are seeing TONS of deer.