Epic night out

[Wetwoodshunter]

So I headed up to a spot that I know of and was sitting silently gassing waiting for dark to come. It was silent and no deer in sight cold wind blowing in my face with clear sky's and the haze of my breath in the air. My remmington 700 lays across my lap loaded just in case I see bear worth shooting.

Glassing the old cut about the 10th time through I start to remember why people call these deer grey ghosts. I have never came to this spot before and not laid eyes on a deer but today may be the day to break that streak. All in a sudden I hear a deer blow down in the thick timber next to the cut, this is strange to me I've never heard blacktail vocal. I check the wind and its perfect in my perch the wind is blowing off the mountain away from the deer. There is multiple deer in the timber and I can't put eyes on them as hard as I'm trying. After a solid 15 minutes of at least 2 blows per minute I catch my first movement. A doe bolts half way across the clear cut and stops right in the center. I watch her flick her tail in agitation and she is alert looking where she came from. I pan left and look hoping to see more deer maybe there is a buck with her for me to chase tomorrow. The next deer jumps into the clearing and swishes it's tail, swishes it's tail? Three seconds of realization and it hits me, I'm staring at a cougar at 180 yards.

As I put down the binoculars and pick up my rifle it moves forward staying low in the small christmas trees. I see glimpses of movement every minute or five im not really sure as time is stopped, this might be my first cat and its only the 4th I have ever seen. The rifle is trained where I'm hoping I will have a good enough window to identify and execute a killing shot.

Three deer bust out from 15 yards from where I'm looking as I take my eyes off where I thought the cat was I see the frame of a buck running towards the timber. Seeing that his horns are just wider than his ears and slightly taller than his ears who knows this might be a good buck. With his two does and picking up the first doe on the run they head into a tuft of alders near the bottom of the cut. As they go back out of sight I focus my attention back to the cat.

How stupid had I been, I had taken my eyes of where I thought it was and wasn't sure exactly where to look. Dark crept in as I searched for the cougar for the last 5 minutes of light. As I pulled my binoculars from my eyes I realized it was extremely dark and with the naked eye couldn't even see the bottom of the clear cut.

I started the two mile journey back to the truck. Admiriing the clear sky, fresh air and the amazing experience. Tomorrow, we will see if the buck or the cougar are willing to cooperate.

[elkboy]

Very cool experience! Thank you for sharing.

[NOCK NOCK]

Sounds like a fun time, get em both tommorrow

[Wingin it]

I hope you get them both! Good luck!

[E35alex]

Nice write up! Good luck!


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[Brushcrawler]

Sweet! Did you get the buck or the cat today?

[Wetwoodshunter]

Today did not quite go as planned. I woke up early and was at the gate at 5:30 there was a truck with the guys still sitting in it parked at the gate. I hopped out said hello and asked them where they were going to go. One of them threw a temper tantrum that I dare go behind this gate that he has been going to every year on opening day for the last 15 years. So I asked him what side of the mountain are they going to do, I'll just do the other side, he starts screaming I should have got up earlier and claimed this spot by parking my truck at the gate. I was floored, typically there is more than 1 vehicle at every gate and I know there is no way they were capable of going to where I was planning on going. I decided to let these guys have it because I didn't want them to mess with my truck.

I drove up to my backup spot where there was already someone parked too. I got out apprehensive about talking to another person. He was more than happy to share the spot with me. We made a quick plan as to not get in eachothers way and I headed up the hill.

After an hour at a brisk pace got to where I wanted to start at first light, made a little nest and hunkered down.  As the bottom of the cut I was at became visable I realized it had grown up quite a bit from the last time I was in here. Another cut 700 yards away looked perfect and my vantage point gave me a great view into it. Two hours I to gassing I caught movement, it was orange and walking right aboved the cut I was gassing. As he walked across the top I saw a fawn and as doe skirt across a lower bench and stop. I watched the fawn and doe for another hour and then decided to head to a different clear cut.

I walked aimlessly for hours, glassing cuts and killing time. I hadn't seen much all day, then a white truck appeared. I waived as he drove by thinking it was a forester but as it turned i saw the passenger wearing orange. They proceeded to drive every road and glass for 3-5 minutes each time they stopped. Frustrated again, at least I got a better idea where the roads went by watching where the truck would pop out next.

At around three about 5 miles from my truck I glassed up a bedded doe. I crossed my fingers and hoped she had friends. I got into position where I figured if anything were with her I would have an opportunity. I had a perfect vantage point on two clearcuts and the doe at 254 yards. At precisely 4:26 she stood up and then a yearling got up behind her. I had been glancing that way for over an hour and that baby ghost was invisible. They fed towards me and crossed 15 yards in front of me.

I decided I probably w ouldmt find a better spot to sit before dark so I stuck it out as the cold mist came down.

No cougar, and no deer today. I'm thinking  tomorrow I may just let the weekend warriors get after it and get back in the woods after work during the week when I can enjoy it.

[jennabug]

Yikes. Good luck today!