2018 season...Boot leather and backpacks

[pianoman9701]

What a great chronicle of your year. I wish I'd known you when I was younger.

[ljsommer]

What a great chronicle of your year. I wish I'd known you when I was younger.

I am flabbergasted at this season. I have to ask, Karl: How in the hell do you get that much time off work?

[Karl Blanchard]

What a great chronicle of your year. I wish I'd known you when I was younger.

thanks John! Likewise sir!

[Karl Blanchard]

What a great chronicle of your year. I wish I'd known you when I was younger.

I am flabbergasted at this season. I have to ask, Karl: How in the hell do you get that much time off work?

been with my employer for 14 years so I get 4 weeks of vacation plus some comp days for on calls.  I live a hermits life so I can afford tags and gas.  Biggest thing is I have a very understanding and supportive wife.  She's a strong independent woman who has her own hobbies and friends.  She also says I'm unbearable to be around during the fall when I'm not hunting   

[PlateauNDN]

Having a wife like that Is awesome! I'm sure your wife is like mine when she says "unbearable", I smell like per.  I tell her I'm not the 1 out there rutting anymore, its not my pee. 

[Naches Sportsman]

Wow nice work.

I do think you may need to look into some gear after chasing that spike and you Idaho hunt in the form of climbing gear and skis

[ljsommer]

What a great chronicle of your year. I wish I'd known you when I was younger.

I am flabbergasted at this season. I have to ask, Karl: How in the hell do you get that much time off work?

been with my employer for 14 years so I get 4 weeks of vacation plus some comp days for on calls.  I live a hermits life so I can afford tags and gas.  Biggest thing is I have a very understanding and supportive wife.  She's a strong independent woman who has her own hobbies and friends.  She also says I'm unbearable to be around during the fall when I'm not hunting 

I see two valuable pieces of information here...

Biggest thing is I have a very understanding and supportive wife. She's a strong independent woman who has her own hobbies and friends.

and

She also says I'm unbearable to be around during the fall when I'm not hunting 

So that's the key!

[jstone]

Very cool hunts.
It’s hard to keep up when they are trolling for chicks

[DOUBLELUNG]

Sincere thanks for sharing this here, I really enjoyed reading your 2018 exploits.  I miss being able to hunt the backcountry, but am thankful for the hunts I did get in.  That said, I think my favorite part is the farm ground hunt with the kids!

[pianoman9701]

Having a wife like that Is awesome! I'm sure your wife is like mine when she says "unbearable", I smell like per.  I tell her I'm not the 1 out there rutting anymore, its not my pee. 

 

My wife likes her "time off".

[Karl Blanchard]

This left me hunting a spot 30 min from anyone.  This meant that I got dropped off an hour and 20 minutes before light to hunt a buck that was extremely close to a county road.  So for an hour and 20 min, in -1° weather, I sat on the back side of a small knob waiting for the sun to rise.  When it was finally light enough to see I was shaking so bad I was convinced that every deer for a mile could hear my teeth chatter! 

As the morning light turned blackness into detail I began scanning the far ridge where I had seen the buck the night before.  I dont know how I first misted his rack but I did.  Luckily I noticed it before it was too late.  A quick confirmation that it was in fact him and it was go time!  Small issue quickly became clear however.  All I could see was his rack and head and he was skylined.  So with the stealth and agility of an elephant I picked my way back up the ridge.  I finally got another hillside behind the buck providing a safe backstop. 

Off come the gloves! Down goes the pack!  I got down in the prone and readied for the shot.  It was 199 yards so no math needed!  I can still only see his head and neck but I don't dare try and stand him up because I was certain he saw me and when he decides to go he is gonna GO.  199 is a chip shot for me so I put it at the base of his head, exhail, and squeezed off my shot.  I heard the pop of the hit but he fell out of sight. 

It took me a bit to get down and back up the steep sandy draw but upon reaching the ridge i was greeted with the sight of a dead mule deer, still in his bed.

[Karl Blanchard]

With chris tagged out and my tag also filled that gave us the entirety of the season to focus on finding the big man a good buck!  Corey has been long over due for a good buck and my bad luck had rubbed off on him the last few seasons.  All week we covered ground.  We saw elk and deer but no good bucks.  On the 4th day we hiked up onto the back side of a ridge near where I had killed my buck.  As we peeled back the folds of sage we caught sight of what looked to be a good deer.  As we started to decide our approach, the buck made the decision to make a play for us! Here comes a doe flat out packin the mail and he is hot on our heals!  A bit of cat and mouse through the sage and he offered up a trotting shot for Corey and he put one right through the top of his heart!

It was a joyous day! Sun was out and we had all the time in the world to take pics, meat out the buck and to top it off there was three of us to do the packing!

[Karl Blanchard]

With chris tagged out and my tag also filled that gave us the entirety of the season to focus on finding the big man a good buck!  Corey has been long over due for a good buck and my bad luck had rubbed off on him the last few seasons.  All week we covered ground.  We saw elk and deer but no good bucks.  On the 4th day we hiked up onto the back side of a ridge near where I had killed my buck.  As we peeled back the folds of sage we caught sight of what looked to be a good deer.  As we started to decide our approach, the buck made the decision to make a play for us! Here comes a doe flat out packin the mail and he is hot on our heals!  A bit of cat and mouse through the sage and he offered up a trotting shot for Corey and he put one right through the top of his heart!

It was a joyous day! Sun was out and we had all the time in the world to take pics, meat out the buck and to top it off there was three of us to do the packing!

[Karl Blanchard]

Brian's buck was an ancient warrior.  At first glance he looked small but then you look a bit closer and see his true form.  He's 24" wide and has just regressed to almost nothing.  These old brutes fascinate me. With all the hunting pressure that this area receives it's amazing that a deer can get to that age.

[Karl Blanchard]

Few more from CO.  The club bull was a sad deal.  He was dead right next to a gut pile.  Some jack wagon shot two elk and just left him to rot