2019 Season: "It's not that bad guys, it only hurts if I walk on it"

[DOUBLELUNG]

Thanks again for sharing.  And letting 90% of us know just how much we suck at hunting.

[jackelope]

I feel like Blanchard is holding out on us.

[Jonathan_S]

Here is the weasel buck that was soaking up shots and not bleeding. #fullsendfriday

[BULLBLASTER]

I feel like Blanchard is holding out on us.

He wouldn’t... 

[DOUBLELUNG]

I feel like Blanchard is holding out on us.

[Karl Blanchard]

As you can see in the picture that Jon posted, the bloody spot is not where I saw his shot land. I watched his shot land squarely on the shoulder. Sure as anything, this was the buck that Jon had "missed". That should have been a lethal shot but somehow, several hours later, that buck was coherent and still breathing.  It will forever be a shot I cannot explain.

When we got out with Jon's buck we learned that Coop had also tagged out so the crew was all done. Just in time too as I had to turn and burn to make it home in time to take my daughter out on her cow elk hunt. It was gonna be a long night.

[Karl Blanchard]

My daughter is 9 years old. She weighs 58 pounds. But though she is small, she is mighty! She came to me at 7 and said, "dad, I think I want to take Hunter Education".  So we did. And though shooting the way over sized guns the state required her to shoot was an issue, she found a way, qualified with the weapons, and ace'd her test. 

As some of you may know, I have been known to put a bit of effort into pre season prep .  Well my daughter is even more intense than me! With a cow tag, a palouse buck tag, and a late idaho deer tag in her pocket, we made the most of her time off in the summer by hiking and shooting.  She shot a few hundred rounds through her little Ruger American 7mm-08 and probably over 600 dry fires in our living room at the deer and elk pictures taped to our dish washer.  She is a remarkable student and takes instruction very well.  Our dry fire sessions were short every night but focus was always on good form.  Get solid,  don't torque your grip, pull through your trigger, keep your face on the stock, eye in the scope, chamber a new round and be ready to repeat.  This kid was like a well oiled shooting machine coming into season. Prone. Bipod. Tripod. Shooting sticks. She was proficient from them all

[Karl Blanchard]

As I reach phone service on my race home from Idaho I am met with terrible news. Addison had a bad fall and now was on crutches due to a bruised femur.  Luckily her optimism and positive attitude helped me with my doom and gloom outlook for her cow hunt. We road hunted that first weekend with some elk sightings but nothing reachable. Every day that week found me racing home from work, grabbing the truck, grabbing Addison from school, and racing to the hills to get a few hrs in. Her leg was starting to feel better and we were doing some small hikes but we had the curse of the bulls. Everywhere we went we found bulls but no cows.  The weekend was a welcome relief from the rushed after school hunts as we finally had some time.

On saturday morning we hit an area I was wanting to hunt but didnt have the time.  The wind was absurd that day. Sustained 30mph made it just about miserable to be out but there we were anyways.  We were working a big ridge, bouncing across the top spot checking draws, when one produced! 8 cows, a spike, and a good bull were tucked up and out of the wind.  We snuck into 210 yards and got set. I should have been paying better attention to the wind that was rocking me.  If the wind is blowing around my dumb 180lb butt, what is it doing to your 58lb daughter dummy   it was a hard earned shot and a tough miss to swallow but it was clean miss so very thankful for that. She just couldn't firm up in that wind.

[BULLBLASTER]

Here’s ol bum foot gimp doin work with his Idaho buck.

[2MANY]

That dude resembles a cross country skier of sorts.
Perfect trekking form.

I can't imagine having my picture taken holding them REI gadgets.
He must have been really hurting.



(Behind the scenes I'm really digging the daddy work you have put in with your daughter Karl.  )

[Karl Blanchard]

That dude resembles a cross country skier of sorts.
Perfect trekking form.

I can't imagine having my picture taken holding them REI gadgets.
He must have been really hurting.



(Behind the scenes I'm really digging the daddy work you have put in with your daughter Karl.  )

you should see me in the summer using them in the neighborhood in shorts and flip flops

[2MANY]

I feel sorry for your treadmill.

[Mtnwalker]

As you can see in the picture that Jon posted, the bloody spot is not where I saw his shot land. I watched his shot land squarely on the shoulder. Sure as anything, this was the buck that Jon had "missed". That should have been a lethal shot but somehow, several hours later, that buck was coherent and still breathing.  It will forever be a shot I cannot explain.

How’d the entry/exit look after the cape was off?

[Karl Blanchard]

Last day of Addisons cow hunt that we can hunt before I have to leave for CO and all the stops have been pulled out! The big guns have been brought in (and by brought in I mean an unsolicited offer to help has been made ).  MtnMuley was generous enough to pack up his Oregon hunt, drive home, then turn around and drive to Yakina to help us find some critters.  Sure enough he spotted a group of cows right at light.  As we were beginning our approach, we had a couple "hunters" pull up. These guys knew Addison had a cow tag, we knew they had seen the elk too and we verbally asked them if they could continue on as not to alarm the elk as we made our approach. They gave us a thumbs up and a good luck, but then proceeded to race to the top of the hill, run out the ridge, and start blazing away at the group of cows. They wounded one and were shooting FAR past their skill level obviously.   

Addison was discouraged but we pressed on. We ended up walking into the herd an hour later and though we got setup quick, we couldn't stop any of them for a shot.  Dad was low (and really pissed). Addison was still optimistic but I could tell she was a bit bummed. All week I had been telling her to keep the faith and stick with me and we will get our chance. 

About that time MtnMuley calls me and says "I found em"! They had worked up into a steep canyon and eventually bedded in a shady spot on the vertical canyon wall.  The approach was pretty simple and straight forward. I honestly didn't think it was gonna be close enough. We came down the canyon to the west of them and popped up in a saddle on the ridge separating the two canyons.  We dumped pack and belly crawled up through the saddle. We were able to get prone in the saddle with the elk straight across from us. I had tossed in my rear bag at the last second so her shooting position was identical to most shots she had taken that summer.  We made extra sure that we were on the same elk, a big ol bedded cow, and she began her shot process. At 372 yards, the ragged edge of what I wanted her to shoot under perfect conditions, she executed a flawless shot. She sent that 140gr ballistic tip right through both lungs, breaking both shoulders. Somehow that big ol gal got to her feet! Before I could mumble anything she had a second shot headed down range. This one missed as I think she was excited. All the training paid off though because she already had a 3rd round chambered and was back on target. This time I stopped her, we reset and she put a 2nd round in the same spot as the first. That elk just couldn't pack the burden of that second hit and began to back pedal. Now facing uphill and exposing the full length of her back, addison put one more right through her spine mid body and down she went! I jumped up screaming "what did I tell you!" And Addison replied with an eye roll, "I know dad,  perseverance will always pay off."

We grabbed our things and headed over. MtnMuley caught up with us and after a quick photo shoot, we got to work. We caped her for a soft tan, boned out the meat and back to the truck we went. 

We would not have killed that elk if not for MtnMuley's selflessness. Dude is a hunting machine and we were so thankful to have him on our team that day.

That night as I tucked addison into bed I asked her if she realizes what she had done that day. She said, "yeah, I got my elk." I told her yes but by doing so you provided our family with 200lb of meat. That's almost 200 meals! She processed that for a split second and reply'd,  "so that will feed our family for over half of the year?"  I said yes sweety and kissed her good night.

I watched my little girl make the absolute connection of death=life. She processed that hunting and killing means food. That little girl has made me shed more tears of pride than anything in my life. She never ceases to amaze and impress me. That day was a good day.

[Karl Blanchard]

As you can see in the picture that Jon posted, the bloody spot is not where I saw his shot land. I watched his shot land squarely on the shoulder. Sure as anything, this was the buck that Jon had "missed". That should have been a lethal shot but somehow, several hours later, that buck was coherent and still breathing.  It will forever be a shot I cannot explain.

How’d the entry/exit look after the cape was off?

entrance and exit was a pencil hole. 143gr eldx out of a 6.5-06AI at 3100fps out of the muzzle