Hunting Washington Forum
Big Game Hunting => Bow Hunting => Topic started by: Dr. Death on December 15, 2009, 06:53:02 PM
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So, I know how everyone likes to read stories on here, so I thought I'd "Dear Diary" my 2009 season.
Dear Diary......Started out prior to hunting season not knowing where I would try for elk. The usual Lewis River or good 'ol stand by Winston. I decided to both my favorite areas in both just to see what was going on. Ended up scouting Winston 1st and saw some elk in the usual spots so I decided, to head to LR and check out my favorite spot. I saw only a few that night (w/1 bull) and decided to give it he next morning as well. The next morning (day before opener for elk), I saw maybe 15, w/ 2 bulls, but saw alot of people, of course where isn't there in this State. I decided to head back to Winston for the opener. Since it was early in the day, I thought I'd try to look at some new areas and ways to get in there. I ended up driving all over but found a new area that I'd been hoping/trying to find. I jumped on my Bike and started exploring. Ended up running into these 2 older guys who had just put up tree stands. We talked for awhile, they told me where they had there stands and where they'd seen some elk. I went on my way as they headed out. I stashed my bike and started walking, I ended up seeing, 3 herds, w/ 5 legal bulls, before the day ended, and I knew where I'd be in the morning.
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Well don't leave us hanging.... you got to finish what you started.
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So....opening day of the 2009 elk season started with me getting woke up extra early from 2 jabronies and their girl friend deciding that they want to go in at 2 am. >:( I try to get back to sleep, but have trouble just knowing that they will get in their before me and screw everything up! You know how your mind wonders... I finally get up and have my oatmeal, power bars and instant coffee. Soon a truck shows up to the gate and it's the 2 older guys from the day before, we talk and decide to ride in together. We ride for about 10 minutes and come up on the goons from over 2 hours ago, they are sneaking around on the road in the dark, doing who knows what, we just bomb past them and are on our way, with a big grin on my face.. :) We finally split up and go our seperate ways, after wishing good luck. I head off to where I'd seen a biggest head of 19 w/ 3 legal bulls. I decide to just sit down and wait for it to get light as I know I'm the first one in this area.
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So, I'm sitting there in the dark after ditching my bike and hear some moron riding his bike and it sounds like he's towing 50 beers cans behind him.... :bash: I stop him and let him know what is up, kinda have to now, before he scares them off. He just wants to ride up the road and see if they are there...I'm now getting pissed and just tell him that his bike sounds like a mufflerless vespa and that theres now way the elk will be there if he continues. I'm screwed I'm thinking, so we slowly start our beautiful walk together. It soon gets light and soon see the elk, he just wants to bomb into teh clearcut after them...Jeezuz, whats with people.....I tell him what I plan to do and he says, I'm going that way too! :yike: I'm really heated by now...I take off trying to get the wind right hoping to loose my new found best friend...Ever had that happen?
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So, you all know how my opening morning ended....My shadow, takes off out through a newer clearcuts and blows teh herd outa there before I can even race around and get in front of them..... >:( Yep..opening morning cometh...and goneth...just like that...Oh well, plan #2....
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I decide to not push them to bad and go get my bike....I get to my bike and here come the 2 Ol' guys...I find out that they ended up shooting a cow out of their tree stand, only after missing a 5x5....at 20 yards.... :yike: I end up helping them pack their cow to the road to their cart...I believe in that Karma thing...
I finally see them off and take off into a vine maple patch to see what I can find. I find a good spot to sit and eat, where I can see 20-30 yards in most places and only have one place where I can't see...I'm not there 5 minutes when I hear a twig snap and see the vine maples moving, and you know where it was at.... that think spot...I finally see some fur, and can tell it's elk, but what?????
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It finally moves to where I can see it and it's a stinkin spike...uggg....there are more with it but they stay hidden and he's the only one I can see good. They finally move off through the vine maples away from me. I ponder what to do and think about how hard I want to try for a bull. I decide that if a cow gives me a good shot, I'll take it and get home to save some leave at work for once. I spend the rest of the day checking out new areas, and seeing some elk at a distance. Before dark, I head back to where the elk were that morning and decide to stay put till dark there to see if they come back out or I can hear them in the timber. Darkness finally comes, only a spike shows himself, I call it a day and head back to my truck in the dark.
Day 2, starts off very quiet. Me headed in on my bike with only one of the Ol' guys. I peel off about 1/2 way in and head off to some big timber.. After about 3 hours and no elk there, I head back to the vine maple patch from the day before. I hunt it till about noon and finally decide to head back to my rig and check out a different area. I finally get to the new gate, and unload my bike and gear, along with 2 other guys. I head in behind them but end up passing them on a uphill grade when they decide to push their bikes. I get up to where I want to hunt, ditch my bike and I'm off into the Timber...The rain starts to fall and I decide to head out and glass some cuts prior to dark. I see 2 herds along ways off and decide that's where I'll be the next day. As I head down the road towards the gate I come up on 2 bikes laying in the road. I stop and peek into the clearcut and see some elk....I sit down to watch the show as I soon spot the 2 guys making their stalk on the backside of the small bunch of cows and calves. I notice that the guys are trying their stalk with the wind in the wrong direction :bdid: so I decide to just hang tight....Afer about 15 minutes the elk pick up their heads and blow outa there, headed into the reprod. I get back on my bike and go about 2 feet and hear a cow call right below me. I'm thinking, "how did those guys get all the way over here already"..? So I get back off my bike and peek back over the hill and see a lone cow headed towards me. I'm wondering where she came from and how did I miss not seeing her. I pull out my range finder and get a few readings on different trees..and start the waiting game to see what happens. She continues on her way towards me and I start thinking that this might just work out as she's now only about 70 yards away and still coming. I get my arrow nocked and release is on the loop. She now turns broadside at the 45 yard tree and takes about 4 steps, stops and looks back towards the guys...
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AND THEN?
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And then...I pull back and settle my 40 yard pin alittle high on the crease behind her shoulder and let one fly!
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Oh no worries!! I'v missed that shot to.. :chuckle:
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:chuckle:...LOL....
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So...I watch my arrow hit her dead center in the shoulder blade. She tears off baout 40 yards...stops......staggers.....does a cartwheel......and takes a dirt nap.
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NO PIC?
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I'll post em later......So I move my bike up the road, and head down to to start taking care of her. It's almost dark and raining so I put my headlamp on and start working.....I soon some voices and the 2 guys that were chasing them are standing there watching me, one says to the other "that's how it's supposed to go" and off they go...I get it opened up and gutted and decide to head to my truck to get more gear. I run into some guys I know camped by the gate having a beer. They ask how the day went, I give them a short version of my story and they get their bikes & trailers and we all head back in. Since it's only 50 yards off the road and 1/2 mile behind the gate we end up cutting in it half, hide on and carry it to the carts. We are back to the truck in a hour.. ;)..That Karma thing from the day before just paid off! I skin it back some and head for home....A short but happy end to my elk season....Deer season up next!
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Is'nt it cool when you are by your self and other Hunters will Drop what there doing and HELP!! Congrats!
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Come on finish already!
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So, with Elk season overwith it was time to start looking at deer....I also have a mulit season tag, so I could really do some hunting....I usually don't do much early season deer hunting, but would do some during rifle and definately this late season. Went out a few times during rifle (Wet side) but never did see anything that I wanted to shoot at. So we head to E Wa for late season mulie hunting....My son got a 2x3 on the 2nd day (posted 1st Archery Buck) but ended up getting the H1N1 and I ended up doing a 12 hr road trip back home to get him to the Drs. and then back up hunting....That's where I'll begin and pick up from.........
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Here's my 2009 elk. Great eats... :cue:
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Nice cow and great write up! Thanks for sharing.
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So back to deer hunting...I take my son home and head back up hunting, to say the least I was tired...We get out and start hunting. I end up seeing a nice 4x4 with does, but he manages to give me the slip that morning. Wecheck out a few other areas and see some does, but the bigger legal bucks seem to be few and far between. As we are headed out, I ook up on the hill side and see a big buck running down towards us chasing a doe. We bail out and head up the hill after she turns and heads back the way they came. I decide to make a big loop and try to gain elevation and get above them. I finally see them after about 45 minutes, but it's starting to get dark. I decide to make my move. I get to with in 80 yards, but decided to try for 70. If I can get there I'll shoot. Well a doe finally has enough and take off and he follows her. They are going right along the base of a very steep hill side and I decide to follow for another 10-15 minutes or till I just can't see. I go about 100 yards and look up in the rocks above me and there he is staring down at me... Crap....I try to get out me range finder, but he starts to move, so I nock a arrow, pull back, settle my 50 on his shoulder and touch it off. I get to watch my arrow sail over his back and grenade into the rocks behind him.... :bash: I go look anyway, but nothing, so I head back to the truck in the dark and 1 arrow lighter...
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Thanksgiving Day and the next were spent doing long LONG walks...O-dark thirty to O-dark thirty...Lot's of deer, a few shooter bucks, but no big ones...We decided to give it one last ditch effort on Saturday morning then head home, since the rut seemed to be over or close to it. We ended up doing alittle road hunting in new areas, we saw some deer, nothing too exciting, me partner finally had enough and wanted to take a shot at something, so we found some WT does, and put the hunt on them. I ended up driving them to him and he missed twice..... :chuckle: At least I got a good laugh out of that. With that my Mule deer hunt was over and it was time to focus on BT near home.... :'(
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So back to hunting the wonderful wet side! My mind is made up to stick with shooting a decent buck till the final 2-3 days, then if I find a old doe with no youngsters I might take it. I go out the evening prior to the cold streak and see a few does but no bucks. I end up going out twice over the cold streak hunting or more like spooking animals I should say, nothing seems to be moving except for when I spook them...I guess I'd wait for the weather to change....
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12/18- went out this am to one of my better spots, and hunted it hard and saw.....nadda!...nothing..ended up working on some of my trails since I was there and had my clippers in my pack..try angain later today.
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What a boring day, no deer & lots of brush...Well no deer till I get home and the doe and her twins are in my field...but they are safe... ;).....Her boyfriedns not if he decides to show himself during shooting hours, he came out at 5:15.... >:(
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12/22 off work for the rest of the year!!! :rockin:
Gonna hit it hard tomorrow and Thursday with my 11 year old. Momma deer and her twins are out in the field right now, so maybe her boyfriend will be here soon! MOre tomorrow...good luck to the rest of you who still have tags!
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So, here's a question.....Do deer with the hair loss syndrome ever get better? I have one near my house which has it pretty bad. Is she a good candidate to take out? Any thoughts or ideas?
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Tomorrow, 12/28, it's about time to just fill the tag with whatever I can find, maybe I will tonight!...good luck to the rest of you with tags to fill....
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Passed on a 1 horned 2pt and some does tonight....tomorrow if it's brown it's down...The time is here.... ;)
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So, woke up this morning hoping for rain but didn't get any, still had the frost and crunchy walking conditions. So, even though I wasn't real motivated, I went anyway to one of my old favorite spots that I hadn't hunted this year. Can get much just sitting at home. I parked the truck and finished my coffee, grabbed my gear and started my walk in the dark. After getting to the arae, I just creeped along, nice and slow, slower that usual. I only walked for about, 30 minutes when I saw a deer looking at me over some ferns...I noticed it was a small buck and decided that it was now time. I ranged him at 64 yards, 3 x's just to make sure I had a good reading, and eased the bow back. I settled my 60 yard pin, high on his shoulder, held it tight there and squeezed the released.
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Wow you love to build some excitement in your stories....
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Well, I enjoy reading others, though I might as well do the same ;)
I went up to where he was at and found my arrow, complete pass through, good blood on the arrow....Started following the tracks and he only went about 40 yards...Arrow went though both shoulders, took the top of the heart off and both lungs....
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long story but its worth it. nice deer and elk.
