R
redrabbit
Guest
With the two major fires this year occurring that torched my normal hunting spots, I ventured to another unseen area in Unit 36. I arrived late Wednesday night to secure a desired camping spot under a shady oak tree, as I figured it would surely be taken sometime Thursday before the Friday opener.
Having not been to this part of the unit before, I arose at sunrise to survey the surrounding mountainsides.
With a Spartan camp situated to secure the spot as occupied and a conversation with the local rancher, I traveled a few roads to locate access points to canyons and glassing spots. Mick Charter, Firstcoues/Casey?s dad, arrived early that afternoon and we set up the rest of camp. That evening, I went to a hill above a tank and spooked 10 does and fawns from near the water. Glassing until dark revealed no bucks, although a report from the early hunt had 15 different bucks glassed from this small knob.
Returning opening morning to the same knob, only four does and no bucks were seen through the Leicas. Later that afternoon, Friends Chris and Larry arrived to help glass that evening. We went south a ways for a short hike up a hill to glass the slopes and flats leading to a water tank. Five other hunters had the same area in mind and had it surrounded. We spotted a couple of spikes and several does. Larry located a few IAs huddled under a tree near the mountain top where a lone hunter was maybe 50 yards above them.
The western sun sets, signaling the close to the first day of our season.
Saturday morning had Larry, Chris, Rica and I hiking over an hour into a canyon for the day. While we found many does, no antlers were seen. The drainage vegetation was very dry, as were the four water tanks. Four BP agents took a hike up the canyon, but they tagged no ?game? either. Chris had to leave that Saturday evening as Sunday he had to travel to Kali for a business meeting.
Chris behind his deer-finding 15x Swaros.
With a day in the previous canyon revealing no bucks, Larry and I decide to journey to a new area where he had located some bucks on his scouting trips. Soon after hiking to a small rise to glass up into a basin, Larry locates two smaller bucks he had seen on his prior trips.
Soon thereafter, he sees two spikes sparring on a high ridge, and 3-point comes to break up that childish behavior. We decide this buck is a worth a closer look, so we leap frog from hill to hill to get within closer evaluation range. While getting to the last hill within 400 yards, the buck pulls his gray-ghost routine and is not seen again.
That Sunday evening, Larry, Casey, his friend Jonathan, and Rica go to glass a set up different basins with water nearby. Larry, Rica and I hear some constant coyote howling, barking and yipping from Jonathan and Casey?s direction. We figure the varmint hunter in Casey caused him to break out his new Fox-Pro E-caller, but he later informs us that a real coyote was sitting at the tank dam making the raucus. Only does were seen by the four of us.
Larry, Casey and I made plans for Monday to return to the basin where Larry and I had seen the 3 branch-antlered bucks. After an hour hike that morning, we set up to glass and Casey makes a quick wager, a dollar for the first deer and buck seen. Well, Larry takes his money only few minutes later as he spots a couple of does and a good buck in a distant draw. The spotting scope reveals a dark-horned 4x4. Casey and I load up the packs to hike within shooting range, while Larry will stay behind to keep an eye on the buck. When we get to the desired position, we cannot relocate the buck or the does.
Two white-antlered bucks are seen racing across the hill from the south, but Casey cannot get them in the riflescope once the range is determined.
Larry comes up to the top to join us, and the three of us search for the rest of the day to no avail. On the knoll top with spartan mesquite tree shade, there we spend the hot midday trying to avoid the 84* heat under our draped-shirt constructed shade.
We figure that the buck has gone over the top to bed on the north face, so mid-afternoon Casey and Larry hike 30 minutes over to another ridge to get a better vantage up the other draw. Something spooks the buck and he comes busting out below Casey and Larry. Casey hears rocks clatter and roll, but cannot locate the buck at it races across the open slope. He escapes for the evening unseen by Casey and me.
See 4x in this draw?
Casey searches for the four point buck.
Dawn breaks on the final days.
With a worthy buck located and the rest of camp gone home, Rica and I spend all day Tuesday and Wednesday morning glassing that basin for the 4x4. He must have spooked out of the area, as in that day and a half, only a small 3-point and 2-point are seen in addition to numerous does, fawns and spikes.
The last sunrise.
Last November, I carried a ?lucky? red bean in my pant's pocket. It's residue must not have washed out.
Doug~RR
Having not been to this part of the unit before, I arose at sunrise to survey the surrounding mountainsides.
With a Spartan camp situated to secure the spot as occupied and a conversation with the local rancher, I traveled a few roads to locate access points to canyons and glassing spots. Mick Charter, Firstcoues/Casey?s dad, arrived early that afternoon and we set up the rest of camp. That evening, I went to a hill above a tank and spooked 10 does and fawns from near the water. Glassing until dark revealed no bucks, although a report from the early hunt had 15 different bucks glassed from this small knob.
Returning opening morning to the same knob, only four does and no bucks were seen through the Leicas. Later that afternoon, Friends Chris and Larry arrived to help glass that evening. We went south a ways for a short hike up a hill to glass the slopes and flats leading to a water tank. Five other hunters had the same area in mind and had it surrounded. We spotted a couple of spikes and several does. Larry located a few IAs huddled under a tree near the mountain top where a lone hunter was maybe 50 yards above them.
The western sun sets, signaling the close to the first day of our season.
Saturday morning had Larry, Chris, Rica and I hiking over an hour into a canyon for the day. While we found many does, no antlers were seen. The drainage vegetation was very dry, as were the four water tanks. Four BP agents took a hike up the canyon, but they tagged no ?game? either. Chris had to leave that Saturday evening as Sunday he had to travel to Kali for a business meeting.
Chris behind his deer-finding 15x Swaros.
With a day in the previous canyon revealing no bucks, Larry and I decide to journey to a new area where he had located some bucks on his scouting trips. Soon after hiking to a small rise to glass up into a basin, Larry locates two smaller bucks he had seen on his prior trips.
Soon thereafter, he sees two spikes sparring on a high ridge, and 3-point comes to break up that childish behavior. We decide this buck is a worth a closer look, so we leap frog from hill to hill to get within closer evaluation range. While getting to the last hill within 400 yards, the buck pulls his gray-ghost routine and is not seen again.
That Sunday evening, Larry, Casey, his friend Jonathan, and Rica go to glass a set up different basins with water nearby. Larry, Rica and I hear some constant coyote howling, barking and yipping from Jonathan and Casey?s direction. We figure the varmint hunter in Casey caused him to break out his new Fox-Pro E-caller, but he later informs us that a real coyote was sitting at the tank dam making the raucus. Only does were seen by the four of us.
Larry, Casey and I made plans for Monday to return to the basin where Larry and I had seen the 3 branch-antlered bucks. After an hour hike that morning, we set up to glass and Casey makes a quick wager, a dollar for the first deer and buck seen. Well, Larry takes his money only few minutes later as he spots a couple of does and a good buck in a distant draw. The spotting scope reveals a dark-horned 4x4. Casey and I load up the packs to hike within shooting range, while Larry will stay behind to keep an eye on the buck. When we get to the desired position, we cannot relocate the buck or the does.
Two white-antlered bucks are seen racing across the hill from the south, but Casey cannot get them in the riflescope once the range is determined.
Larry comes up to the top to join us, and the three of us search for the rest of the day to no avail. On the knoll top with spartan mesquite tree shade, there we spend the hot midday trying to avoid the 84* heat under our draped-shirt constructed shade.
We figure that the buck has gone over the top to bed on the north face, so mid-afternoon Casey and Larry hike 30 minutes over to another ridge to get a better vantage up the other draw. Something spooks the buck and he comes busting out below Casey and Larry. Casey hears rocks clatter and roll, but cannot locate the buck at it races across the open slope. He escapes for the evening unseen by Casey and me.
See 4x in this draw?
Casey searches for the four point buck.
Dawn breaks on the final days.
With a worthy buck located and the rest of camp gone home, Rica and I spend all day Tuesday and Wednesday morning glassing that basin for the 4x4. He must have spooked out of the area, as in that day and a half, only a small 3-point and 2-point are seen in addition to numerous does, fawns and spikes.
The last sunrise.
Last November, I carried a ?lucky? red bean in my pant's pocket. It's residue must not have washed out.
Doug~RR
