My friend came down to hunt the last two days of blacktail season Thurs/Fri. Having already filled my tag I figured I'd be the designated guide, caller, and meat packer. We hunted Thursday up high and found some deer and bear but it was a monsoon with torrential rain and 40 mph winds. It was fun the first few hours then we buggered off the mountain for lower country. In the afternoon we beat feet into a spot I had a big buck pinned down last season. We hunted up to a hilltop where he beds and wouldn't you know it I kicked him out of a rockpile right after we separated. Of course I have no deer tag and Todd was 150 yards downhill. .
Today we went to a lower area then hiked 1 mile up to another honey hole I've killed a few bucks in. We rattled in a button buck which Todd passed. Saw another forked horn on our way up the mountain, again, Todd and I a few yards apart and guess who runs into the buck bedded on a ridgeline? Yep. No tag.
Nearing the top when we jump three does that head around the ridge to the west. Knowing this area is thick with bucks I suspected there'd be one there and sure enough, but he dove into a brush choked canyon to the east. We separate again Todd goes low, I go high. The idea is I would sprint to the 200 yards to the top, get above him, and try to flush him downhill to Todd for a shot. Poked around for a while with no shots heard. Since so much brushy canyon is visible from here I decide to sit down and rattle and call to see if I can make something move that Todd might be able to see on the far hillside. Guess who has a PERFECT 4x4 blacktail sneak in behind him to 45 yards? Yep, the guy with no tag. Beautiful, perfect textbook 4x4 blacktail buck, just gorgeous coloration and a real nice deer. *sigh
I thrash around in the brush for another two hours trying to flush something out that Todd can see but finally with my glasses in a constant state of fogging up from fog and sweat I decide to head the mile back down to the rig. By now Todd's been gone 3 hours and I have no idea if I'm even beating the right brush for him.
On the way up the mountain we'd seen that there had been two different bears working this ridgeline this morning. Even though it was raining the tracks were screaming fresh. Guess who runs into a bear at 25' on the way down the mountain? Yeah, me, the guy carrying a bear tag, a 22 magnum pistol, and no rifle. Since I was the designated guide and had not seen a bear here before, I elected to go with just a sidearm. Maybe if I hadn't been an idiot and had carried a sidearm big enough to actually use on something I could have filled the bear tag. But noooooo, I had a 22 magnum.
Holy cow. Saw one more buck right before dark, looked like a 3x3. Todd came back to the truck right at dark and had passed a 2x3 buck on this his last day because it was late and was one canyon over, 300+ yards. As I waited for Todd to arrive I watched a button buck feed 50 yards from the truck until dark. Todd was too tired to even want to fill his tag when he got back. We loaded up and came home to steak and baked potatoes off the smoker. Thanks wifey!
Another blacktail season over, unless the neighbor needs me to do some rattling for him in his late archery season. Still got time to chase bears but work limiting my ability to get loose.
