Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting REAL COOL..24 HR Campfire Story: Oregon...

last week on line, forum member Blaine was asking about anyone having knowledge of where is a good place to hunt especially having a doe permit, for the West Applegate Unit...

I live in that unit, so I PM'ed Blaine and he gave me a phone call... we set up earlier this week that he would come down and hunt locally with me on the last two days of the season...

We had never met before but are fellow 24 Hour Campfire Forum Members... this was going to be the last 2 days of Oregon Firearm Deer Season...

Blaine and I got together at a local market about 2 miles from my house, and then went 1/2 mile or so up the road into the area we were going to hunt...

The area is approximately 2000 acres or 3 square miles owned by the county here... not long ago it was closed to dirt bikers who have torn up tons of trails over the years in there...

Based on fuel prices and finding no deer in the higher and outer mountains.. I decided to just hunt in there this season.. closer to home allowed me more field time...

I have seen tons of big bucks in there, tons of does, and several black bears... the area is totally surrounded by Suburbia.. and there are a lot of big deer grazing in the local properties.. as many of us live on one to 6 acres or so around here..... I have gotten to know the area pretty darn well over the last 4 weeks.. intimately...

Well, we started out on a trail by 7:30...I made a couple of loops off of it to see if I could kick a doe his way, for his doe permit...

About 9 am, we had covered about 1/2 a mile or so, around this hill top... and Blaine pulls up his binocs and sees a doe in the fog... I see it also as he kneels and fires his 30/06... the deer drops instantly, but another bigger deer took off in the fog...

Blaine's first thought was that he had shot the fawn, and let the doe go... because what he shot was much smaller than the other deer we saw fly by...

60 second later, I see the deer returning to where it was in the fog, thinking it was the mother coming back to see why the fawn had not followed it.... about 30 yds up from the "fawn" in the fog, I saw the deer, but it was not a mother, as it had antlers...

I had a narrow window of opportunity shooting between a V in between a pair of trees.. but I pulled the 260 up and fired.. the deer took off running....

I wasn't sure if I had hit it with a poor shot or missed it....

We went up the trail to Blaine's doe.. which he shot, and it was lying right on the trail...he put his gear down, and then I told him I was going to see if I hit that buck or not... I went up the hill side in the fog, as I heard noises off to the left it sounded like....

UP near the top, I saw a hunter, and told him I hadn't been able to see where it went..."where who went???" was the response.. It was another hunter, not Blaine... He asked I had shot, and I told him yeah, and that we had shot one doe, with a doe permit...

He congratulated me, and then headed down the hill side... So I saw were Blaine was and headed back down the hill to where he was...

When I got about 30 yds from where he was, I saw that there was blood on the leaves, but this was ABOVE where his deer was shot, and his went straight down... Evidently I had hit the Buck!!!!!

I walked a few more feet and there was blood all over the leaves.. and several more spots... MY hit was good as it was leaving a good blood trail...

I pulled off my Orange Coat to mark the spot, and walked back down to Blaine and his doe... he had his gear off.. and his knife out to gut the doe....

I told him that I had blood all over the place up there, so evidently the bullet had hit the deer....

He asked where the blood trail was, and I pointed up the hill to the log where I had laid my jacket down to mark the spot... as I was saying " I am going to go look for him, while you gut your deer if you are okay with that".. I am still pointing up the hill at my jacket... 10 feet to the left of it, is laying this buck in the leaves!

I walked right past it and they blend in so well, I never even saw him laying right there...

the bullet had split the heart, upon field cleaning.. .still the deer had managed to fun about 50 feet or so, in a fish hook pattern, before collapsing.....

So by 9 am, a fellow forum member I had never met, but more than happily would lend a helping hand to... well he had a good sized doe down, filling his doe permit... and I had a good 170 lb, older forked horn buck down!

How's that for a happy success story......

Well it took us time to get them both out, and Blaine got his to the butcher that evening and mine had to wait until this morning....

One of the boys in the scout troops really wants to hunt, but his dad doesn't... but I called dad last night and asked him if his son would like to come over while I skinned this deer this morning... of course the kid did...

I went over and picked Ryan up, and on the way home at a little after 9 am, my cell phone rings and it is Blaine...
"hey are you and your son out hunting yet this morning??" I answered "No, we have to skin my buck and get it to the butchers first so we didn't go out yet"....

"well, I came back out this morning.. I have a forked horn down"

"you gotta be kidding!!! where did you get him???"

"Oh about 100 yds from where we got the doe and your buck yesterday"... again, by 9 am!

So I took Ryan over there and then went home and got a handtruck to roll the deer out while Blaine and Ryan gutted his buck....

I am sure Blaine will follow up with pictures when he gets home to download his camera...

so two forum members who never met.. one helping out another with a good place to fill a doe tag....

Results.. one doe, and one big buck down by 9 am first day... another buck to fill Blaine's buck tag by 9 am second day!

ya know, I highly encourage other forum members to get out and meet other forum members.. evidently good things happen!!!!

cheers
seafire

Great story

It was cool indeed. Seafire's Forky was big for this area, probably 18-19" inside spread and 160-170 lbs on the hoof. My doe was a good doe, 90-100 lbs and my forky was average--probably 100-110 lbs on the hoof. It was my first Blacktail buck and a nice start to my finally getting to live in Oregon.

Seafire and I have decided we are good luck for each other..........

Here are some pics:

good lookin critters

Next year I'll pass on such a little forky early in the season, now that I have broken my Blacktail buck jinx. However, if it's the last day in the season and I have no deer or elk meat in the freezer, then I'll happily take another small guy.

Seafire's deer was a very mature animal. It may have had more points last year. The deer's neck was swollen and it looks like the rut is beginning--just as the season ends!!

Nice job guys.

BMT

After my first couple of deer I started holding out for a lil bigger than a forkie until the last week of the season, then i was after a legal buck.

With only a few days or day left, you gotta roll what you can IMO. Nothing tastes as bad as a tag sandwich.

RAS

+ 1. Thats what I had last year was a tag sandwich. Passed on a couple decent 3x3's earlier on that season. Oh well. Did better this year at least.

Hey, you guys did good!!

Those swollen necks were the first thing I noticed. I had a big 4 point cross the road in front of me today near Ashland and was surprised at how thick his neck was already.

I don't remember the last time I saw doe permits for my side of the Applegate (east).

Anyway, congrat's guys. BT

Good story. It's nice that you guys could hook up and have a successful hunt!

Good eats for certain.

That doe is gonna be great eating, as is the forkie... That's what I got this year- a young forkie and a big doe. Not a bad combo as far as eatin', that's for sure!

So you are new to Oregon, Blaine? Where you from? Have you decided yet if you are a Duck or a Beaver? I'd recommend, Duck!

:-)

Congrats! If you ever get up Eugene-area way, I can help you with some good spots around here, though... what you are onto appears to be very good indeed!

-jeff

Where you from? Have you decided yet if you are a Duck or a Beaver? I'd recommend, Duck!


-jeff[/quote]

Go Beave's!!!!!!

I would caught dead being a Duck.. next thing you know they will have ya rooting for the Huskies!!!!

Thats a great story. Congrats to both of you.

Jeff,

Not really new to Oregon. Born in Roseburg in 1960, went to grade school and Jr high in Medford and Central Point, and then High School in Grants Pass. My folks moved to Wash State in 1980 and came back to Grants Pass in 1995. I went to college at U of O in 1978-79 and wound up graduating from UPS in 1983. Spent the next 24 years in the USAF and am now back in Roseburg. I starting hunting in Oregon again in 1998, but mainly for Cascade elk with a little deer hunting thrown in.

I am not a huge college football fan; I much prefer to be continually disappointed by the Seahawks.........

Blaine,

I am glad you are "continually disappointed by the Seahawks" also!

Green Bay Fan here!!! But I really prefer disappointed Viking and Bear Fans Myself, over disappointed Seahawk fans!!

TAKE ME! TAKE ME! TAKE ME!.....

Congrats on the deer.

Great story, thanks for sharing.

Looks like you fellas will be hitting the jerky soon!

MtnHtr

Good job guys! I love the rumble patch on the foreheads!

Great story guys! Thanks for sharing.

Seafire, I about tripped over my muley this year as well, took a right about 5 feet in front of it and when I looked over my shoulder it was just lying there...counted my lucky stars I wasn't hunting dangerous game

Thanks again and congrats to you both. Love to meet campfire buddies, hoping to set up lunch with dogzapper in the next couple weeks.

J