2001 Deer Hunting Journal-I'll try to keep a journal for the season here this year. If it goes well, this will become a regular thing. Who knows, if nothing else, it's something to look back at when the freezer is empty, the rains of winter fall, and cabin fever sets in hard.
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I drew B-zone and G-1 tags for this season. This means I'll be able to hunt from 9/15 through 11/4. |
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Friday night, 9/21 - Kat and I got out late this evening, once again. It's been kind of a hectic week. My brand new truck has an oil leak, which as it turns out, is due to a manufacturing defect in the gear casing. The service rep told me I could drive it, but I'm stressed about the possibility of running it dry. We also decided to try picking up a couple of two-way radios. I figure this will be a good way to keep in contact, since I like to make extended hikes, and Kat likes to move around a little less. If one of us gets a deer, we can contact the other. Also, I figure this will be a good safety tool. I'm not getting any younger, and I'm realizing how easy it would be to get hurt out here by myself. If I carry the radio on a solo hunt, and something stupid happens, they can use the other radio to (hopefully) locate my sorry butt and come get me. Details to be ironed out on that one, but it sounds reasonable enough to overcome my aversion to using the damned things. Radio shopping and dinner out of the way, we hit the road and arrived at the trailhead for Kokopelli Valley around midnight. Saturday, 9/22 - Sunrise comes earlier than expected. The alarm is set for 0545, and it's almost light when we finally get dressed and head out. First thing, Kat's having trouble with her rifle. The sling stud has worked loose, and the bipod mount stripped it out of the stock. This is a pisser, and without coffee we're both dealing poorly with it. She'll have to hunt the weekend without a sling. To make a field fix would cause more trouble than it would save, and I'd hate to mess up that beautiful Browning. Lucky for her, it's a pretty light rifle. Kat hunts the green-up near "My Hill", and I head over to check out the ridge where those deer were all crossing last weekend. I know the other side of that ridge is supposed to be steep and treacherous, but I wonder what it is that's drawing the deer over there. As I cut across the Long Meadow, I catch movement down at the far end. That corner didn't burn, and I see two deer browsing there. One moves into the cover before I can determine its sex, but the other is definitely a doe. Most seasons, I've noticed that during the first part of the year the does are still moving with other does and their brood from the previous season, while the bucks are still in small bachelor groups. I make an educated guess that the deer that went into the thicket is not a buck. I watch for a while longer, then continue on. I radio back to Kat to let her know that the deer might be moving her way. These radios could come in handy after all. Up on the canyon wall, I need to stop and sit for a while. I glass the Long Meadow, looking for those two deer I'd spotted earlier. They've disappeared. Apparently they didn't take the old route which would have brought them right past where Kat is sitting. The defoliation from the fire has changed their patterns a little bit. It's also allowed me to see a lot of previously hidden trails, many of which confirm some suspicions from seasons past about where the deer moved. Unfortunately, these patterns will likely change for good over the next several seasons, as this place grows back. 0900, I'm at the ridge looking over the other side. The fire apparently didn't come down here. It's easy to see what the deer were going for. Chemise and manzanita cover the hill, or more appropriately, the cliff. It's nearly straight down to the creek, probably 500 feet or more below. Ledges here and there look like perfect bedding spots, and there's no way a two-legged predator is going to get down there quietly. I wonder what I'd do if I shot one here. I'd have to carry a knife and fork down and eat him where he fell, because getting him back up that cliff is just nuts. I suppose if I saw one worth the work, I could carry him down the creek bed to the road. I'd have to get Kat to bring the truck down to meet me. It's do-able, but it better be a nice buck! 1000, I keep moving from one promising vantage point to another. I spot two deer moving across the hill below my truck, a doe and a youngster working toward a patch of unburnt grass. No antlers, but I watch them for a while anyway. It's good to see deer, regardless of whether I plan to shoot. Besides, where there are does now, there will be bucks later. I'm happy to see that the fire hasn't left Kokopelli Valley sterile. 1100, I have reached the creek and a very secluded little hollow. A lot of tracks cover the wet gravel here, including deer, coyote, and a couple that I'm fairly sure are mountain lion. I'm sweating and hot, so I find a deep pool, strip off my clothes, and jump in. It's cold, but refreshing. I wonder what Kat's doing. I radio up and am amazed that the reception is good. Nothing doing up there. We agree to meet back at the truck and have lunch. The evening hunt is completely fruitless. I hunt behind the apple orchard, where I notice more new growth. Poison oak, some scrub oak, and blackberries are starting to come back in...shocking green on a blackened background. No deer, though. On the way out, a coyote begins to yip and howl. It's close, so I stalk it. It's sitting on an exposed hill, apparently oblivious to its vulnerability. I don't shoot coyotes, but most of the hunters around here do. It hears me, but can't locate my scent and trots off, crossing the Long Meadow at about 75 yards. An easy shot, and a beautiful pelt, but I have no desire to take either. I step out and let it see me, hoping that the fear will make it more cautious in the future. Sunday, 9/23 - Nothing at all moves in the morning. We meet back at the truck and decide to try a new spot. I want to explore that creek, and we head down there. The creek is shady and cool. We decide to have a relaxed lunch and enjoy the place. Later, we'll head in and see if it's worth hunting. 1430, we gear up and walk in. The trail beside the creek peters out pretty quickly into some poison oak and steep climbs. Decision time... I decide what the hell, and we wade into the creek. The water's not too cold, and we're wearing light shoes. It's a good call, because we find a pretty impressive array of sign and habitat. This is definitely a huntable spot. We go in until a rock fall breaks up the creek. I decide to climb over and keep going, while Kat sets up and covers my backtrail. Hopefully, I'll push a deer back her way. Doesn't happen, of course, but it seemed like a good plan. 1645, we set up on what appears to be a major crossing. After two hours, nothing moves on any of the trails. I'm going to hunt this spot again, or move to the oak grove back upstream. We hike out, hoping to beat darkness. The creek bed is rocky and slick, and would be a pain to navigate in the dark. Maybe I'll bring the tent back later this season, and pitch camp on one of the gravel bars. Back to the truck just before dark. No deer spotted, but I'll definitely be back.
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