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, 10/05- I slipped out early from work. I'd planned to be gone even earlier, but a last minute delay kept me at work until 1500. Traffic getting out of the Bay Area on a Friday is ridiculous, and I didn't reach hunting grounds until right at sunset. I'd hoped to get up and glass Kokopelli Valley, but there was barely enough light to see the long meadow by the time I set up. The fall weather has begun to set in, and with A-zone hunting over for a couple of weeks, the valley between Maxwell and Stonyford was LOADED with deer. Probably saw over 100 deer on the drive in. Unbelievable, and I'm completely stoked! Saturday, 10/06- Big moon in the sky, it's like daylight when I roll out of the truck. I wonder if this is gonna work against me this morning. At least it'll be easier hiking up the creek. I brought the waders this time. I had planned to backpack in and spend the weekend, but I didn't get a chance to organize the gear. So I'll hike in, change to hunting shoes, and hunt the funnel. I'll take a stand on the hillside and sit the whole day, to get an idea of when the deer are moving. Good call. Nothing moved at all in the first light. By 0930, I'm starting to nod off. I'm nearly gone when I hear the scrabble of hoof on rock. About 10 yards above me, I turn and catch the glimpse of deer legs and a shower of gravel as the deer winds me and bolts. The deer blows, but I've heard both does and bucks do that, so I'm not sure what I've missed. I curse myself for falling asleep. After a few moments, I crawl through the chemise to the clearing where the deer bolted. The initial tracks are easy to find, but the deer has gone into some really thick stuff. I try to move through, but after 100 yards I can tell I'll never sneak up on anything in this mess. I go back to my stand. About ten minutes after returning to stand I catch a movement in the brush just below me, about 25 yards. A patch of deer fur moves across an open spot. I can hear another one behind the first. I swivel slowly, and reach for my rifle. The wind is swirling, and a sudden downdraft blows right across my shoulder. The lead deer freezes, blows, and bolts back the way it came. I stand to follow, and see another deer staring at me from an opening in the trail to my right. Damn! All of the deer are crashing back down into the ravine, but then they appear one after another in the clearing on the other ridge. Three easy shots, but no horns. I have apparently picked the WRONG place to sit. I'm right in the middle of an active trail. About 1100, my heart is still beating from the encounters when I notice a single small doe creeping down the opposite ridge. She disappears into the ravine, and a few moments later I can hear her coming right up the same trail, headed toward me. I sit tight, breathe slowly, and wait. She comes to within five feet of me before losing her little mind. She bolts the same route, and I watch her stop on the opposite side and look back...still unsure what she'd just run into. Close to noon, I see three deer moving down toward the creek, at the far end of the other ridge. The first is a very large doe, followed by what is obviously this year's baby. Behind them is a decent sized deer. At first I think it's another doe, but then sunlight glints off the spikes, just about the same length as his ears. Next season....maybe. 1230, I see the brush moving on the far side of the creek. There are three large openings I've been watching, and now a doe comes breaking into the first. She hits open ground and turns on the speed. Behind her another deer breaks out and follows. This one is apparently another fawn. Then another deer comes out, but I can't get the glasses on it. It's not a small one, though, and I frantically try to find horns. I keep the glasses on them, but they're moving out fast. I wonder what's got them spooked. Is there another hunter coming up the creek? A lion? Or is the rut beginning, and this is a buck chasing a doe? No answers for me today, though. The deer sidehill for a half a mile, running the whole time, until I lose sight of them around a bend. Wish I knew what got them going. 1400, three deer move into sight down by the creek. I think they may be the same three I saw earlier, with the little spike. I can't get a good look at the last deer, but there are definitely no legal antlers there. The rest of the day is a bust. I move down shortly after the sun sets behind the high ridges, planning to get out of the creek before it gets dark. As it turns out, I left way too early. I move up the creek a little ways to check on the oak grove, then turn back. I am back at the truck while there is still shooting light. Oh well, so much for estimation. Sunday, 10/07- I sleep in. I'm just not motivated to get out and hunt today. I need some sleep, and nap until the sun is well up. Just for kicks, I hike in to the funnel. I scout around for a better stand, and decide I'd rather be home riding horseback than sitting on the hill today. I turn to leave. Two does have crossed the creek and are standing about ten yards from me. They stare for a second or two, then bolt back up the trail. Dammit. All these does! Where the hell are the bucks? Next weekend is the duck season opener and Charlie's birthday. No deer hunting for me.
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