There are 28 big game species in North America, I've been fortunate to harvest 14 of them. Some of them I will never take, such as the grand slam of sheep or a polar bear. I just don't have the money or opportunity to do it. When possible I do like to try for those that are more realistic such as Columbia blacktail deer.
These little cousins of our mule deer live along the Pacific Coast in the forested mountains of Oregon, Washington and California. I booked a hunt with one of the top guides in California for this past July. The area is in northern California not too far from Oregon. Shelby, my wife, was filming the hunt and lucky me, I was the hunter.
If you've done any hunting, you know how fickle the weather can be and how it can play havoc with your hunt. The day we arrived in camp the temperature was near 100. The next day a cold front moved in and it was 40 in the morning warming to 70 in the daytime with winds gusting to over 40 MPH. We spent six days sitting in treestands to no avail. The deer weren't moving and we didn't see many during our hunt. The drive home empty handed was longer than the drive to the hunt.
Not to be deterred, I arranged to return in August. I would be hunting a different ranch with the same outfitter and, hopefully, would have better luck. Driving to the new camp I was in disbelief that I was in California. The roads were curvy, narrow and poorly maintained. It took 1 ½ hours to drive 32 miles. I learned that many of the homes in the area didn't have electricity or running water. But the scenery was beautiful, mountainous and covered with trees and fields of golden grass.
The routine for this hunt would be the same as the last; I would sit in a treestand from daylight to late morning returning later in the day for the evening hunt. I would be hunting near game trails the blacktail frequented. The first day was better than my previous experience; I saw a lot of deer but no shooters. But as we like to say, "it only takes five seconds to turn your luck around." After the second morning's sit, we made plans to hang a different treestand for the evening. We had two options; (1) to hang the stand and then eat lunch or (2) eat lunch and then hang the stand. The guide said, "the choice is yours." I chose option number two. It wasn't because I was hungry; actually I didn't want to go into an area twice making noise. I figured it was better to go into the area, hang the stand and then hunt it. That way we would leave less scent and not disturb the area twice.
On the drive back to camp we saw a nice buck lying under an oak tree in a brushy area. It was obvious he was getting out of the sun (it was around 80°) and taking a little siesta. The vegetation was thick enough to make a stalk possible. Quickly I got out of the truck and made a stalk toward him stopping at 25 yards. Trying to steady my nerves, I drew my bow and put a pin on his chest. At the shot, the buck leapt up and all four legs left the ground as he ran off a short distance and stopped. Not having time to use my rangefinder, I guessed the distance at 40 yards. My second arrow went through his shoulder and he was mine. We found that my first arrow had also been on target passing through the buck's mid body. I was glad I had chosen option number two.
The buck was a 5 year old with a 5x4 rack. We measured the rack at 115" green score which puts him in the record book. Blacktails don't get too big in body weight. Mine weighed 122 field dressed.
Now I have taken 15 of North America's big game. I booked a Shiras moose (number 16) hunt in Utah. Check future columns to see how that hunt goes.
