Bow Season 2011: Pigs, Deer, and Earth Quake!

The Explanation
So it has been a month since my last post so please forgive me, but making a living got in the way of my blog.  Although when I wasn't working, I was bowhunting.  I hunted four weekends including the opening weekend (although they were not all in a row) and outings two and three were mostly unexciting except for some cool video of small bucks fighting and a bobcat I called up.

Dos Pigs!
My fourth hunt was the first weekend in November.  It was good and cold at night and mild during the days although it was really windy at times.  The first evening I arrived late to my stand so I only grabbed my bow and headed to the stand.  I was left my video camera assuming that I was getting out so late that my chance of success were limited (and I didn't have time to pull together all the gear and set it up).   After sitting in my stand for only 15 minutes, I saw two small bucks about a hundred yards away milling around in the trees.  They appeared to be headed my way although it would take them a long while to reach me at their current pace.  About 10 minutes later I hear the bucks snorting and wheezing alarms as if they had smelled or seen me, but that was impossible since I was down wind of them.  Soon I saw what the deer had been alarmed by.... It was a large black boar trotting through the trees, headed straight for me.  He followed the deer path perfectly right by my tree.  I drew back my bow and as my 20 yard pin settled on his lungs, I gave a squeak with my mouth to get him to stop.  On that que, he froze and gave me the opportunity I needed to release my arrow.  The arrow center punched him in the lungs and hit resounded with the most solid "THUD" I have ever heard.  The arrow had penetrated to the opposite side of the pig's rib cage, but but didn't exit the other side as the boar sprinted into the woods.  While I waited, another group of pigs came out of the trees and began to mill around in front of me.  I grabbed another arrow and targeted a medium size pig closest to me.  As he turned broad side I drew back my bow and released a second arrow.  This time the it penetrated to the far side, but still didn't pass completely through (dang these pigs are tough).  He sprinted into the woods squealing all the way.  The other pigs huffed and snorted as they retreated.  I snuck down out of my tree and went back to my pick-up to get my lantern and pistol for the blood trail.  After an hour I began to search through the dense brush with my coleman lantern and amazingly I was able to find both pigs.  They hadn't gone far once they reached cover although my arrows were no where to be seen.  The boar looked huge, likely 250 pounds and the smaller one was likely 120 to 150 pounds.  I was delighted to have taken two in one evening!  A first for me!

From 10 Point Buck to "If it's Brown, It's Down"
The next morning I sat in my South wind stand.  My only contact was a buck about 100 yards away.  I was beginning to wonder if I was going to get a deer with my bow this season.  If you count each morning or evening as one hunt, I had been out about 8 or 10 times and, so far, I only had a few does within bow range.  My "threshold" or "expectations" for what was an acceptable deer was quickly dropping from an 8 or 10 point buck to the motto "If it's brown, it's down!"  Rifle season was fast approaching and the prime time of bow season was slipping away.  I decided that day, that I would take any legal buck that walked within range.

That evening I was startled to see a fork horn that just "appeared" out of nowhere.  I have always been amazed at the stealthiness of these animals.  He walked toward me straight on without presenting a shot and then at 20 yards, turned left, trotting along in front of me.  I attempted to pull the same trick that I had with the boar by squeaking as he came by to make him stop so I could take my shot, but as soon as I squeaked, the deer jumped into the brush!  Apparently he equated that sound with danger!

As I quietly cussed my bad luck, another buck, a spike, came out of the trees and into my shooting lane following the same path as the fork horn.  He stopped at 20 yards, but turned right to look at something to the North and then began to graze around him on that spot.  The wind was blowing that day and gave me the cover I needed.  As  gust blew the tree I was sitting in, I pulled my bow back and settled my 20 yard pin on his chest.  I focused on the point of impact I wanted to hit on the deer.  I squeezed my release slowly and the bow went off, almost surprising me.  The arrow flew true and passed completely through the buck and stuck in the ground on the opposite side.  The buck sprang into action and sprinted North West for over 100 yards.  At first it didn't appear he was mortally wounded, but then his pace slowed and his legs began to get wobbly.  He turned and I could see that his side was crimson red from the exit wound, he stumbled and was down.  In all I estimate he expired within 10 seconds!  I got down from my tree and hurried over to him before the sun set.  Although he was small, I am always pleased with a quality animal from a food perspective and this young spike will provide some excellent table fare.  I got video of the shot and it looks great, but I wish I had the presence of mind at the time to grab the video camera to film the deer running into the field and collapsing after the shot.  It really demonstrates the effectiveness of archery equipment and the hunters that choose to limit themselves in this manner.

The Quake
That night I hung the deer up, began to skin him, and cut out the muscle groups I use for steaks and ground deer meat. I was making quick work of the buck and at about 10:30 PM, I was sitting on an ice chest as I worked to remove the lower leg from one of the hind quarters.  Just then the earth moved in one big wave.  I almost fell off of the ice chest!  I sat there stunned wondering what had just happened.  My pick-up was still rocking back and forth and a near-by water tank was sloshing back and forth.  Wow, I had never been in an earth quake and this was freaky.  Turns out there had been a 5.6 earth quake in central Oklahoma and it had been felt in many of the surround states including my location.  It only lasted a second or two, but gave me new respect for those that have endured really destructive earthquakes.

It was a great hunt and the fun isn't over.  I will still be gun hunting and maybe return for some additional bow hunting as well.  Here is a brief video of my adventure.  Again, my apologies for the long delay between posts.  I intend to get back to the 2-3 posts per month again.

Opening Weekend Bowhunt for Deer 2011

Well, I wish I could tell you that I bagged a deer my opening weekend, but it just wasn't meant to be.  This was really more like a scouting trip where I also hunted a little since I have been unable to spend any time in the bush leading up to this season.  It was a beautiful weekend with lows reaching 50 degrees and the highs only in the upper 70's.

I arrived at my camping spot at about midnight so I quickly set up camp and went to bed.  As a result of my late arrival to camp, I overslept the next morning and didn't get into my stand until the sun was almost coming up.  I was disgusted with myself, but the deer showed up late also.  The first sightings were two does about 100 yards to my West.  Soon after that I saw a group of small bucks North of me about 250 yards.  They were fun to watch because they were playing around and sparring with each other.  After they departed, I headed to camp (at around 10:30 AM) and had breakfast.

I broke my SPORK!  Good thing I have duct tape!

The evening was relatively quiet until a pair of armadillos came crashing through my area.  I thought to myself, "dang, I wish I had something to shoot them with".  Just then I remembered that I had my 44 Mag pistol with me, just in case I saw any hogs.  I drew my revolver and blasted the first armadillo with a lucky shot.  It was only then that I remembered I didn't have any ear protection!  My ears rang the rest of the night.

I headed back to camp and enjoyed a nice dinner and good book under the stars.  The conditions were perfect for camping.  Cool nights with absolutely zero wind.  You could hear a pin drop and the local wildlife was very vocal.  I heard coyotes and owls calling what seemed like all night.

The next morning I was in my stand well before shooting light, but it proved to be an uneventful morning.  I only spotted a couple of does and by 11:00 AM I was breaking camp.  As I was leaving though, I wandered into an area that I hadn't had time to scout and stumbled upon a couple bucks.  They were concealed in the brush and were unaware I saw them.  I could make out a small buck in the lead, but a better buck was behind him.  They got nervous and evaporated back into the wilderness like a mist...then they were gone.  Now I know they are hanging out and I can begin to look for an opportunity to intercept them, but it will have to be next time.

Bow Practice At The Gun Range

I don't like living in the suburbs.   I would rather live in a rural area that allows me to have plenty room to shoot my bow, but that isn't the reality that I currently live in.  I have to drive to an archery range to shoot longer distances than I can find in my backyard.  Besides, my neighbors think I am crazy and a menace for shooting a weapon behind my own house.

I could have gone to my local archery shop and shot a 20 yard range, but it was a beautiful day and it is was the weekend before deer archery season, so I elected to go my local gun range that also has a very primitive archery range.  The range was over run with enthusiastic pistol and rifle shooters, but I was the only archer on the premisses.  I was elated because I can choose my own distances and pull arrows from the targets whenever the heck I want to.  I shot broadheads at the foam targets, field tips at the field targets and even used an elevated platform to practice tree stand shots.  I shot distances from 15 to 50 yards and had a blast.  Here is a short video of my shooting session.  You will notice the noise from the pistol and rifle ranges that were directly behind me (they were shooting in the opposite direction).  I shot until my arm felt like it was about to fall off and then I shot a little more.  I can't wait for October and deer season to get here!  My next post should be covering my first deer hunt of the year!  Good luck to everyone for your upcoming hunting seasons, be safe!

Planning Ahead, 2011 is "Year Of The ELK!

I recently had a birthday and I am getting really close to the ages that begin with 4 (I can't even begin to say the word 40's let alone describe myself as being in that demographic).  It is times like these that I become a bit more reflective and think back about what I have done and what I still want to achieve.  Growing up I read about the great adventures of Fred Bear as he went to Alaska, Canada, and Africa to hunt big game and I consumed a steady diet of hunting magazines and other hunting books that told tales of pursuing North Americas big game.  I just knew that I too would be chasing deer, elk, moose, caribou, and bears as soon as I finished school.  Well, life has a way of changing those plans with getting married, having children, going back to grad school, and a job that doesn't locate you near the mountain states or Alaska.  I have been successful at hunting whitetail deer, wing shooting, freshwater fishing, and I learned how to saltwater fish from a kayak, but I still long for wild places chasing really big game.  I made a resolution last year (about this time of year) that I would take each of the major North American big game species with a bow before I am too old to hunt.  I am excluding the varieties of big horn sheep and mountain goats because these animals require serious money to pursue.  So my plan is to take an Elk, Caribou, Pronghorn Antelope, Mule Deer, and Moose.  This is my bucket list.

I have done some initial research and decided that I begin this journey by pursuing Elk.  So why did I make that choice you ask.  Well there are reasons.  First, to go on a good Mule Deer hunt, you need to draw a tag in a high quality area of one of the mountain states.  This requires preference points and that takes multiple years of drawing.  So cross Mule Deer off the list for this year, but put in for preference points, check.   Caribou hunting is a major expense as you have to go all the way to Canada.  I will likely make this one my second to last animal to take off the list due to the expense and time required, so cross Caribou off the list and start saving, check.  Moose is in the really expensive category as well, but there are also tags that can be drawn in some closer states.  I will begin to put in for those as well once I research them more thoroughly, but this will probably be the last animal on my list, so cross moose off the list for this year.  Now pronghorn was a tough decision.  I can afford this hunt, the season is at the right time of year, and the success rates for hunting over water holes is really good.  All the stars are aligned, but it came down to this.  I really want a true wilderness hunt in the mountains chasing Elk.  Cross off Antelope this time, because it is the YEAR OF THE ELK!

With the species selected. now I need to choose a state.  I looked at New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona, Wyoming, and Idaho.  Not all the states had archery season dates that would fit my small window of opportunity due to work restrictions, distance is a consideration as I will be driving, and then there is the issue of drawing tags.  After reviewing all the information, I chose Colorado because it has the largest herd, I can buy and over the counter (OTC) tag and it is relatively close to where I live compared to the other states.  More to come on the actual area I have chosen to hunt.

Next decision is guide, no guide, or drop camp.  I have never hunted with a guide before so I don't know what it would really be like, but have always been a solo bowhunter and prefer being in the woods by myself.  I would like some assistance with packing deep into the woods and some help getting an elk out, so I have decided that a drop camp is the ticket for me.

My chances will be slim (probably about a 10-15% chance of success) and the conditions will be tough.  I am being packed into a wilderness area where vehicles and ATVs are not allowed.  I will be at significantly higher elevations so I will be out of breath and tired much quicker than I normally would.  I will need to be in the best shape of my life and then I might be almost ready for the challenge that lies ahead of me.

So, some, but not all of my future posts will be about my preparation for this trip.  Just off hand I can think of several things I need to do that I will likely write about as well, such as:

1.  Determining the optimum arrow weight and broad head selection for Elk
2.  Selecting the appropriate camping gear (back pack stove, sleeping bag, bivy shelter, etc.
3.  Selecting the food for the trip (I am leaning toward freeze dried backpack food)
4.  Testing the gear and food selections on a camping trip
5.  Researching Elk hunting strategies
6.  Learning to effectively call Elk
7.  Learning how to navigate in the mountains with a map and GPS and compass
8.  Chronicling my struggle to get into tip top shape for Elk hunting

I am sure this is not a complete list, but I am so stoked just thinking about it.  Now that the decision has been made, I must start with getting into shape.  I have been stuck behind a desk for the last two months and then there was the deep freeze of winter weather we have all been trapped in.  Yesterday was the perfect day to begin my journey to a more fit me with warm south winds blowing, it got up to 70 degrees and I had an afternoon hall pass.  I planned to go mountain biking, but after checking the web site for the trails I learned that they were closed due to muddy trails.  I opted for hiking instead.

North Shore Trail Link

My hiking trail of choice for a quick trip is Lake Grapevine on the North shore.  I took the west loop trail because it is has more rough terrain, rocks, and hills.  It isn't elk country, but it the closest I can muster up in North Central Texas.  I took the camera to take some pics of the more challenging rocks that mountain bikers make it over.

I am not an expert mountain biker and have to walk up some of these, but I can make it down most all of them.  It is a great work out and a lot of fun.


Although this is just outside many people's back yards, there are signs of wildlife.

So after I made two miles into the trail, I decided I should turn back.  After I had traveled the third mile, my knee began to hurt as I traveled down some of the more steep hills.  Later this soreness became real pain.  I had to just grunt through the last mile until I made it back to my truck.  I had bitten off more than I could chew by taking a four mile hike from a state of being completely out of shape.  This is a wake-up call.  Now I need to heal up and then get in shape.  As I write this post tonight, I have gone from limping around the house yesterday, to walking like frankenstein this morning, to looking more like a rapper with a limp in his gait.  I think by tomorrow I will be fine, but I will be more careful next time.  Now I will work up the miles more slowly so I don't repeat this event.  It really sucks getting old.

The Blue Jay Deer (Video and Blog Post)

I am working 24/7.  So, with no time for an outdoor adventure now, I am forced to work on unfinished outdoor projects from 2010 at night.  I have pulled together a video from one of my two successful 2010 bowhunting trips.

It was early November and the temperatures were cold, but pleasant.  I was one of those still and quiet days when you can hear the smallest sounds from far away.  Song birds were singing and the turkeys are gobbling.  The deer were on the move just as the sun came up, but all of them were small bucks.  This didn't deter me, I had decided that I was not going to be picky this year.  I was hunting for meat.  My stockpiles of venison were  dangerously low and this was not the time to trophy hunt.

A small buck headed my way and I readied my bow.  He was headed on a collision course for my tree and would either need to walk in front of me or behind me.  My tree is a very large Pecan tree with wide broad limbs that sweep low toward the ground, to low for the deer to comfortably walk through.  He be forced to take one of the trails leading around me.  When he arrives at the point where he must choose his direction, he chose wisely and elected to use the trail behind me.  Traveling at a fast walk searching for a doe, his nose just off the ground with a desperate look in his eye.  There was no time to react.  I could only watch him go by out of the corner of my eye.  "There goes your one opportunity for this morning" I thought to myself.  Usually only one shot opportunity presents itself for a given hunt, but this day would be different.  I watched him disappear into the brush and looked back from where he had approached my stand, there was another buck approaching and this one was bigger.

When the second buck came to the "fork in the road" he selected the path that would put him in my shooting lane.  This is when time slows down and every second takes an eternity.  I wait for him to lower his head as he walks, so he won't catch the movement as I draw my bow.  When he does just that and I react quickly by silently drawing back the string until the familiar feeling of the release is on my cheek.  But there is a problem, the sun is rising be hind me and, although the leaves and branches of the tree break-up my outline, the deer caught the movement and has locked his eyes on me.  Now I am stuck.  The buck stands motionless looking in my direction, waiting for me to move and give away my position.  I am holding my bow at full draw, trying to remain calm.   Suddenly, good fortune arrives in the form of a bird.  A squawking blue jay flutters into my tree and lands near my general vicinity.  As the jay squawks, the deer looks as though he is thinking to himself, "I thought I saw a predator in that tree, but maybe it is  only that bird, oh I am just being paranoid".  The jay continues to put on a tremendous show as he hops and squawks in the branches behind me.  Then the deer relaxes his gaze, looks left and right and then turns for my shot.  This is where practice pays dividends.  If you aren't ready for this situation and never practice shooting after holding your bow at full draw for an extended period of time, you will end up flubbing the shot as your muscles begin to quiver and shake.  Luckily, experience (that is another word for my past failures) has taught me to prepare for this scenario.  There is only a brief opportunity as the deer turns broadside and begins a slow walk.  Up until now, I have not had a shot opportunity because the deer was at a sharp angle quartering toward me. Now I have a perfect broadside shot, but it will only be available for a few seconds and then he will be gone.  I look through the peep, the distance is 23 yards so hold the top sight pin just a little high.  I loosen the grip of my left so that I don't torque the bow.  The grip is now firmly pulling against the palm of my bow hand between my thumb and index finger.  I focus on the target, a small patch of hair behind the front shoulder of the deer.  I begin to squeeze the release with my trigger finger and at the instant the arrow is released, it is a surprise to me.  I can see the arrow sailing toward the deer and his instinctive reaction to lower his body as he prepares to spring away from danger, but the arrow is to quick.  It strikes him with a THWACK, and he leaps.  Turning into the thick brush of a plumb bush I hear him running and crashing.  He continues into thicker brush and then, silence.  I wait as I normally do before following the trail, replaying the shot in my head.  Trying to remember where the deer was hit and telling myself it was a good hit.  While I am waiting, a nice eight point steps out of the brush and stops about 15 yards from my tree.  Now I do have two buck tags, but I do believe I am getting old when I pass on a buck because I don't want to clean and butcher two at the same time.  Before I can change my mind he leaves and I am relieved.  I cautiously begin the tracking process and even though I think I know where he is, I always begin tracking at the point of impact.  I find my arrow and some hair and then spots of blood.  I ease into the stand of small trees and and find him about 20 yards in.

It is a unique blend of feelings when you kill a deer.  I am elated at taking a deer with a bow.  I feel a sense of accomplishment from the practice and preparation required, I relish the thought of the great meals this deer will provide, and I feel a large sense of responsibility to ensure I honor this beautiful creature by fully utilizing it.  I quickly begin the work of field dressing and dragging it out of the woods.  By Noon it is quartered and in my cooler for the trip back home where the final butchering will take place.  On the drive home I replay the events of the day in my head.  Not just the deer I had taken, but the birds, the turkeys, the coyote I had seen and the other deer.  I count myself lucky to be able to experience the outdoors and play a part in it as well.