TURKEYS
This spring was a first for me, because I got to go turkey hunting with good friends at Wayne's in Washington state. Out of six of us, only one got a turkey, but we had some great adventures. And we did see lots of birds. Below is Robert's nice gobbler. For more adventures with all kinds of turkeys, zero in on my "Washington Turkeys" page.
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EARLY DEER
Archery season for deer opened here on September 1, and I had been watching a number of nice bucks closely all summer. On the first morning, I set up in the dark where I just knew a big 5x5 would pass at precisely 6:18 AM. Then I looked for him again that evening, then the next morning. No big buck, nor even any small ones! So the second evening, I changed locations.
This new spot was in an ideal funnel. Deer came from a thick bedding area to the adjacent hay fields for some good nocturnal eating. The fields lay along a river and there has been some diking to control flooding. So the natural path lies between the dike and the river itself.
I set up on top of the dike, well hidden by lots of tall weeds. A sleek 3x4 stepped out of the bush about 150 yards away and milled around for half an hour or so, nibbling at various bushes and getting a drink from the river. Then he strolled casually toward my ambush site and finally stopped broadside 20 yards away. I was able to draw undetected when he put his head down to eat. He travelled only a very short distance after the shot and I saw him go down. Not one of the big guys I had hoped to find, but he has lots of steaks on him. His antlers, because of the early season, are still in velvet.
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MOOSE
Great moose trip in mid October! Went something like this:
We all (5 of us) headed to our planned starting points before daylight the first morning. I had barely begun sneaking along my first meadow when I spotted a big cow; only bulls were open. She was the only moose I saw that morning. We all rendezvoused at camp for lunch and everyone had seen game. Bob had seen 8, including 2 bulls that he could not get shots at. So I teamed up with him for the afternoon hunt and we worked the same general area he had previously been in. I had checked one nice looking meadow without results and was hiking to another when a bull showed up unexpectedly. He was trotting away with his great big antlers swaying from side to side, so I gave a quick whistle. He stopped and turned sideways very cooperatively, giving me enough time to get a bead on him. He dropped on the spot from a 140 yard shot.
The 2nd and 3rd days were unproductive, with the moose sitting tight through a snow storm. But the 5 inches of fresh snow began to show their locations when they started moving again on day 4. Wayne cut a big, fresh track and followed a dandy bull right to his bed. I was scouting nearby and arrived on the scene just in time to gut the darn thing. Days later, the 4 skinned quarters weighed 580 lb on the butcher's scale.
Rob was on only his first moose hunt, so I accompanied him the next morning, hoping to help him find a bull. And we did just that, coming across a cow and young bull together. He made about a 175 yard shot on the bull, which had a paddle on one side and 3 spike-like points on the other. This was probably one of the bulls Bob had seen the first day. I had the pleasure of gutting this one out too, although I let Rob flail away until he turned green.
Yes, it was a great trip!
Myself
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Wayne
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Rob
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LATE DEER
Rifle season ran until November 25 and my youngest son and I started looking for a buck for him about when the rut kicked in, November 10 or so. He managed to get himself a nice 2-point in the final week, using a Husqvarna .270. From about 100 yards he nicked the top of the heart and the deer fell on the spot.
