Just thought that I would post my background and tell a story. I signed up for an account a couple of years ago (before there was a hunting board) but I haven't been around here much. My current passion is hunting blacktail in the northern oregon coast range. I love the challenges and the rewards that come with hunting the Pacific NW jungle. I'm not real successful, but I enjoy every moment of my time out there. You'll also finding me roaming Northern Oregon coastal rivers chasing winter steelhead, or on the Columbia River around Longview during the springer and fall salmon runs.
Now for the story. I managed to take a nice 3x3 blacktail last year on timber land open to the public in the Scappoose Unit. There was an extended cold spell during the last week of October 2003. It was getting down into the mid to low teens at night for almost a week. On Saturday night on Nov. 1 a warm front moved in that raised the temperature somewhat, but also brought some moisture with it. On Sunday morning I was set up watching a tree line of reprod when it started to snow. I was phyched! I never get to hunt in the snow on the Oregon Coast Range. By 8:30 there was about 2 inches on the ground so I decided to start moving around and try to cut a track.
As I moved parallel to the tree line a small alder stand came into view that was hidden by the slope of the land. I thought to myself that it looked very promising so I started working my way in that direction. Well, I'm not as graceful as I look so wouldn't you know it I break a small twig when I'm still about 30 yards from this alder stand. From inside the alder stand I hear the sound that you hate to hear - deer escaping in a panic. Well, I told myself that I would at least check out the alder stand and locate a good place to make a stand later in the day.
I got about 10 yards into this stand of trees when I hear thrashing about 30 or 40 yards away. The source of the sound is screened by waste high ferns and vine maple. I froze and got my gun to my shoulder pointed and the ground in front of me. As I was standing there frozen (my mind going a thousand miles a minute and my heart beat racing) the thrashing started moving toward me! The buck was grunting and thrashing on the ferns and trees as he moved in to investigate.
If you think that you've never heard a blacktail grunt, all you have to do is hear one to know that you've been hearing it all your life but just not registering it. Its a very low and subtle sound, but I recogized it from my time in the field.
So there I am, frozen with my gun at the ready (pointed in a safe location). The buck started moving out from behind a tall fern - only 12 yards away! I'm standing in the wide open and he's moving diagnally toward me. His lips are curled back - scenting for the intruder. I moved slightly to bring my sights to the intersection of neck and shoulder (I hunt with an open sighted 243) and he caught the movement and raised his head and stared strait at me. Too late for him - I pulled the trigger and he turned on a dime as was gone from sight.
I waited for some time (not enough - but I was amped) and started tracking. No blood! His tracks where plainly visible in the wet loamy dirt because he was running pretty hard, so I started tracking. I followed his tracks for about 20 yards before I started seeing blood. He ended up running for about 40 yards from where he was shot.
This is a picture of my daughter Ella "admiring" my buck. He's a nice 3x3 with good mass and about 1 ince eye guards. Ella was very impressed.
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MountainLion84
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