Well all, this is my 3rd year hunting, and my 3rd unsuccessful year going for deer.

It was really weird, each year since I started hunting my stepfather and I have taken off the last week of season and spent the whole time hunting (he is the only friend I have that hunts). Last year was bone dry, but cold. This year started out dryer than it has been in at least 15 years, but hot. We were getting temps in the upper 70's up there probably, and at night it was warm enough I could sit around with just a quilted flannel for extra warmth, and had to leave my sleeping bags unzipped halfway.

To give you something to gauge it by, last year we could get up in the morning, open a bottle of water and watch it freeze solid, and had to thaw our canned juice on a campstove (sip sip thaw, repeat).

Well, went up early sat. morning, stayed till tues. midday when i returned home for work. While here I see that down here in the valley it might rain on friday (it did sprinkle today by the way). I went back up yesterday (thursday) and we went out in the afternoon. well, it had snowed briefly around noon and although it was melted off right away it must have been enought og et the bucks out.

Just at last light I saw movement and motioned to Jerry ( my stepfather), he had heard it though and froze. We were along a trail at a point where it curved, using it to move quitly along where we had seen mucho sign, and some does. (5 crossed this trail and headed up the hill next to it sun. night). I held for a second, not sure which way I saw the deer go, and then stepped of the trail, to the inside of the curve, and started stalking in the direction. Jerry stayed in place as I was after deer and he just had bear tag. after stalking slow and quiet and circling back through the area I had seen it and onto the trail again I walked back north along the trail meeting with jerry. We stood for a second just deciding what to do when we heard a weird huffing/whooshing sound.

We knew it was an animal, but weren't sure what at first. Jerry has been hunting for about 47 years and wasn't sure. We realized it was a deer moving, and it was moving parallel to our position, but further south, probably about 50yds from the trail in some thick trees and brush. as it was moving closer we just made like statues and waited.

it kept making the sounds, pause for a few seconds and then make 3 of these wooshes. not sure how to describe them other than blow out real hard and kind of deep and imagine that louder, I guess that is the best way to think of it.

THEN, right at the top of the hill, directly in front of me, but about 70 - 80+ yds (guessing here folks) up this hill I see two deer cross between a couple of trees and continue west (uphill towards the main logging road and beyond I am guessing to their beds). Then just behind them comes another deer. I think it was the buck pushing his does on and that the sound was him prodding them. Unfortunately although I could have probably gotten a snap shot off I couldn's see if he was legal and was using open sights. DAMN!!!

But I was excited! This was a good sign. Three days left in season and they were in the area that we had been stalking and sitting and scouting all along. He might even be the big guy that was leaving prints with the tip of toes a good 3.5 inches from the dew claws (in the dirts where we got good prints). And we knew the schedule! (I watch my watch real close).

So we went back to camp, and since it had gotten significantly colder hit the hay around 8:30pm. At 3:09 I wake up and after looking at the watch listen to the "rain" falling on the tent. Jerry is awake too and says,"you think it's rain or snow?" Well, he is in the process of educating me so some of these questions are for my learning purpose, and this must have been one. "ah, just rain." And I went back to sleep. Well, what he told me later was that at that time of year at that area (anyone interested we were off of 5S15, a dirt road off of Beasore Rd., 21miles north of bass lake, California. 7700ft elevation) it never rains.

about 5am, Jerry gets up to piss and I hear him say,"well, we've got some snow" I got up and looked out and there was probably about 1.5inches already. but it had stopped. We got up about 30-40 minutes later. I got a couple of muffins I had brought with me out and some juice and it had started snowing again by that time. About 6:10 we have our deep conversation.

Jerry,"we have two options, we pack it in now or I'm going back to bed" by this time it is coming down good.

Me,"Let's back the trucks and if it lets up we can go hunt and if not we will take off." this was partially because I was driving my fiancee's chevy s-10 2wd. Jerry was in his 73' dodge powerwagon 4wd with dana front and rear etc. etc., he'd be fine and we'd get out, but I didn't want to explain why the chevy was going to be in the mountains for a while. :-)

We were packed by 7:30. By that time the snow was 6", we were water logged, and it was still coming down strong. We hit the road, and it snowed for another 45minutes while we were headed down!

Got down safe and decided not to chance going back up since they have issued a severe storm warning for sierra's and probably closed the gate at the top of Chilkoot (pass on the way up).

Another fruitless year (still going back for bear later in season) but it was fun and I enjoyed it. probably annoyed jerry by how cheery i was about the whole thing. I was just excited to be in the snow storm, a first for me.

Happy hunting to everbody else.

Red

Thats to bad here in Wis deer are almost like varmits now. I shot 4 so far with a bow and gun we are in a doe only hunt now had two free tags. But you can buy all you want for 12 dollars each. Regular gun season starts the 22nd. I have been avg. 5 deer a year for some time now. In 20 min out I go again with my boy and freind to shoot some more. T

Red, What zone were you in?
I hunted X10 this. Also no luck. Forestry Dept was conducting controlled burns there during deer season this year.
Bill

p dog,

Wow! if it weren't so far I would have to plan an out of state hunt. :-)

Bill,

D7. Isn't X10 a draw zone? I thought that they usually had better hunting. I actually wish they would come in and do some controlled burns in our area, or come in with some big machinery and clear out all the buck brush. After they logged the area then the cannopy isn't there to keep the stuff from groing and it is way out of hand.

there are plenty of deer up there, they are just too wiley and with it being so dry it is impossible to sneak up on them.

Red

Dago Red After I went out this morning shot two more of the balded headed critters. One at 125 yards the other at 143 yards one after the other in about 20 seconds. I jumped them up they took off I went around towards where they ran I saw the first one put him down then the other one was standing just past the first one shot that one also. Both off hand I was out about 40 min.--------------------------- I was really surpize that I even killed them considering I shot both of them with a 308 and 168 match bullets. I was using nosler J4's at 2600 they shoot out of my 788 well under .5. They made a little hole going in and about a 2 in exit hole both front shoulder shots breaking both front shoulders. The frist one dropped in it's tracks the second went way to far a whole 5 feet or may it just flopped that far at the shot.------------------------------------------ Dam I thought those match bullets just wouldn't kill anything you know they are just for punching paper.

Its all about the thrill of the chase for me too. When I do manage to score, its just a big beautifull bonus. Keep at it Dago Red, youll get 'um.

Keep in there. My first 7 or 8 seasons were fruitless except for the thrill of the hunt and
just being out there. I finaly got a doe one year
and after that it seemed I really started seeing
them,I have gotten several since then but I also
have been known to unload an hour before dark so
I could just sit and watch. Good luck on your next hunt.

Dago-
Don't give up buddy. I grew up in Clovis, and D7 was my hunting ground. I've hunted a good majority of it, and there isn't one bit of it that makes for easy hunting. The snow that just showed up is your best opportunity to snag a buck. Find a travel corridor, and wait for 'em. The snow ALWAYS drives the deer down. If you can stay warm and wait 'em out, you'll get your deer. I came out and hunted D7s opening weekend this year. It was pretty hot, and the bucks weren't where I found 'em last year. If I was still out in CA, I'd take you up and see if we couldn't find us a shooter.

Good luck next time. - Gib

PS, did you hunt bow season too?