I leave for Alaska in 12 hours, flying out of Buffalo, NY at 0809 hours, arriving in Ketchikan, Alaska at 1600 hours in the afternoon. I'll be bowhunting for Sitka Blacktail deer with Johnny Laird (aka "Muskeg" on the forum).
It promises to be a fun time, and since Johnny has WiFi set-up at his cabin, I'm taking my laptop along. I'll post daily threads, and hopefully it will read in a similar fashion to Matt's recent bowhunt.....hopefully with a similar conclusion!!!
Since we'll need to take a ferry to get to Johnny's cabin, and I don't arrive in Ketchikan until late tomorrow afternoon, we won't actually start bowhunting until Wednesday. Stay tuned....Johnny tells me that the bucks are just now starting to respond to calling. We should be in for a great time.
Jake
Bryan
I thought that I might miss my flight this morning....I woke up to about 6-8 inches of lake effect snow, and the roads had not been plowed. However, once I got down to lower elevations, there was virtually no accumulation, and I was able to get to the Buffalo airport with time to spare.
I'm wearing a beige shirt with camoflage shoulder patches on it. A woman with a HSUS handbag is in front of me, and I go to open a door for her. At first, she acts like she appreciates the gesture, then she sees the camo on my shirt, and her entire body language changed....for the worse.
She turns around and says "You don't have to open the door for me because I am a lady!!" I smiled, looked her right in the eye, and said "I didn't open the door because you are a lady, because I don't know that you are. I opened the door because I am a gentleman."
Priceless.........I laughed to myself the rest of the way down the concourse.
Hey Johnny (aka Muskeg)...if you are checking the forum and you see this thread....post the photo of Jason's buck. I realize that it is a gun kill, but I think that most of the forum would appreciate the picture of that buck....especially the color of his antlers - I just wish that they could figure out a way to keep that color.....
ROTFLMAO :):) thats funny !! Good luck Jake !!
There is a convention in Ketchikan and all rooms as well as B&B's are booked full.
I guess I'll have to put up with him hear at the house tonight ... LOL
We will take the IFA Ferry over to Hollis tomorrow afternoon. That will give us a little time tomorrow to do some sightseeing and pick up a few necessities that we don't have that Jake might need.
We will start hunting on Wednesday ... and we will just take it as it goes and see how the 'rut' is going.
Short days are upon is with some light about 8am and it's twilight dark by 3:30pm ...
Stay tuned ....
It will B&C around 115 + or - ...
Jason took it from the 50 / 60 yard range and we might have been able to close the gap a little.
I'm looking forward to meeting Jake and being able to hunt with him.
Another hunt worth taking. i will enjoy reading your posts
Nancy
But Jake's plane made it in. Actually there was a last minute cancellation downtown at the Gilmore and I was able to get Jake a room.
I just got back from a nice meal downstairs at Annabell's with Jake and made plans to hook up in the late morning.
He has been up since 04:00 east time which is 24:00 AK time and it is now just past 19:00 .... a long day.
What was most interesting, is that one of the hunters (Mark Auge) was telling me that these deer are EXTREMELY curious. He bought a mouth call, and was able to call does within 5 yards....in the open!! Since the bucks are following the does, he said that once he learned to be patient, he started to have some opportunities.
There is a taxidermist in Ketchikan by the name of Randy Jahuke. I am hoping to go visit him before we leave for the ferry. I guess that I can even buy one of those mouth calls from him, as well.
This is definitely going to be a fun hunt! I'm glad that I have some good raingear! Since my sheep and goat bowhunts of earlier this year, my joints have become almost like a human barometer....especially before a front arrives, but high moisture settings also remind me to take some ibuprofen (and sometimes, tylenol).
The bucks that the gun hunters killed also had that bright orangish color on their racks. That is why I am hoping to talk to Randy Jahuke. I'd really like to preserve that color, if at all possible....not too mention buying one of those mouth calls.
Apparently, these little buggers can take a good deal of punishment, too. Mark's gunhunting friend hit one behind the shoulder with a .30-06 and it walked away. They thought that he had missed clean.....but found they found A drop of blood. 200 yards later, they found the buck dead....I don't know what type of bullet was used, but it never exited the deer....and if it hit a bone, you'd think that it would've dropped the buck, or left a better blood trail.....but without more details, it actually hard to say.
This promises to be a FUN hunt!!
Johnny Laird just called. He is on his way into town to pick me up. Gotta buy for groceries and then head for the ferry. The ferry ride is going to be a doozy....18 foot seas. It'll probably take us about 3 hours to make over to Hollis. Wasn't able to get to the taxidermist....but maybe I can upon my return from hunting. Johnny said that he has a call that I can borrow....so that won't be an issue either.
It is with great trepidation that I must confess that I left the horseshoe at home. I couldn't bear the thought of the TSA confiscating a SECOND one!!
I just got all of the paperwork done (I am at Johnnie Laird's right now-that's why it reads Muskeg instead of medicinemann). We've gotten all of the supplies that we should need, and we'll be leaving for the ferry within the hour.
I'm taking my laptop with me, and the hunt starts tomorrow. So one of my next reports will hopefully be at the END of a day's hunt. Johnnie showed me a few buck racks that he has laying around his house. Some of the bucks DO retain that really pretty orangish color....and if I am lucky enough to put a tag on one like some that he has laying around here, I'll definitely be a happy camper.
I am completely unpacked, Dana is cooking some food as I type this, and I am about to make up my arrows. It's raining like mad right now....and snow is on the horizon sometime in the next couple days. I'd like some of the white stuff, but if this rain turns to snow we'll have 2-3 feet instead of the 2-3 inches that I would prefer.....
Johnny has three buck mounts at camp that have me pretty fired up. The smallest one is a 108 7/8 typical with orange antlers, and it looks really nice. The second one is a heavier antlered stud of a buck. His antlers aren't quite as orange, but he scored about 118", and he looks spectacular. Heavy horned, and Johnny said that he weighed 200 pounds on the hoof.
The third and final buck is a 129" non-typical. The right antler sports a 6-7 inch brow tine, and I am not sure if it has two main beams with 2 points and 3 points respectively (plus the eye guard), or if it would be considered one main beam with 5 tines and the eye guard.
If the left antler was as big as the right side, I'll bet that this buck would score about 150"....as the left side is definitely the smaller of the two.
Regardless, tomorrow can't get here soon enough.....
Good Luck Jake shoot straight and have a safe hunt.
Shawn
can't wait for the pics-
michael
It's just starting to lighten up around here. I'm having a cup of coffee, and I'll probably shoot a few arrows within the next half hour. We'll probably leave camp within an hour or so.
I bowhunted for brown bear on Admiralty Island once, and this place is quite similar in appearance to the ABC Islands for vegetation. It looks like something out of a Lord of the Rings setting. I'm looking for elves behind the trees!!
After spending most of the late summer and early Fall in a tent, on the sides of a mountain; I must confess that sleeping in a cabin, on a mattress, with electricity, running water, and a camp cook is a welcome change of pace. A person could get use to this!!
I'll check in at the end of the day. A huntin' we will go!!
We saw quite a few rubs in several areas that we visited today. The trees that are rubbed have a VERY deep orange color. It is very easy to understand why the antlers of the bucks possess the orange color that I had mentioned previously.
The biggest disappointment of the hunt, is that it gets dark so early. We get out into the prime area around 0800 hours and by 1530 hours you had better be headed back to your vehicle. The woods are so vast, damp, and wet, that following a blood trail could be a really challenging task. Hopefully, a really good first shot will result in a short tracking job.....where the blood trail won't be extremely important to have.
I am really surprised by the size of the Sitka Blacktail deer. They are significantly larger than I had orginally expected. I was anticipating that they would be roughly the size of a Coues deer. The first doe that we called in, was probably within 10 yards of me, and she was easily a 130 pound doe!! The buck was probably about the same size, and he was only a 1 1/2 year old. I'll bet that really mature buck will push the 200 pound threshhold.Let's hope that before this hunt concludes, I'll be able to speak from experience about just EXACTLY how much a large buck really does weigh.
We saw one small forkhorn standing in the middle of the road this morning. A great way to start the day!! We found quite a few tracks that were pretty fresh, and a couple of them were does that were obviously in heat. Between the bloody urine and the tracks of bucks that were trying to catch up to the estrus does, it isn't difficult to tell that the rut is revving up.
About mid day, Johnnie and I were climbing to a muskeg on the top of a hill where Johnnie has seen good buck activity before. We were side hilling the slope and in about 4-6 inches of snow. I caught movement above us and to the left. It was obviously a deer, but I didn't see it long enough to discern whether it was a buck or doe.
We headed in that direction, and there were tracks everywhere!! We were pretty fired up. One of the sets of tracks belonged to a good sized buck, but we never did see any of them again. We covered a reasonable amount of ground before heading back to the vehicle.
As we are returning to Johnnie's SUV, we took a shortcut through a timber clearcut. It really wasn't a particularly treacherous descent, but as I was heading downhill, I stepped into a "hole". My left foot wasn't hurt, but I'll be damned if I could get my foot free. I'll bet it took me several minutes to extricate myself. Johnnie used to be a logger, and he told me that those types of footholds can be pretty nasty sometimes.
We got back to the vehicle around 1500 hours and we still had time for a couple stops on the way back to camp. The first one was unproductive, but the second stop was exciting. We were about 500 yards from the vehicle, on the edge of a large muskeg, and Johnnie was calling.
Since we had dropped in elevation, we were now below the snow line, so I had exchanged my snowcamo for my leafy wear. I'm about 3 yards from Johnnie, and shortly after he lets out with a call, we suddenly hear a snort and a lot of motion about 25-30 yards away. I'm sure it is a buck, and it is closing fast. That sucker closes to 20 yards, and I am ready to drill it when it finally reaches a clearing.... false alarm. Just a fired-up doe. We had one or two more deer come to the call before it was too dark to continue hunting. We even had a doe in the road ( our escort home, no doubt), that stayed on the road ahead of us for several hundred yards.
Tomorrow is another day.......
Not many guys rattle on POW island. We were kinda wondered if it might work..........but it might be a wee bit late. Some guys also grunt....others claim that the grunt will spook a buck on the island.
I don't know how much hunting we'll get in today. The deer will be on high alert, and the broken limbs on the big trees overhead aren't called widowmakers for nothing.....
We saw some fairly fresh rubs, some fairly fresh tracks, and as many hunters as we saw deer.....One each (The deer was a doe). Right now, I would have to say that we have been having more action in the lower muskeg areas than up in the higher mountain settings....
Besides, Johnnie is about a foot shorter than me....when we are moving through the forest, he constantly ducks under limbs, deadfalls, etc....then I try to follow his trail, and invariably my backpack gets hungup. Going into the open muskeg will allow me to walk upright, rather than doing my poor imitation of Quasi Moto.....LOL.
Tomorrow is another day.
Sorry no pics today ... it just wasn't a pic type day ... the Deer were hold up tight. And the storm continues into the evening ... it would have been a tough day no mater which way you went .... so we decided to just hike straight up from the Cabin.
I'll get Jake back up on the mountain before it's over.
Jake is doing the verbiage and I'm the camera man ... now the Cabin has joined the 21st century and has WIFI I am out hear at my desk on a laptop and Jake is in the back room on his lap top .... that could be scary !!!!!
LOL! Good luck boys! Hope the weather turns for the better.
We headed for a small area that Johnnie thought might be worth checking since it is just a few minutes off of the road. As we were heading into the area, we probably weren't 50 yards from where Johnnie wanted to start calling when we both saw movement downhill and to our left. It was a buck, but a very small forkhorn. We called for a few minutes, and after no further activity, we headed on to our next spot.
Upon arriving at the next spot, I slipped as I was crossing a small stream. I could feel something on my wrist snap, but there was no pain, and since my boot was filling up with water, that was a higher priority. I finally made to the other side of this stream (all of five feet across), and that is when I discovered that during the fall, I had broken the "trigger" off of my BACKUP release. There was a little, tiny, stub of the trigger remaining, and sometimes I could get the release to work, and sometimes I could not. I figured when I was at full draw, the trigger would probably be more difficult to activate, so we headed back to the vehicle.
We went back to the cabin, and while I was trying to figure out a way to cannibalize the two releases, and make one functional release, Johnnie found one that he had at the cabin. It was completely different from the type that I am using, but I am sure that it would work. About that time, I found that I had packed THREE releases, not only two. I grabbed my release, Johnnie took his along too....and here we go....back on the hunt.
On our way back to the area that we were going to hunt, Johnnie stopped at a quarry (of sorts) to drop off some bones and scraps of deer killed earlier in the season. We're talking a couple leg bones, probably some shoulders blades, etc.....probably 10-15 pounds of meat and bones. Within a couple minutes, we're back at the stream where I displayed my stunning coordination and impeccable balance. You can bet your butt that I pampered that third release for the rest of the day.
While we saw some fresh sign, and some impressive rubs, we encountered no deer in this area. As we are leaving, we drive by the quarry, and ALL of the meat and bones are GONE. Nada, zero, zip. Johnnie stopped the truck and we both walked over to see if it was a bear or wolves that made off with all of the bones and meat. Our conclusion?...neither....as far as we could tell, we're guessing eagles. We found a couple talon tracks and nothing more. That meat wasn't there two hours!! They found it and removed all of it in less than two hours.....nothing goes to waste, that's for sure!!
We headed to another spot that Johnnie wanted to check out. The majority of it was lower muskegs, but there a little bit of tall timber thrown in here and there. We called at a couple muskegs with no action, and arrived at yet another muskeg. There were some pretty impressive rubs in this muskeg. Some trees with 4"-6" diameters had been tore-up rather well. I found an ideal spot for me to kneel in a natural ground blind about 15-20 yards off to Johnnie's left. I knelt down, wearing my leafy camo, and Johnnie started to call. Within 2-3 minutes I can see brown movement slinking through the muskeg headed in Johnnie's direction. It is going pass close by me to get to him.
Unfortunately, it is a doe. I could have taken her any one of about 6 times, all at distances of less than 15 yards. She finally made me in the brush, but she stayed within bowrange for another 5 minutes, before filtering off into the forest. It was exciting, even if it was a doe.
We eventually moved through some forest into another great looking muskeg. After several minutes of calling with no results, we headed into a muskeg that essentially was an extension of the one that we had just hunted. Within a couple minutes we spot a deer in the brush to our right. It is close...less than 20 yards. After a couple minutes, we can tell that it is a doe. I remain motionless as she heads off to my left, just in case she is being tailed by a buck. No such luck.
We tried a few more calls at one last muskeg as we worked our way back to the vehicle, but we didn't see or hear anything. Johnnie thinks that we are going to have a pretty good frost tonight, and he thinks that tomorrow could be our best day yet.
Time will tell.....
I packed light assuming that we would be in the muskegs today. Instead, we headed to some higher elevations....on the way up we bumped a doe or two, but nothing too exciting.
We weren't too far from the lower mountain muskegs that Johnnie wanted to check when we both saw movement about 100 yards above us, moving from left to right. We quietly made our way up to that area. We dropped our packs, and Johnnie started to call. Within one or two minutes, I caught a flash of brown across a small ravine in front of me. It is definitely a deer, and it is CBDR (constant bearing, decreasing range). Since I am between the deer and Johnnie, that sucker is coming directly at me.
As it starts to drop into the ravine, I can see that it has antlers, and it is already within 30 yards....and moving rather quickly. When it goes behind a large cedar tree, I go to full draw. When it came around the tree, I could see that it was just a little buck. The antlers were just starting to bifurcate (branch, split, whatever you want to call it).
That buck walked to 11 yards, and just stood there looking at me, then looking past me, towards Johnnie. After a couple minutes, it turns left and heads downhill, only to then turn right....putting him broadside to me at 8-9 yards. I went to full draw again, just for practice....but it's a good thing he didn't stick out his tongue, or I might have had to convince Johnnie that we really needed more camp meat.
The small buck eventually headed downhill, and we continued our way to the top. There was a considerable amount of white up on top. The problem is that it was all ice crystals, and not snow. We quickly realized that a deer would hear us walking from several hundred yards away. Therefore, we headed to a slightly lower elevation and started to work a big loop back towards the trail that we had climbed to get where we had started.
Over the next couple hours, we called in at least two or three more deer....all within easy bowrange.... probably 10-20 yards. Unfortunately, they were all does - so far....we just need to be patient. It's pretty cool to see how this call affects the deer.
By the end of the day, we had probably seen seven or eight deer, and we called several of them inside of twenty yards. Upon arriving back at camp, we learned that Dana (camp cook) had killed a nice 3X5 buck at around 0745-0800 hours in the morning with his rifle.
It's antlers are a real dark orange color. When I saw the antlers for the first time, I remember thinking to myself, maybe the antlers aren't a P&Y rack, but I'd take that buck in a heartbeat. It's a nice, mature buck. Just what I am looking for.....
Dana is a little on the heavy side these days, and he said that the best way for me to improve my luck is to rub his belly....just like buddha!! If that's what it takes, that's what it takes.
Tomorrow is another day....
There won't be a hunting update foe this thread today. As we coming down off of the mountain yesterday, I took a small pine branch to the eye. It smarted pretty good for a while, but then I was able to finish the day will no ill effects....or so I thought.
When I woke up this morning, I couldn't even keep the eye open. It doesn't feel like there is anything in the eye, but it is tearing constantly, and seems to be very light sensitive. I put drop or two of clear eyes in it....but it didn't seem to help.
It figues....we got a couple inches of fresh, quiet snow....would've been awesome tracking snow.
Maybe tomorrow....if the eye is better.
As someone with an eye disease I feel your pain, I bet you scratched your cornea, the only thing that can fix that is rest and a medicine I think is called Tobrex,as a former pharmacist you probaly already knew that.
Hope the eye gets better
Yep,you scratched your cornea,providing the abrasion doesn't have any flaps they will heal in 24 hours....
My cell # 662-229-5065 if you get in a bind....
I'm driving all night to KS so may be in/out of cell coverage
I'm enjoying sharing your hunt here in my wireless deer camp while thrashing around out on the Great Plains in 75 degree weather.
Good luck and hang in there!
Thanks for the confirmation and the cell number....just in case. I appreciate it.
Jaquomo_feral (aka Lou),
It cracks me up that I am checking YOUR thread when I get in from hunting, and you're checking mine!! LMAO!!
By 1000 hours, I had resigned myself to the fact that today was going to be a non-hunting day, and I laid down to rest my eyes.....literally. I woke up around 1245 and my eye still throbbed, but I could see....without all of the tearing. I knew that I would have to be somewhat tentative in the woods, but hey, like the age old saying.....(do I really have to say it)?..... "It's better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick!"
Johnnie and I tried tried a couple lower muskeg areas that aren't too far from the cabin. We didn't see as much sign as in past days....but it just felt good to get outside. The snow level is starting to creep its way down the mountains. I'm hoping that it starts to drive down some of the higher altitude big bucks whose tracks we have seen when hunting up high.
We have an inch or two on the ground, even down low. If it doesn't get too cold (where the snow feezes and becomes crunchy), tomorrow might be a very good day. Not only will we be able to evaluate areas based on the amount of sign (i.e. fresh tracks), but we'll easily be able to see any deer coming into the call with the snow silouetting them.
Tomorrow is another day......
There is about 2-3 inches of snow on the ground, and it is a little bit crunchy, but as the sun rises in the sky, it'll soften the snow and things will quiet down. It has all of the makings of a great day of hunting...and just to be safe, for additional good karma, I rubbed the "belly of the buddha" (Dana, the camp cook).
We went past some active timber operations this morning. It was really impressive to watch those guys fell some ENORMOUS red cedar trees this morning. We stopped to talk to one of the Fallers (who saw a small forkhorn on the access road this morning). I not only saw some great trees felled this morning, and even got to see a "widowmaker". Timbering is a dangerous profession.
We headed down into some very promising muskegs, calling every now and then, but no luck. However, it is early in the day, the sun is shining, there is just enough background noise in the timber to mask our movement (the gurgling sound of snow meltwater,etc.).
stay tuned....
Within seconds, I saw a second deer, again, a doe...but much bigger....and she was following the first doe. I had turned my body to face both of them, when I finally saw the one thing that I have been waiting seven days for....orange antlers moving through the forest. One look was all I needed to determine that this was a shooter buck for me.
He was hot on the trail of the second doe, and he was closing rapidly. When he finally came to a stop, he was about 32 yards away behind a little branch of evergreen. I didn't even wait...my arrow was on its way.
I saw where the arrow hit, and the attached photo shows what we saw when we walked over to where the buck was standing......
Mike A.
I'd guess that this buck weighed between 160-170 pounds....but look at the size of this guys neck!! This buck completes my slam of North American deer.....and all five of my bucks are 3X3s with eyeguards.
It was just a matter of time, awesome deer.
If I serve no purpose other than to illustrate what is possible, if you set your mind to it, then I have exceeded my wildest expectations.
Winston Churchill had it exactly right.....never, never, NEVER give up!!
Fifteen years ago, I was making $44K a year, and job security was a REAL issue. I rolled the dice. Took more risk than my friends and family thought was reasonable, and 15 years later, I am living the dream.....and my friends and family are still working. Believe in yourself, work hard, and do not let ANYONE talk you out of your dream. Having said that, make sure that your dream makes good sense, and isn't a pipe dream.....
If you want even more positive motivation....try THIS on for size.....this Sitka Blacktail bowhunt was my eleventh bowhunt in the last eleven and one-half months. Guess how many days of work I missed? Zero.
If I can do it, so can you.....so can ANYONE!!
I continue to be surprised by the size of these deer. I actually wonder if the Mountain Sitka Blacktails are almost a different subspecies from those that I seen photos of on Kodiak Island (for example). They just seem so much bigger. The racks actually look small for the bodies that they are on.
I have taken several 170-200 lb (dressed) Sitka bucks from the SW end of Kodiak over the years. Larson Bay, Uyak Bay, Zachar Bay.
These were animals taken close to the beach that we were able to weigh on scales at the camp.
The myth of all Sitka's being tiny deer dies hard!
Congrats,
Pete
I know we are all sitting here wishing we were in your shoes right now, but in a way I am not sure I could do it. It takes a special sort of dedication to be able to come back from a hunt and head right out a day or two later on another. As someone who has been away from home for extended periods of time, it isn't all that much fun.
After about 2 weeks or so I start letting my home-sickness start to play into my decisions, which isn't good if you are on a hunt 1,200 miles away.
Once again, we are all very greatful for you taking the time to share with us your amazing year and look forward to next years adventures and eventually your Super Slam! You really should be writing a book, it could be quite inspirational for many young people today. I want copy #1!
Hey,
You should go for a glacial/blue bear near Yakutat, AK! Those things are beautiful!
Sleep well my friend, you probably need it! lol
michael
What's next? You can't be too far away from Super Slam...
I can't wait hear what you have planned for '09.
When you get home and settled I have some COLD weather gear questions for you.
Yeah, I'd say that's a pretty good year.
Congrats, Don.
Go ahead with your COLD weather questions.....you can post them to a PM, unless you'd rather talk on the phone.
Personally, I'm envious of the snow you have. I'm hunting muleys out here and should be wearing camo boxers, it is so hot. 81 yesterday. Please bring some cool weather down south when you come home.
Travel safe!
Thanks for the "dreams" pep-talk too. That was a neat as the deer pics IMO. Very well stated.
Wow, now that you don't have to mow the lawn any more this year you can stay away longer huh? LOL!
Looks like you'll be sending your taxi a bonus this Christmas! Has he started the addition on his house yet? Or is it a new boat? LOL!
Congrats again, hope the eye's feeling better. Sure didn't seem to effect your aim!
Genesis had it right. I must have scratched my cornea. I was amazed at how quickly it recovered, but he said that it would be healed within 24 hours....and it was!
I'm still evaluating taxidermist options right now....no more "high end" taxidermy bills. I don't own a boat, so I'm not paying for someone else's!! LOL!!!
There was ONE other aspect about this hunt that I had never experienced before.....an INCINOLET. An electric incinerator TOILET!! LMAO!! I thought they were joking when they first mentioned it....but it really exists, and it is the real deal. I'm gonna have a LOT of fun talking about that particular device as the hunting stories unfold over the years!!
With your photography skills, this place will mesmerize you and your camera. Just remember to take your bow along!! LOL! It was a most enjoyable experience.....be sure to catch the rut. THIS is the time of year to be up on POW Island.
I don't think I ever saw him put on any raingear ... it must not bother him to be WET ...
Actually for seeing Jake I didn't see him much either ... Once we left the old Muskeg Mobile and him in that Leafy Camo stuff I never saw him again till we got back to the rig .... I could hear him just couldn't see him .... LOL
Sorry about that. Since the photography may not be as important to you, let me tell you that Johnnie carries a 8.0 Megapixel camera with him, and he's always taking great pictures.
However, I believe that POW Island has a significantly higher density of "bigger" racked bucks. Johnny shot a 118+" buck at 11 yards (with a gun) a few years back...that would be the P&Y world record if he had done it with archery gear. It's a big island, there are good sized bucks all over.....and you don't have to worry about losing your buck to a brown bear. There are no brown bears on POW Island, and at this time of year, 90% of the black bears are hibernating. Wolves are all that's left.....
Wolf aren't in season down here yet. 12/01 is when it opens, I think. It closes sometime in March.
Wilderness,
I can post the photos of four of the deer when I get back home. I don't know if they are all on this camera chip, or not. If they are, I'll do it when I am done packing today. If not, I can do it by Sunday, when I have returned home. Unfortunately, I don't have a good field photo of my whitetail....just the other four species.....maybe I can hunt for a nice whitetail for a few days when I get home. The whitetail that I had mounted was killed back in the late 1980's, and I never had a field photo taken.
While down that way Jake decided he would like to drive down Hydaburg way ....
We did stick the camera out of the window for a drive by shooting !!!!!
Congratulations, nice buck.
Muskeg,
Was the 115 Jason killed with a bow? That is a real stud!!!
I just returned from 3 weeks on Kodiak. Killed three bucks and a Billy Goat.
Bob
Jason had that buck at about 50 yards. It was killed with a gun. It would have been within an inch or two of the P&Y World Record. Let's see the photos of your three bucks. Having observed your Blacktail trophies at last years P&Y convention, I can just imagine what these bad boys look like!!
You wanted me to post pictures of my deer slam....here they are. This first photo is the Sitka Blacktail that I just got last week....I don't have a good field photo of my whitetail(s)....so I'm posting a photo of the wall mount of my first buck ever.
Jake
However, there is a great story behind this buck....read the thread entitled "Favorite Hunting Pranks".
Thanks for the inspiration jake!
The employees all wear the same T-shirt. It says "Burger Queen" on the front.....however, when they turn around to walk away, the back of the T-shirt says "BURGER BITCH just didn't sound quite right". I really laughed when I saw that.
thanks
