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  #31  
Old 10-11-2018, 05:53 AM
Bushleague Bushleague is offline
 
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Originally Posted by 58thecat View Post
Great buck, great write up only addition to this is when I wonder through the bush I carry a pack and use the gutless method to get the deer field dressed, debone the meat, keep the parts required legally to identify the tagged deer and carry the deer out, sharp fillet knife makes it about a 30 minute job start to finish and one person can easily carry a deer out this way, a lot less sweat and grief getting out.

Or if close enough I have my sled in the truck.

Beauty buck for sure and a great hunt.
I use the sled often, but going up a steep grade with it sometimes doesn't work very well because of its tendancy to slide backwards much more readily than it wants to slide forwards. Often I have to pull the deer out of the sled and drag it up steep inclines by hand anyways.

This incident did have me thinking about quartering the deer and using a pack frame, but I hate hunting thick timber with a pack on, and the padded strap on my shoulder make it harder for me to shoot quickly, the rifle just doesn't want to find its way home. I typically only have a belt pack and what I can put in my pockets for a day of bush hunting. That said, going back to the truck for a frame wouldn't have been too hard in this case, the distance was less than a kilometer I think.
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  #32  
Old 10-11-2018, 05:56 AM
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58thecat 58thecat is offline
 
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I use the sled often, but going up a steep grade with it sometimes doesn't work because of its tendancy to slide backwards much more readily than it wants to slide forwards. Often I have to pull the deer out of the sled and drag it up steep inclines by hand anyways.

This incident did have be thinking about quartering the deer and using a pack frame, but I hate hunting thick timber with a pack on, and the padded straps on my shoulder make it hard for me to shoot quickly. So I typically only have a belt pack and what I can put in my pockets for a day of bush hunting.
I like sandwiches so the pack is full and usually lightened by the end of the day

Unless I get lucky....I will leave that one alone.....great hunt and write up...more field pics of the buck?
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  #33  
Old 10-11-2018, 06:26 AM
Swamp hunter Swamp hunter is offline
 
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I dunno, I feel that good stand hunters etc do plenty of hunting. They just do most of the actual hunting well before the shot is fired, and in easyer terrain there might be less boot leather burned per animal.

I wouldn't go so far as to claim that my own methods are the only that count as hunting... their just the best is all.
Sounds like you are describing "scouting " which i also do before hunting.
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  #34  
Old 10-11-2018, 09:08 AM
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Fulmer Fulmer is offline
 
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Default This is bush hunting. Wife's buck, story, tips.

Congrats to your wife! Love those bush bucks!
And thanks for the write up. Next time I'm in the timber and feeling ansy im going to remind myself that
"I'm just loitering" lol.


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  #35  
Old 10-11-2018, 09:54 AM
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marlin1 marlin1 is offline
 
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nice buck
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  #36  
Old 10-11-2018, 10:03 AM
Sledhead71 Sledhead71 is offline
 
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Awesome, thanks for sharing and congrats to the wife !
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  #37  
Old 10-11-2018, 12:17 PM
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DalyShooter DalyShooter is offline
 
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Beauty! Thanks for sharing.
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  #38  
Old 10-11-2018, 09:53 PM
Bushleague Bushleague is offline
 
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Originally Posted by 58thecat View Post
I like sandwiches so the pack is full and usually lightened by the end of the day

Unless I get lucky....I will leave that one alone.....great hunt and write up...more field pics of the buck?
Yeah, I used to eat sandwiches while hunting. Now I just put cheese and sausage slices in a ziplock bag and it goes in one of my rear pants pockets, then I put a micky bottle of water in the rear pocket. Beyond that I've got a knife, some matches, 2 compasses, my tags, binoculars, and a head lamp. I usually have a camera, and sometimes I take a GPS.

I do feel sometimes that I am walking a bit of a fine line though. As far back off the trail as I tend to go, with as little gear as I tend to carry, I have to keep in mind how serious things could get if I were to make a mistake.
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  #39  
Old 10-11-2018, 10:02 PM
calgarychef calgarychef is offline
 
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Yeah, I used to eat sandwiches while hunting. Now I just put cheese and sausage slices in a ziplock bag and it goes in one of my rear pants pockets, then I put a micky bottle of water in the rear pocket. Beyond that I've got a knife, some matches, 2 compasses, my tags, binoculars, and a head lamp. I usually have a camera, and sometimes I take a GPS.

I do feel sometimes that I am walking a bit of a fine line though. As far back off the trail as I tend to go, with as little gear as I tend to carry, I have to keep in mind how serious things could get if I were to make a mistake.

That’s pretty minimalistic, must be nice walking like that though. I carry lotsa stuff so I don’t have to worry about staying out overnight.
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  #40  
Old 10-12-2018, 07:21 PM
Bushleague Bushleague is offline
 
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That’s pretty minimalistic, must be nice walking like that though. I carry lotsa stuff so I don’t have to worry about staying out overnight.
It sure helps with mobility, the hardest part is judging how much clothes one needs to wear, since there is no room to pack extra clothes or to shed layers if needed. There have been a few times I've been out past dark, trying to find a sweater I cached in a "convenient spot" earlier in the day, and a few other times where I shivered and cursed myself any time I quit moving. I might someday go back to using a pack, but first I need to find a pack with no padding on the straps... can not make myself go back to that at this point.
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  #41  
Old 10-12-2018, 10:24 PM
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Passthru Passthru is offline
 
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It sure helps with mobility, the hardest part is judging how much clothes one needs to wear, since there is no room to pack extra clothes or to shed layers if needed. There have been a few times I've been out past dark, trying to find a sweater I cached in a "convenient spot" earlier in the day, and a few other times where I shivered and cursed myself any time I quit moving. I might someday go back to using a pack, but first I need to find a pack with no padding on the straps... can not make myself go back to that at this point.
Try a big fanny pack style bag. I just switched over from a day pack and like you I don’t like the daypack in the thick stuff. I like to moose hunt in the timber and alders and it helps greatly with mobility and keeping a slim profile for slipping through the trees and bush. But I like sandwiches too and I usually bring an extra puffy vest and warmer gloves just in case.
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  #42  
Old 10-12-2018, 10:51 PM
Cowboy coffee Cowboy coffee is offline
 
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Nice buck, live and work in 353 and 360. Tuff hunting in big timber but the reward is 100 times better
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  #43  
Old 10-12-2018, 11:04 PM
West O'5 West O'5 is offline
 
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Originally Posted by Passthru View Post
Try a big fanny pack style bag. I just switched over from a day pack and like you I don’t like the daypack in the thick stuff. I like to moose hunt in the timber and alders and it helps greatly with mobility and keeping a slim profile for slipping through the trees and bush. But I like sandwiches too and I usually bring an extra puffy vest and warmer gloves just in case.
This^^
I bought a Primos fanny pack with the shoulder straps about 10 years ago,It’s my go-to for everything hunt be it coyotes,WT,elk,moose wutever....
I’ve owned other waist/fanny packs in the past,no comparison,the shoulder straps are essential imho to take the weight and make for a comfortable day.
I tend to often carry way too much gear when I’m deer hunting,but this pack manages it all quite comfortably without the lower back pain or constantly pulling up the pack as it slides down yer ass throughout the day.
Lunch,drinks,knives,game bags,sharpeners,rattling antlers and foam seat strapped on it,screw in tree steps...you name it,I’m usually prepared for any eventuality that might arise during a day of bigwoods stillhunting,my pack probly weighs anywhere from 10-15 pounds(?) on any given day and it carries really nicely.....one of the best pieces of kit and best $80 I’ve ever spent on hunting gear.
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  #44  
Old 10-13-2018, 08:44 AM
wildwoods wildwoods is offline
 
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I'll mostly donn a Fanny pack with minimal gear. Fire starter, knife or two, compass, little bit of cording, bear spray (if bow hunting only) and tags. If I'm packing into a stand for the day I'll strap the tripod and video camera on as well. Phone acts as still cam and gps in coat pocket. Probably should add a few first aide items....
very rare I'll pull out a true "day pack" anymore.
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  #45  
Old 10-13-2018, 01:10 PM
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Red Bullets Red Bullets is offline
 
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Congrats to the huntress on a good buck . I should have made popcorn before I read your story.
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  #46  
Old 10-13-2018, 02:30 PM
Bushleague Bushleague is offline
 
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Congrats to the huntress on a good buck . I should have made popcorn before I read your story.
lol, it was that long eh? Got hungry half way through? Or just that entertaining... "Honey, come read this BS! This dude actually thinks he knows how to hunt bush!" lol

Butchering that bad boy today, amazing how much better one's steak to burger ratio is off of a big deer over a small one. Fried the tenderloins up with onions for breakfast... they were so delicious I'm getting the strong urge to kill my buck so I can get some more... just hate folding that particular tag until about the last week of November if I can help it. It always feels like the season is over once the WT buck tag is gone.
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If the good lord didnt want me to ride a four wheeler with no shirt on, then how come my nipples grow back after every wipeout?

Last edited by Bushleague; 10-13-2018 at 02:50 PM.
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  #47  
Old 10-13-2018, 05:59 PM
gtree gtree is offline
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Post of the year Nice bulk
thanks fr sharing.
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  #48  
Old 10-14-2018, 11:05 PM
tukialam tukialam is offline
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Great work
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  #49  
Old 10-15-2018, 08:39 AM
Positrac Positrac is offline
 
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Nice Whitey! Congrats to you and your wife Bushleague!

I grew up hunting Blacktails on Vancouver Island so still hunting through the timber is in my blood. It is still by far my favorite way to hunt and one I’m pretty successful at myself. Like you, I pack pretty light but I do have enough to make it through an uncomfortable night if I had to.

One tip I’ve learned over the years... I hang a foot long piece of fine thread taped with electricians tape off the end of my barrel. I use a Safari sling so the barrel is always out in front of me and at a quick glance I can tell which way the wind is blowing... I’ve shot lots of Blacktails under 50 feet and keeping any breeze in your face is key.
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  #50  
Old 10-15-2018, 10:14 AM
Bushleague Bushleague is offline
 
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Originally Posted by Positrac View Post
Nice Whitey! Congrats to you and your wife Bushleague!

I grew up hunting Blacktails on Vancouver Island so still hunting through the timber is in my blood. It is still by far my favorite way to hunt and one I’m pretty successful at myself. Like you, I pack pretty light but I do have enough to make it through an uncomfortable night if I had to.

One tip I’ve learned over the years... I hang a foot long piece of fine thread taped with electricians tape off the end of my barrel. I use a Safari sling so the barrel is always out in front of me and at a quick glance I can tell which way the wind is blowing... I’ve shot lots of Blacktails under 50 feet and keeping any breeze in your face is key.
OK, here goes. While I do, by far prefer to keep the wind in my favor if at all possible, I've come to know that without a doubt mature big timber whitetails can be killed in bad wind. Often at ranges well under 50 yards. At first I thought it was fluke, then I was a little hesitant to come voice my findings, now I don't really care if people ridicule my opinion on this. After enough time spent in the bush I think I've come to understand why this supposedly impossible feat is entirely doable.

The first reason is that wind on those big timber ridges rarely blows the same direction for any great length of time, as well it is channelled by the landscape and timber, it is split up into many winding little currents like a creek but far more random. This makes it tough for the hunter, but it also makes it tough for the game to use the wind effectively. While I've never had much luck stand hunting in bad wind, when I'm on the move I don't think my scent pools the same way, and while the game may smell me once in awhile, they don't really know where I am or where I am going. Another major factor is that game in the timber is very often encountered coming from entirely different directions than one expects, in that case no matter how well you feel you are playing the wind, having it in your favor over the deer when it matters most is pretty much a matter of luck.

The second reason is because of how a big timber animal responds to a threatening smell. A timber animal is accustom to escaping wolves and other natural predators. The biggest mistake a bush deer can make when trying to elude its natural predator is to tire itself out before the attack, they don't start running until that critical moment when the attack is imminent. I've watched a few deer that were being trailed by wolves, as well as tracked enough of them myself to know what they do when they know they are being hunted. They try to lose the hunter by wandering through areas where many other deer have been, sometimes they will come up their back trail and jump off to the side, other times they travel up or down a stream... but even when they are forced to break into a run they stop once again as soon as they feel they are out of imminent danger. In open country a deer will sometimes run a long way before it feels safe, but in the bush it might not even run 100 yards, then it watches its back trail, if it determines the threat has been thwarted it then goes about its business. If not it keeps trying to elude its tormentor while saving up energy for the next critical moment.

When a timber deer smells the hunter he might start moving, he might think about pulling some sneaky tricks, but often he doesn't really know where the hunter actually is, and he isn't going to make the dash until he needs to. Usually he is going to have a pretty tough time keeping track of that hunter scent the whole time he is being hunted, and if the hunter is careful how he moves and can shoot quickly, the methods that work on wolves for that deer can be beat.

Just my observations.
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If the good lord didnt want me to ride a four wheeler with no shirt on, then how come my nipples grow back after every wipeout?

Last edited by Bushleague; 10-15-2018 at 10:29 AM.
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  #51  
Old 10-15-2018, 10:47 AM
Bushleague Bushleague is offline
 
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Default Pics or it didnt happen.

Just to back up my claim... here's a quick compilation of some bush animals we've shot at close range in bad wind just in the last few seasons. Some of the wind was switchy or otherwise tricky, others were killed in wind that was blowing right at them, much like the deer my wife just shot. We've shot plenty more animals in bad wind, and observed countless others that we did not shoot.


PA110227 by , on Flickr

PB130233 by , on Flickr

PB170070 by , on Flickr

PB210237 by , on Flickr
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If the good lord didnt want me to ride a four wheeler with no shirt on, then how come my nipples grow back after every wipeout?

Last edited by Bushleague; 10-15-2018 at 11:02 AM.
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  #52  
Old 10-15-2018, 07:30 PM
Hill 60 Kid Hill 60 Kid is offline
 
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Great pics and appreciate the story and tips. Good hunting.
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  #53  
Old 10-15-2018, 08:21 PM
goldscud goldscud is offline
 
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Congrats, and thanks for sharing your experience
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