2014 Hunt Photos: 3 of 3
Here are some photos from my third bowhunt of 2014:
2014 Hunt Photos: 3 of 3
Category Archives: Zen Hunting
2014 Bowhunt Part 2 of 3
2014 Bow Hunt Notes: Part 2 of 3
Yesterday I got back from my second of three bowhunting trips to Southern Utah. I hiked in Monday morning and began hunting that evening through Thursday morning. Now that I’ve been EVERYWHERE, the area is no longer new to me. Here are the lessons I’ve learned so far:
- After spending seven full days in the Wilderness alone, it has been affirmed that all mysteries of the Universe, all questions about God and the nature of man, and every other question that could possibly arise in modern life can be answered by sitting alone with Nature.
- After spending seven full days hiking and exploring concentrically from the epicenter of my chosen area, I can now say that there are no great bucks worth pursuing, or at least not enough concentrations to make future efforts justifiable. Therefore, I will spend the last week of my hunt exploring vast, new areas of my unit.
- This week was hot and windy causing the deer to move much less, bed earlier, and unbed later.
- The only decent four-point buck I encountered busted me at ten yards when a psycho-squirrel went ballistic behind me and the buck caught my movement. If my arrow/broadhead combination wasn’t $20.00, I would have shot the squirrel.
- On the morning of September 2nd I saw a three-point and two-point in velvet. In the evening I saw the same two deer, but both had shed their velvet.
Yesterday morning I busted the biggest 2×3 I’ve ever seen out of a bed around 10:00 a.m. He had a very tall, 25-inch wide rack, and should have been a four-point. Just for fun, and to get a better look at him, I circled down the mountain where he passed by me at only ten yards. Not the caliber of deer I’m after, but fun to watch. Makes me wish I wasn’t a trophy hunter!
2014 Hunt Photos: 2 of 3
2014 Hunt Photos: 2 of 3
When you can’t shoot a buck, you can still shoot photos! Here are some photos from my second bowhunt of 2014:
2014 Bowhunt Part 1 of 3
2014 Bowhunt Part 1 of 3
On Friday I got back from my first four-day bowhunt in Southern Utah. I hiked in Monday morning and began hunting that evening through Thursday. Since the area is still new to me, I considered this to be a scouting mission for the last two weeks of the season. So far, here are the lessons I’ve learned:
- There are about 10 bucks living in the immediate area by camp. All but two are smaller, 2, 3, and 4 points–not mature bucks. The other two, which I did NOT get good visuals on, are average-sized, mature four-points in the 160-inch class range. As far as I’m concerned, these are “settlement bucks,” or bucks I will only shoot if I cannot find any bigger before the season ends.
- The surrounding area, which extend for miles in all directions, contains only sparse amounts of deer, mostly does. I also couldn’t find any heavy deer traffic areas, and only a few random large-buck tracks.
- All bucks are still in velvet and the younger bucks still have their summer red-coats. The older bucks are beginning to grow out their gray winter coats. Because the bucks are still in velvet, they are living mostly in and around open feeding areas.
- Undisturbed, the bucks tend to bed down around 9:30 a.m. On cooler days, they begin feeding early, around 4:30 p.m.
- Deer are concentrated and feeding only the East and Southeast facing slopes.
- Scent control is impossible. Although I try to diminish my human scent with scent-eliminating laundry and body soap, by the second day of hunting the deer can smell me immediately and bust out of the area. At the same time, I had 5 does and fawns bed down within 10 yards of me on the fourth day when the wind was in my favor.
That’s all I have right now. I’ll be hunting most of next week so stay tuned for Bowhunt Part 2.
2014 Hunt Photos: 1 of 3
2014 Hunt Photos: 1 of 3
Here are some photos from my first bowhunt of 2014:
FYI: All of my field photos are taken with a Canon Powershot G-Series camera which shoots the pro-quality style images required for magazine publication.
Click here for 2014 Hunt Photos Part 2
The Buck of Destiny
The Buck of Destiny
Is this the buck of destiny? Well it’s not on my hit list…yet.
As I was walking out my front door today I noticed this handsome little two-point buck feeding in the empty lot next door. I barely had enough time to grab my camera and snap this shot as he made a high jump and then fed within 20 yards of our house.
When my wife and I moved out to the country in 2012, we just wanted a yard big enough to shoot our bows in. Little did we know there was a whole herd of deer living along the slough that passes behind our house. We’ve seen up to 21 deer at one time! Below is the biggest buck we’ve seen:
The best part about having backyard deer is that you can really learn a lot by observing their natural behaviors. Sometimes I try to move about the yard undetected. I watch how they react to different sounds and movements. I observe their daytime routines, feeding habits, and anything else I can learn. The fact is, the better you understand your prey, the better hunter you’ll be.
So, today’s buck was a real treat. We haven’t seen bucks all summer and now they’re here, in the backyard. And just in time, too, because tomorrow is the big day. I’m finally heading into the hills on my first bowhunt of 2014. When I return in a few days I’ll update this blog, hopefully with a bunch more pictures of much bigger bucks.
Still Holding Out For the BIG One
Still Holding Out For the BIG Buck
I’ve had deer on my mind lately…probably because the season is in full swing and here I am sitting behind my computer!
Unfortunately, I’ve chosen the difficult and lonely path of a trophy deer hunter. What this means is I’m holding out for a true, one-in-a-million, mule deer giant, also known as a superbuck. What makes a superbuck you ask? In Utah a “trophy” is defined as any buck with at least a 30-inch spread. But a trophy is really in the eye of the beholder. In my mind, a superbuck is:
- At least 30 inches wide.
- Has at least 5 points on each side (eyeguards included).
- Is a mature buck with a huge body and worn down teeth.
- Has long and massive main beams with deep forks.
If the buck doesn’t have at least three of these four qualities, I’ll pass. Passing any big, mature mule deer is extremely difficult. Not only is it rare to find any mature bucks these days, but getting within 50 yards or less is nearly impossible. The biggest challenge is when you come face-to-face with a “good” buck–not a great buck. It’s easy to get excited and fool yourself into thinking he’s bigger than he really is. And what if you don’t get another chance? But when you pull the trigger, it’s all over. Remember the old saying: “You can’t shoot the big ones if you shoot the small ones.”
I didn’t set out to become a trophy hunter, it found me! For decades I was happy to bag any buck. The problem is with human nature. It’s human nature to continually seek bigger and better things. Complacency and mediocrity might be common traits nowadays, but it’s really an anomaly. Human consciousness compels us to achieve more and more, even sometimes to our detriment. For me and my mule deer aspirations, I simply choose excellence because I can. I just love big bucks.
Trophy hunters sometimes get a bad rap. Some people associate trophy hunters with “head hunters” or people that shoot deer not for the meat, but for their headgear. This is sometimes true, but for me, bigger heads means bigger bodies, and that means more meat. Besides the meat, their regal, majestic heads are just beautiful!
I only get to hunt one deer a year; why not make it something I’m proud of?! I hunt trophies not for the glory, but to prove to myself that I can. This year I refuse to settle. No matter how difficult, no matter how much time I must spend afield, I won’t even think about pulling an arrow until I’ve verified a genuine superbuck. My mantra is: One tag, one year, one superbuck!
I’ll probably need some superluck…
Holding Out For the BIG One
Holding Out for the BIG Buck
The archery season is in full swing and NO, I haven’t even gone hunting yet. I don’t hunt the opener for the following reasons:
- The deer are under a lot of pressure after opening weekend and go into deep hiding. A week or two into the season and they usually calm down and fall back into their normal summer routine.
- The bucks are still in velvet, and I just like hard horns better. Velvet is deceiving. Velvet adds about 30% more false mass to a buck’s rack, making quick judging a little more difficult. When that velvet comes off, well that’s the true measure of the deer’s rack. Plus, velvet has to be carefully preserved in and out of the field, which can be a pain. But in the end, it comes down to personal preference. Some people just love fuzzy bucks.
So, I have three more days to get some work done, and then I’m gone! I’ll pick up where I left off last year, in the Superbuck area. I only spent a couple days there last year, but from what I’ve seen it looks very promising. There’s plenty of feed, water, and best of all, very little pressure.
Wish me luck!
Be in Position at First Light
Be in Position at First Light
Since I’m not a morning person, this is my least favorite part of bowhunting, and in August, first light means being in position by 5:30 a.m. Most of my life I’ve elected to still-hunt into position, or more likely, I didn’t have a destination to begin with, choosing instead to start hunting as soon as I left camp. Now I know that there are always primary areas, and everywhere else is secondary.
If you decide to still-hunt into a primary area, most likely you’ll arrive too late, after the animals have already bedded down for the day, thus increasing the likelihood of spooking the deer out. Therefore, I recommend picking an area each day and being there well before first light. There are simply more animals up and moving at first light than any other part of the day, so it just makes sense to be in those high traffic areas—such as between feeding and bedding areas—and then limit your movements when you get there. This is known as “ambush” hunting and is by far the most effective strategy for intercepting big game. Still-hunting—where you slowly cover lots of ground while looking for game—is more effective during midday hours when the deer aren’t moving and it makes sense to go looking for them.
One final note: “Being in position” often means being in a particular area at midday, not just morning. Much of my hunting success has come with the sun more or less overhead. Remaining in the field throughout the entire day—not just morning and evening—simply provides more opportunities. This reminds me of a popular photography quote: “F/8 and be there!” This was famous photojournalist Arthur Fellig’s response to the question of how he managed to get such compelling images on a regular basis. What Fellig meant by “F/8 and be there” was in order to capture a pivotal moment on film, you actually had to be at a certain location at a certain time. In hunting and photography, timing is everything. If you’re napping back at camp at midday, your odds of success are zero. (Incidentally, Fellig’s chosen aperture setting, F/8, was likely an arbitrary number chosen in jest since it’s really a situation-dependant camera setting.)
Shape Up For Hunting
Shaping Up for Hunting
A bowhunter is also an athlete. Nothing a person does on a day-to-day basis will match the great physical exhaustion caused by chasing big deer on big mountains, particularly where the air is thin and there are no trails. What happens when you spot a buck across a big canyon on the evening of the last day of the hunt? Your success or failure often boils down to your physical fitness and endurance.
Any cardio-type exercise will help you prepare for the hunt, and if you’ve spent enough time hiking and scouting in the pre-season you’ll probably be in tip-top shape for it. But if you’re planning a high-country backpacking/hunting trip, you’ll have to change things up a bit—your daily jaunt on the treadmill won’t be enough. Everything changes when you’re hiking uphill with an extra eighty pounds on your back, especially at the high altitudes where most big bucks live in early fall.
If you want to spend more time hunting and less time recovering, you’ll need to put a pack on and literally run to the hills before the season opens. I won’t get into any specific work-out regimens here; just know that your regular routine should include wearing a heavy pack and doing some vertical hiking. If you live in an area that doesn’t have a lot of mountainous terrain, you can always climb the stairs at your local football stadium. In addition to cardio, some extra weight training will do wonders to strengthen your back and shoulders.
On a recent hunting trip I felt like a machine and could hike all day without rest. But after shooting a big deer at the bottom of a steep canyon, I quickly realized I hadn’t conditioned myself for such a chore. With my pack loaded with nearly eighty pounds of venison, I was lucky to get the animal out at all, even with help from some friends. Remember, even a relatively easy hunt can become extremely difficult once you put an animal on the ground.