Finally I get to share this hunt. You have enjoyed how to choose a muzzleloader and the bullet and powder preference in previous blogs, but now you get to hear how this hunt unfolded.Some history: I drew this tag for this California Muzzleloader unit two years ago and Dan and I had a great time. I never had shot one of these smokepoles before at anything and with my new TC gun I thought I could hit something, wrong!
I missed some nice bucks but finally on the last day I hit a nice 4x2. We were stoked with this unit since we saw 13 bucks in two weekends that were shooters. Emily, Dan's girl friend also drew this tag as a rifle unit last year and harvested a nice 3x3 so we knew this unit well.
For 2012, with one pt, I just thought I would get another pt but decided to put in for this unit again because Dan had max points for this tag and may be l would get lucky and draw again so we could hunt together. Well, Dan drew the tag and I also drew the tag to our shock. Now we both had drawn mule deer rut tags in a great area.
Also, we had access thru private land to hunt land locked BLM land as before so we knew where we were hunting which always is big plus for success.
I traveled up to the NE corner of California, met Dan and his Emily and headed out to the unit. When we got to the edge of the area that we were going to camp at, we noticed signs posting no fires or camping, our first problem. As we were trying to decide what to do, the property caretaker came driving by in his ATV. What is nice is that Dan knew him from two years before. He said they had fires this past year from wood cutters and campers and decided not to risk more fires so the closed it down to fires or camping. He also had drawn this tag and was excited for the hunt but was going to another part of the unit.
Dan said that he knew of a small piece of BLM land right in the hunt area and with his GPS we could camp there since it was BLM. The caretaker agreed, wished us luck and took off.
We headed into our hunt area, found the BLM area based on the GPS and set up camp right where we wanted to hunt. We thought this may be a problem with noise, fire, and camp smells but we just did not want to travel far to hunt the area.
After setting up camp, we did some scouting and saw does and small buck not 200 yds from our camp. They seem to not care as long as we stayed in the truck and not get out, they then headed up the mountain.
Opening morning came and we started walking the road to view the hills and basins. This area burned a few years ago so it had major grass and burned junipers with small shrubs, nice habitat. Not 100yds down the road, we spotted several bucks with does in a basin and moving up the hill. One was a nice 4x4 and a small 3x3. We tried a sneak up the mountain, but could not get close. The rest of the morning was walking the ridge lines glassing and seeing a lot of does with smaller bucks. The evening was about the same but we were seeing bucks with does so the rut had began.
The second morning started out the same, not far from camp, walking the road we spotted a nice 5x3 they had seen during scouting. He was pushing does up the ridge, skylined. As soon as he went over the edge, we worked up to the ridge. Got up there, and saw three more bucks and does on another side hill about 300yds. We watched them go up the hill and over that ridge but decided to try for the 5x3.
We crept slowly over the edge where they went over, and there he was looking at us at about 60yds. Instinctly, they knew or heard us coming. I quickly moved around a burnt tree to shoot and he busted us. We ran to the left but he never would stop for the shot. This was getting fun but tough.
We decided to follow the other bucks we saw earlier that went over the other ridge to see if they just went over the edge to feed. We did another stalk but when we got up on top they were no where to be seen, just disappeared? The rest of the day was spent driving roads looking at new areas, but nothing happened.
Monday was the next day, hunted the am the same way, saw this 5x3 up on top of the ridge skyl-lined. Took aim and fired at about 150 yds, missed but he just walked a few yds. I reloaded quickly and fired again. With open sights, early light and up a hill, not a great shot to take. Missed again and he took off. Frustration starting to take over.
Hunted the rest of the am and we decided to drive to a new part of the unit and hunt the evening. Dan and Emily worked a ridge and I sat on a basin but no action. The weather was warming and the rutting activity was slowing down, seeing less deer. We decided to stay in the nearest town, get a motel for a shower and have a nice dinner.
Since the weather was warming, I was trying to decide if I should go home and come back the last weekend. We got up on Tuesday am , we headed back to our hunting area and as we drove to camp, three bucks were bedded right off the road. One was a nice 3x3 and not 20yds away and not spooked. I really had to hold back and decided not to shoot this 3x3.
We continued to camp and got organized to go walk some ridges when Dan said, “there are bucks right up the hill from camp” We all glassed and lo and behold the 5x3 with does and a couple other bucks were not 200 yds up the hill. They then bedded down.
We planned our strategy: Emily and I decided we would go around the hill and hike up above them and come down on the area where they were bedded. Dan would go the other way and work up to them so if they busted us , maybe one of us would get a shot.
We worked our way up the hill above the bucks and slowly worked down the hill to where we thought they would be. I was working too far to the left when Emily said we need to go more to the right. Well she was right. As we started to move, there was Dan below us and to the left motioning us to head fast to the right, we moved fast.
The 5x3 was walking with the other buck below us, he knew something was up. As he came out behind a tree, he look up at us. I hit a knee and put the bead on his vitals and fired, We heard the ”wack” and he collapsed. We froze and could not believe what had just happened. We walked up to him and could not believe what a brute he was. No ground shrinkage, my hunt was over and I was blessed.
We took pics, gutted him, and dragged him down the hill to camp. What an easy retrieve. So the rest of the day waa spent skinning and packing the cooler. We went into town where I had parked my car and I was headed home with a great harvest.
Dan and Emily stayed two more days, had some shots at bucks and harvested an nice 4x4. He and Emily had to bone it out and hike up a canyon and down to camp so they had a lot more of a challenge than I had.
What a great hunt, two tags, two nice bucks, great camp, food, and experiences. I cannot thank Dan and Emily enough, Emily is amazing at spotting animals and packing out animals and Dan is just the best hunter I have ever known. I love them both, thanks again for taking care of the ol'man.
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