The Season, part 3

. The Season Part 3
By Dave Gibson

Since Dan was unable to return Linda and I decided to still hunt on a long fairly flat ridge top. There was dense cover all along the face of the hillside below us and to our right. Dense Madrone and Manzanita grew right up to the top. The top of the ridge and to the left was mainly open grassland with scattered Oaks and Madrones.

The habits of mature Blacktail Bucks during our late summer, pre-rut deer season are becoming more and more obvious to me. We know that they're around but we don't see them. It's clear to me now that the big bucks are often 100 percent nocturnal, coming out to the thick brush to feed only in total darkness. I've adjusted my hunting strategies to try to match the tendencies of the big bucks instead of spending most of my time glassing prime feeding areas where you're apt to see does and small bucks, I now concentrate on the outskirts of the heavy cover where I'm convinced that the mature bucks bed down. By still hunting along the edges of the brush and by glassing clearings surrounded by brush, I believe I'm increasing my odds of killing big bucks.

This is the reason why Linda and I chose that particular ridge to hunt that morning. We hoped to find a good buck along the edge of the brush. We were encouraged by the weather, thinking that due to the coolness maybe the big bucks wouldn't be as far into the brush as they normally would be on a warmer morning.

We crept slowly along trying to use available vegetation and contours of the ground for cover. We would move a few feet then stop to glass. I was glassing into the brush as much as I could as well as under trees and lone Manzanita brushes near the edge of the brush. Linda followed with the video camera. I like to conceal myself behind sound earth whenever possible. There's less chance of being detected by a buck when you're behind a hill than there is if you're behind brush. Light sound and probably even scent won't travel as easily through dirt as through vegetation For this reason we sneaked along, keeping to the low ground but heading for a nearby high spot. Linda stayed about ten feet behind as I slowly climbed to where I could just barely see over the top of a little hill. With just the top of my head and binoculars exposed over the dry grass, I carefully scanned the area.

I immediately spotted the horn tips of a bedded buck about 200 yards away. The buck was laying behind the trunk of a medium sized Madrone. Right at the base of the tree also grew some small Manzanita bushes about 2 feet high. I could only see the tips of the antlers over the tops of the bushes. He appeared to be a good sized four point, probably big enough to consider taking. I motioned for Linda. She had the camera rolling as she crawled up beside me. Linda shot some film from that position then we backed down the hill a few feet. Since no shot was possible from this location, we had to discuss strategy. We were below the top of the hill so we could now sit up and whisper without being detected. We discussed our options.

We could simply wait him out. All deer get up several times during the day. They change their beds often, probably trying to get away from the flies. If he stood up and took a step to our left he would clear the trunk of the tree and I would have an easy shot from where we were. But if the buck stood up and moved to our right, there would be only a few feet before he disappeared in the brush, this plan would offer great video possibility if successful but just seemed too risky.

Another possibility would be to belly crawl through the tall grass moving toward the buck and to our left., I figured that if I approached at this angle, eventually I would have a shot, But with so little cover, I felt that it was likely that the buck would spot me before I got close enough. Linda could probably get some great video if this plan worked but it too seemed like a long shot.

We decided that the best strategy would be for me to drop farther down the hill behind us and to our left. I would hit the dry creek bed and follow it up towards the buck. When I felt that I had gone far enough I planned to crawl up the hill and hope for the best. I would be approaching the buck directly form the side so the tree and bushes he was laying behind shouldn't be a problem.

It just might work, but what should Linda do? Should she follow right behind me or would she stay at our present position and try to capture the events on the tape from there? We finally decided that Linda would stay on the little knoll and would try to film me as I approached the buck from her left. I told here that if and when I was in position for a shot I would signal here with a wave. Linda crawled back up to her vantage point and I dropped down the hill toward the creek bottom.

Traveling up the dry creek bed was easy, The rocks in it were big and sound so I could move quickly and almost silently. I was so far below the buck I know that even if I did make a little noise he wouldn't hear me.

I had traveled about 300 yards, following the curve of the creek, when I decided it was time to start up hill. As I began creeping up the hill I began to realize how familiar I was with this spot. Since I had hunted this hill many times in the past, I could mentally picture the steep hillside of dry grass and scattered Oaks. I remembered how the angle of the hill was continuous right up to a point about 100 yards from where the buck should be. At this point the ground should begin to level out and give me the opportunity of a shot.

I was moving almost silently as I inched my way up the hill,. The heavy fog of earlier in the morning had quieted the normally crunchy dead Oak leaves. The breeze was favorable, blowing directly into my eyes as I studied the area in the direction of the buck.

Just as I reached the place where the hill began to level out, I spotted him. Because of the roll of the hill, all I could see was the buck's neck and head. He was a real nice heavy horned 4x4. The distance was about 130 yards. I could have taken a shot from this distance and probably have killed the buck but I would've had to shoot off hand and there was also the possibility of hitting the leaves and twigs of an oak tree in front of me.

Since the buck had no idea that I was there I decided to try to find a better place to shoot from. I spotted a huge oak about 30 yards in front of me and a little to my right. I figured that If I lined it up right, I could crawl right up to the tree using the three foot diameter trunk to shield me. I was certain that I would have an unobstructed prone shot of not more than 100 yards when I reached the tree. Hopefully, Linda would also be able to film me when I reached that spot.