Well it is now almost 11:00am on opening day of rifle season. I can NEVER remember a moring so quiet... I do not think I have heard a dozen shots from ANYWHERE .....


Surely the folks hunting around here will not blame a terrible first morning of deer hunting on the PGC...
or lack of deer  -- ??

It has not stopped raining since last night here and it is FAR from being cold....

From radio transmissions it sounds like the deer bedded last night and have decided not to move yet today unless PUSHED to get up......


Can't say I am really missing this morning of not being able to hunt at all...

We'll have to see if there is any clearing or changes this afternoon...

LATER...
Doc

Rain Drops falling on my head, down my neck, into my day pack, an all around FOGGY,Dreary,Wet Day, Did I mention we got wet from 5:00 AM till 4:30 PM.

All through the forrest not a creature was stirring not even the deer.We heard shots ring out at quarter past seven to learn later a doe had been taken. Me and my son-inlaw and my buddy kept in touch every 3 hours on our 2 wAy hoping for a break in the weather.

Clothes are hanging by the wood stove to dry in hopes of tomorrow more sun in the sky, we will climb the mountain and set our fannies to rest in hopes of a 6-7-8-or 10 point to show his chest.

At least we can say we got soaked to the bone and tried; instead of staying home warm and dry dry.

Doc, it was not a Great day but at least we were outdoors and not working!


PS, did I mentioned we got soaked by the pouring rain today?

hunting lic.= 20.00
30.06 Rifle= 400.00
box of shells= 15.00
1st day of buck 2007 spent in woods with a pop-up blind = PRICELESS

My son and I saw 3-4 unknown deer in the morning and nothing the rest of the day. heard about 25-30 shots all day.
Mike

I might have sen two tails on Monday, hard to tell in the fog.  I decided to head home and dry out till the weekend.

Fishingcyote:  Those 30-06 shaells must have been on sale.  I was shocked to pay $28.00 for a box of 300 Savage a few weeks ago.   dd

Got up late
Got to parking area
Got all geared up
Skies opened up
Took gear off
Got back in truck
Waited 3 hours
Put on a drive
Walked within 10 feet of a doe that was bedded in some hemlocks
She wanted nothing to do with leaving her shelter
Let her live
Didn't feel like gutting and dragging one.....lol


Ps. Mike if you're getting shells for $15.00 I want to know where.

I bought a box yesterday for my 7mm Mauser and about fell over when he told me they were $32.00.

He also told me that shell prices were going to go up at the beginning of next year.

My oldest son who did not go out on Monday due to intestinal problems, went to a local gamelands on Tuesday afternoon.  He only saw one doe, but made a good shot and was home by 5:00.  dd  

--Last edited by rich on 2007-11-28 08:17:49 --

ugh! what a crappy 1st day weather wise. i only got wet on my back but it was pouring and warm 52 degrees. saw 2 buck at 7:15 a.m. 50 yds in front of me. neither were shooters, 1 was a 4 point that doc had seen before, 2 on each side no brow tines and the other was a spike. that was it. got to watch them for 15 minutes and then they walked up the valley. tuesday wasn't bad cold and windy dont think too many were huntin though. gonna be a lot of deer next year, not much shootin at all. can't complain, love going to camp 1st and foremost, getting a deer is a bonus. i was almost glad the 2 buck weren't shooters, i would have been drenched by the time i got back to camp. walking out at lunch time i got soaked.  

Just got back from 3 days of hunting in the hot zone ( EHD area).  Our group of 6 had a grand total of 9 deer in the crosshairs and managed to drop the hammer on one nice 9 point.

I estimate our herd in this part of 2A is done 80% as a result of EHD.  Found many skeletons and a nice 10 point that bit the dust in august.  It's rack still in velvet.  What a shame it is.

The PGC may still say the official kill was 2000 but I can tell you that a large area was decimated this year.  

I took a drive to a gamelands in northern Washington that was't impacted and mangaged to harvest a nice doe Tuesday afternoon.

Kev,
It can be amazing what you find on the wal-mart clearance shelves in the middle of Feb. LOL They may have even been cheaper than 15
Went with a friend who had to get some 300 WSM shells and was also shocked by the price of them. Don't remember exactly what he paid but it was over 45 a box. Ouch
Mike

Did manage to bag a doe on the 2nd day  

--Last edited by fishincoyote on 2007-11-29 21:47:27 --

In tree stand from 6:00 to 4:45. Saw 4 deer. worst season ever. I saw more deer than anyone in camp. hunted westen elk county / 2F. Heard 39 shots. This many shots used to be a good first half hr for bucks only. Rain had some to do with it. Hunters shooting too many doe also had something to do with it. I hunted this area the next 4 days and can assure all that zero buck were taken from the area. 3 Bucks taken from the 2 dozen camps along bear creak road. We saw more coyote than bucks... 2 coyote and zero bucks between 5 guys. Including one feeding on a deer that I stumbled on. Deer did not look shot ... I believe it was a coyote kill. Sad state of affairs in the area I hunt. Most people did not see a deer. I just about lost it last evening as I left camp and passed 3 road hunters driving 10-15 miles an hour out the road from camp. I was within a nats eyelash of pulling them over to give them a tongue lashing. Again, everyone who wanted a does tag had one ... cut me a break. Sad trend observed ... people are starting to shoot the first thing they see as they are worried about not getting another chance. 3 doe taken from the area I hunt.

remington 30-6 shells $15/box at dicks sporting goods all the time not a sale price. back in october you were getting buy one get the other 1/2 off.