My opening day hunt! I was all geared up to stay in a couple nights, but I ended up sticking one on the first evening. He's a 4x3 with one eyeguard. The 3rd point on the left is hidden behind his G-3 in the pics though.
2012 Archery Blacktail
- Thread starter BigSurArcher
- Start date
nvarcher
Very Active Member
sjsmallfield
Veteran member
Wow, what a hunt! Began spotting nice bucks waaaaay up in this high country with no roads to it at daylight, including an awesome 140 class 4x4. Possibly the biggest 4x4 Blacktail I've seen on the hoof. Since no roads had been fixed following the winter damage, I loaded up my pack with 2 days worth of gear and made the 4 mile ascent into the honey hole. As soon as I got up there I located a nice 20" 3x3 with eyeguards and a smaller 3x3 that I had glassed up in the spotting scope hours earlier. I closed to 32 yards as they fed on an oak tree below me, but having that big boy on my mind kept me from taking a shot. I moved on the look for the 4x4. I never could turn him up by noon, so I decided to lay low in the oaks where I could glass and possibly ambush bucks moving through during the day. I ended up napping on and off in that spot 6 hours, and in that time I had 4 bucks and 2 hogs come through within 20 yards all on separate occasions. It's amazing how oblivious they become to you when your there first just laying on the ground! I could easily have whacked all of them, but the nicest buck was a 15" 3x2... who ended up bedding down 60 yards away for most of the day. It was awesome to just lay and watch him throughout the day and see how he reacted to noises and other animals. I took a pic of him through my binos (see below). 6:30 rolled around and I decided it was time to traipse around a bit since I could see bucks up and feeding in the distance. I slowly (very) moved out to the point where I'd last seen the big bucks. As I moved along a trail and rounded the corner, I spotted 2 sets of horns above the grass right on the edge of a buckeye/oak filled draw. They were just 18 yards away! One was a 4x3, the other a tall narrow 3x3. I said aww, screw it I'll shoot the 4x3 if given the chance. Just when I nocked my arrow something spooked them, and I don't even think it was me, but they ran into the trees and circled downhill. As luck would have it the 4x3 decided to stop in the only opening in there to have a look around. No time to range at this point. I drew back, took one step to my left, guess 55 yards, and smoked him. He bolted down the steep hill for about 40 yards before running out of gas and laying in a bed where I watched him to the head bob for about 5 minutes before calling it quits. By now it was close to 8pm so I had about an hour of light to take pics, quarter him out, and load up my pack. I got the whole buck and all my gear out in one load, but it was about midnight by the time I got back to my truck.
sjsmallfield
Veteran member
Keep hunting for a big one on my 2nd tag, backcountry archery bear next month, hogs in between, possibly OTC Rosie Elk in OR, then a NV muley down the road!
Grantbvfd
Active Member
Cool hunt congrats BSA. Where's the high country in A zone? I grew up hunting A zone and don't recall too much "high country".
schoff
Member
nvarcher
Very Active Member
Seriously! Getting to hunt in mid July and chase around blacktails. Sounds like a blast!
HuskyMusky
Veteran member
RUTTIN
Veteran member
nvarcher
Very Active Member
Grantbvfd
Active Member
Yes not much public access and is usually very hot!! If you can get private access it is a good time to see alot of deer. There are some great ranches out there. The hardest challenge for me is the heat. Sweating is impossible to prevent and blacktail are extremely smart. Didn't even get an a zone tag this year. Moved up into b zone so I'm only hunting up here where the season is later and cooler with way more public ground and wilderness.
Sure is! General A-Zone... thought by many to be one of the worst tags in the state lol.
A zone is a very tough unit to hunt do to the season dates. Plenty of public land in the northern part. If u hunt over by the coast u will find cooler temps and larger deer. I hunt both private and public. I usually get one buck a year towards the end of riffle season but I am allways trying to get one with my bow. Gotta love that velvet. Nice buck. Hunted the opening moring got with in bow range of two doe's. Did see one buck but to far away for a stalk because of the country.
Drhorsepower
Veteran member
Congrats BSA. How does it feel to draw first blood, again if my memory serves me correct from last year
Fink
Veteran member
I've always thought that it would be awesome to hunt in mid July, just from the ability to pattern the bucks, and to kill one in velvet. Only problem is, I can't stand the heat. If we could hunt Missouri whitetails in July, we would knock down some monsters. Our season opens about 2 weeks after the bucks get off their summer pattern.
Congrats on the buck, sounds like a really awesome hunt.
Congrats on the buck, sounds like a really awesome hunt.