Pop's Hobby Blog

Vacation in Wisconsin

noreply@blogger.com (Pops Brothers) — Fri, 25 Sep 2015 23:19:00 +0000

We have been on vacation three weeks and two days and I'm finally getting to a blog post. It has been a blast so far and I haven't had much free time to post anything so I'm setting here in a swamp waiting for a whitetail to walk by swatting Mosquitos and listening to all the new sounds of the Wisconsin wildlife. No better time to start blogging again.

We spent one night at the Grand Tetons, three nights in Yellowstone, one at Devils Tower, two days at Mt. Rushmore and Custer State Park. Then on to Appleton WI to spend a week with my siblings. We had all kinds of fun seeing the sights and getting fat on Franks good 30 minute cooking. Jackie and Mike helped us locate a few cemeteries where our relatives were buried an we will search them out when we head south next week.

Starting Monday Frank and I started chasing the elusive Whitetail Deer. I say elusive because it's like looking for a needle in a haystack this time of year. We started hunting on State wildlife areas in the central farm zone near Clintonville. The wildlife areas are basically swampland (like a jungle) with the surrounding fields planted in corn that hasn't been harvested yet. The weather has been about ten degrees above normal and a little humid which isn't the best conditions for whitetails. Excuses excuses but I need to blame something on the fact that I've only seen three deer in four days of hunting. I know they are here because they come out of the woodwork after dark. The foliage is so dense you can't see past 30 yards in most cases. Here is where I am setup tonight.

I'll post more photos in the next post. The sun just went down so it's time to drop the iPhone and pickup the bow and get ready.

Back on Track

noreply@blogger.com (Pops Brothers) — Thu, 29 Aug 2013 06:09:00 +0000

Ok, everyone is asking what happened to my Antelope Hunt. I know I just disappeared all of a sudden and left everyone hanging. I'm sorry. The darn Antelope just beat me to death and I just gave up and headed back to Lake Almanor. I needed to get back to the cabin on Friday before everyone showed up for deer season. My season was six days long and everyday it was a cat and mouse game with the one and only good buck on the ranch. In the end, he won. I head home with my tail tucked between my legs.

Deer camp started out slow but having two new hunters in camp this year made it a blast. I resisted the comment "You should have been here last year" for almost a week. The area that was holding a lot of bucks last year was logged last fall and moved most the the bucks to greener pastures. We found the bucks on Swain Mountain but the hunting pressure made the bucks very skittish and very hard to get close enough for an arrow. Hunting pressure usually falls off dramatically the second week and the bucks peek there noggins out of the brush and stretch their legs a little. We spotted four bucks on Monday, four on Tuesday and two today. That makes a total of twenty one for twelve days hunting. I would like to expand and tell a great story but my legs are cramping and writing is very painful. Here is the results of today's hunt.

I promise to post more adventures soon.

Day 5.1

noreply@blogger.com (Pops Brothers) — Wed, 14 Aug 2013 16:08:00 +0000

I just realized I haven't posted any photos of Antelope yet. I think I'll email Apple and request iPhone 6 have a 20 power zoom so you can actually see what I'm hunting.

Day 5

noreply@blogger.com (Pops Brothers) — Wed, 14 Aug 2013 15:57:00 +0000

Here's the plan. I've notice three of the last four days that the twins spend the night out on the flat and mom and Tagalong bed somewhere below the dam or in the triangle just north of the back pivot. At sunrise mom has slipped under the fence about 200 yards to the west of my blind and trotted out looking for her kids. They generally reunite about 300 yards north of my blind, nurse for a minute and then bed down for a short time. Tagalong on the other hand lags behind until after the reunion and then makes a Bee Line to join up for the trek up the hill. Depending on his location in the fields and the reunion spot, his path crosses the wing dam and close to my blind. On day 1 he came over the wing dam 125 yards to my east. On day 4, when I was in the ditch, he crossed very close and maybe within shooting range.

This morning I parked at the upper dam and followed the fence line to my blind hoping not to spook Tagalong that I assume would be bedded between my blind and the back pivot. At first light a was scanning the flat looking for the twins and sure enough after fifteen minutes I spotted them bedded by themselves about 300 yards north. Thirty minutes latter they get up and slowly start feeding to my left. When they both came to attention I knew my plan had started to roll. Mom shows up for the reunion on schedule, the twins nurse and browse out to the 200 yard mark. Mom comes to alert looking at the wing dam just to my right. I get my bow ready, quickly review my yardages down the bank and anticipate my next move. The hair starts to raise on the back of my neck when I and hear the soft crunching of the grass behind me on the levee. My hands started to tremble and I had to control my breathing in fear of Tagalong hearing my almost uncontrollable body functions. I took a deep breath, exhaled slowly, relaxed and readied myself when the sunflowers began to wiggle and out popped a damn coyote at 15 yards. Crap, all that adrenalin for nothing. I quickly realized that if the coyote came by me Tagalong certainly wouldn't follow the same path. I was right because ten minutes Tagalong slipped under the fence 200 yards to my left and met up with girlfriend and twins.

It's been an hour and a half and I've been watching the foursome feed across the hill and finally bed down in their normal spot. It's time to plan a new strategy.

Day 4

noreply@blogger.com (Pops Brothers) — Wed, 14 Aug 2013 14:25:00 +0000

Day 4 was nothing to write about. I sat in the main ditch at my ambush site until Carl arrived to change the water. It was a lot hotter and I wasn't going to bake for three hours waiting for the antelope to enter the fields. After three and a half days I was tired and ready for an afternoon break. We had lunch at the frosty and did a couple of loads of laundry. We watched a couple of movies and topped of the day with a chocolate Sunday. I've got a plan for Wednesday.

Day 3

noreply@blogger.com (Pops Brothers) — Tue, 13 Aug 2013 04:06:00 +0000

I don't know where to start. Day 3 was a pretty exciting day. I forgot my phone in the trailer and had to make a mad dash back and still made it to my new ambush site before daybreak. After watching the two bucks for a couple of days they seem to stick to a somewhat predictable pattern. I realized this pattern yesterday afternoon and finished off the day with a two hour 600 yard stalk down a wet and muddy ditch that splits the middle of the three pivot fields. I was in position and getting ready to range the smaller buck when Tagalong (the larger buck that follows his girlfriend and kids everywhere) came out of nowhere and chased the little guy all the way to the end of the ranch. On the way back to camp I devised a plan to ambush the bucks when they crossed the ditch from the alphalfa field to the grass field.

At daybreak I was in position, laying in a grassy ditch behind a big clump of grass that gave me cover. The only problem was Tagalong was already in the field and girlfriend was up on the flat behind my blind. It was like they had a date for breakfast in the back pivot which was not part of my plan.

Carl arrived to change the water and swoosh, Girlfriend and kids headed to the top of the hill with Tagalong close behind. They bedded down for the rest of the morning and I knew they wouldn't start their pattern until Carl finished his work. Now it's starting to get hot laying in a ditch that has come alive with ants and spiders. Tagalong is bedded probably a mile up the mountain but is looking down on his little kingdom with eight power eye balls. I know that the pattern will start when Carl leaves the field but its close to lunch time before he is finished.

Thank God the clouds blew in a cooled things off but for some reason my antelope were lazy today. Here I am tucked up under some overhanging grass talking to Tadd on the phone when they get up and start the trek down the hill. A half hour later they are on the pattern to the tee. They entered the field on the far side of the pivot which put a wall of water spray between us. I guess antelope don't like showers because when they decided move to the grass field they made a big loop around the end of the pivot and crossed my ditch out of range.

Now they are 200 yards in the grass and I'm pondering a backup move when Tagalong comes to attention looking over my right shoulder and up the hill. To my surprise little buck is right on the same pattern. I was practicing mental telepathy saying " enter on this side of the pivot" and it worked. Antelope with an arrow is not easy so I made the decision to take little guy if the opportunity arose. It was like he was on a string. My first range was 130 yards, then 112, then he is walking in a straight line right at me. I slipped down the edge of the bank readied my bow and peaked my head up and he's looking right at me. Damn why could he have been 25 yards to the left.

Busted. My first reaction was to dip back down in the ditch and give him a minute to hopefully forget he was looking in the eyes of death. Yea right. I slowly raised back up and nothing. Where did he go? I peaked a little higher and he is now down wind to my right at 80 yards. The next ten minutes was a stare down that I won because he broke first and walked south towards the main road.

I was hoping that he would exit the field and head up the hill so i could head back to camp but the crazy little guy marched down the field about 300 yards and bedded down. He is now bedded within shooting range of the ditch I'm laying in. What the heck it's only 300 yards. After 200 yards Carl decided to work on the back pump, drove his tractor down the edge of the field and ended another fruitless stalk. I needed a beer anyway.

Three beers later and I've got a plan for Tagalong. Be back tomorrow.

Day 2

noreply@blogger.com (Pops Brothers) — Sun, 11 Aug 2013 19:59:00 +0000

Today is a waiting game. At first light I spotted the buck I had the somewhat close encounter with yesterday. He was bedded with his girlfriend about 300 yards north east of my blind on a big flat. The doe got up, gathered her children and fed in a big loop around me and entered the alphalfa field on the opposite side of the lake. Something spooked the buck out of the field about 10am and he has been bedded at the top of the hill. It's just a waiting game now and hopefully he will get thirsty and come down the fence line. See if you can spot him on top of the grassy hill in front of Fox mountain.

Oh, did I mention its getting hot in this blind? I came prepared.

Report back later.

Day 1 update

noreply@blogger.com (Pops Brothers) — Sat, 10 Aug 2013 22:45:00 +0000

It's been ten hours in the blind. Starting to get a little bored so I thought I'd share my view of Fox Mountain.

Day 1

noreply@blogger.com (Pops Brothers) — Sat, 10 Aug 2013 21:37:00 +0000

Where did all the Antelope go?

The alarm went off at 4:15 and I was at the ranch by 4:45. My blind is setup on the back fence line of the 1200 acre ranch and I didn't want to spook any animals that might be bedded in the fields so I chose not to use a flashlight and snaked my way along the perimeter roads then cut across the base of a dam and finally reached the blind at 5:35am.

By the time I got setup it was shooting hours. I scanned the hillside with my glasses and nothing. I tried to convince myself that that was a good thing assuming all the Antelope were still in the fields. The sun had just peaked over Hunter's Ridge when I spotted two fawns stand up and stretch in the middle of a huge wild sunflower patch. The sunflowers were new this year and probably a result of all the thunderstorms this last month.

They were about 500 yards north on a huge flat when they came to attention looking back to my left. Not one but two coyotes were on the hunt and for the next 20 minutes I watch a cat and mouse game all the way to the top of the hill. When the coyotes realized they couldn't close the distance enough for a fair chase they wandered off up a side canyon. I never saw mom until they reunited back at the bedding area in the sunflower patch.

Mom and her twin fawns started feeding up the mountain and again came to attention looking down the hill but a little right of my location. When I looked out my side window and down the levee there stands a really nice buck looking up the hill with love in his eyes. At least I fascinated love because he was about 125 yards away and my heart was trying to jump out of my shirt. After a few nibbles of grass he slipped further out of range closing the distance to his future love on the hill. About 300 yards up the hill he paused to make a scrape and then urinated in it to mark his territory. Rather than meet face to face and start a conversation he crossed her path about 20 yards behind and sniffed her tracks. She looked over her shoulder as to say don't even thing about it Buster. When the girls are hot their hot and I guess she's not so he climbed the hill a little further and bedded down for a snooze.

Well, that was it for excitement on opening morning. It's now five hours later and who knows we're all the Antelope are hiding. I'm still in the blind and plan on staying here until dark, maybe.

I've watched the same four goats walk up and down the hill twice but they are using a break in the fence about 300 yards east of my blind. I haven't seen the buck in about two hours so i hope he is in the fields behind me. My hope is Carl will have business tending the pumps and will push him my direction. Unless something changes this afternoon this is Day 1 report.

Back to Adin. Day -2

noreply@blogger.com (Pops Brothers) — Fri, 09 Aug 2013 01:56:00 +0000

We rolled into Adin this afternoon and had Antelope camp setup and ready to go by 3:00pm. My last chore was getting the satellite dish pointed south when the power went out. It's almost 6:30 and still no Fox News. I'm actually enjoying the pease and quiet. We drove out to the ranch and spotted four nice bucks I'd love to take on Saturday. It's Day -2 and I'm started to get a little excited. Stay tuned.

First double

noreply@blogger.com (Pops Brothers) — Sat, 27 Apr 2013 15:34:00 +0000

Michele and I escaped the kitchen remodel and headed to Shasta yesterday to chase a bass or two. We had a great time and the weather was perfect. The bite was ok and we found a few fish on beds. Spotted Bass spawn typically in twenty feet of water so finding beds are a little more difficult than the Smallmouth at Lake Almanor. All said, a great day on the lake, the boat ran good and we are having Beer battered bass for dinner tonight.

Waiting for the Granite

noreply@blogger.com (Pops Brothers) — Sun, 21 Apr 2013 02:45:00 +0000

All the cabinets are installed and we are waiting on the Granite guy. Michele is in hog heaven putting spices in her two spice racks. One rack for baking and one next to the cook top. The recycling pullout is next then two shelves, barn door for the pantry and crown moulding. It won't be long now.

Eagles take a dump too!

noreply@blogger.com (Pops Brothers) — Sun, 10 Mar 2013 23:37:00 +0000

These cabinets must be getting to me because my imagination is starting to wander. While installing a finished end on one of the upper cabinets I noticed the knots in one panel had a unique configuration. Can you see what I see?

New Granddaughter and Sanding Elbow

noreply@blogger.com (Pops Brothers) — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 02:29:00 +0000

Garrett call us Monday from the hospital with news the the baby is on it's way and if grandma wanted to participate she better catch a plane ride. So, off we went to Sacto for a 8pm flight. I kissed my wife good bye and now I have a month to finish this project so she can come home to a new kitchen.

All the cutting, planing, routing, screwing and dovetailing is done. I spent most of the day with a sander in hand and boy does my elbow hurt. You would think is just pitched a nine inning game.

I started packing dishes last night so for the rest of the week I will work in the shop during daylight hours and demolition after dinner.

Dovetail Day

noreply@blogger.com (Pops Brothers) — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 02:11:00 +0000

I didn't get a whole lot done today. If it is the day of rest how come I'm so tired. I did get six drawer boxes dovetailed and Norm would be proud. The boxes in the photo are just fitted together without glue and look great. I can't wait to get the bottoms in and all glued and puttied. I decided to use Baltic Birch plywood instead of solid wood because the drawers are so big and there is a ton of them. Twenty two drawers and twelve cabinet doors. We now have six drawers and fourteen doors. What an improvement in the same space and I can't wait to see the before and after videos. I hope to finish the drawer boxes tomorrow.

Back in Business

noreply@blogger.com (Pops Brothers) — Sun, 03 Mar 2013 05:01:00 +0000

The router bit came in the mail yesterday, but we took the day off from the kitchen and did a short job at Terry's house, delivered a linen closet to Dennis and Jane, picked up seven sheets of Baltic birch plywood for the drawer boxes, had lunch at Costco and looked for reloading components at Sportsman's Warehouse. Almost forgot, I delivered a bi-fold door that I sold on Craig's List. We were tempted to stop at the casino and have dinner but that's on the schedule for next Wednesday.
Today we finished milling and assembling the rest of the door and drawer fronts. We cut up all seven sheets of Baltic Birch for drawer boxes and finished the day by setting up my dovetail jig. I thought a video would be a nice change.

Doors, drawers and more

noreply@blogger.com (Pops Brothers) — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 02:47:00 +0000

The cabinet boxes are finished and I moved on to the doors and drawer fronts today. I sized all the panels, made lots of sanding dust and had enough time at assemble one door.

Poof : the driveway is full.

noreply@blogger.com (Pops Brothers) — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 01:33:00 +0000

We assembled all but two cabinets today. I like this stage of the build because you actually see a dramatic change from parts to something that actually looks functional. It's similar to the Sheetrock stage of building a house. We will finish the boxes tomorrow morning and move on to the Shaker doors, drawer fronts and drawer boxes. Then comes the sanding,not my favorite step of cabinetry.

Big Pieces to Little Pieces

noreply@blogger.com (Pops Brothers) — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 03:30:00 +0000

Terry shook the flu bug and helped me rip up 12 sheets of plywood this morning. All the cabinet cases are stacked in the rack and ready for the assembly table tomorrow. I ordered a new door panel set and upgraded the shipping so I should be ready to build doors by Wednesday.

We should be ready to start demo by the end of next week.

Door Day

noreply@blogger.com (Pops Brothers) — Sun, 24 Feb 2013 06:07:00 +0000

I finish all of the face frames yesterday so I moved on to the doors today. All was milling fine until my router bit decided to explode. Luckily it was the bottom cutter and the flying carbide was trapped below the stile. It reinforces the need to wear eye protection. The bit is still under warranty but I've been down this road before, which means ill just order a replacement on Monday and then jump through the hoops with customer service and hopefully I'll have a backup in the future.

The bright side of the story is I won't feel guilty watching NASCAR tomorrow. How come it takes a woman to stir my interest in race cars? I don't even have a Beer in the refer but I know an easy fix. I hope they get the track fixed up in time.

The schedule for Monday includes chopping up thirteen sheets of plywood.

Michele's New Kitchen

noreply@blogger.com (Pops Brothers) — Fri, 22 Feb 2013 20:05:00 +0000

It's finally time to get started. I almost forgot I promised to document the whole project from beginning to end. I picked up the materials on Monday but I had a few loose ends to wrap up so I didn't get started until yesterday. I planed all 320 bf of lumber yesterday and ripped all the face frame stock. This morning I cut to length and started assembling the face frames. I started with the tall oven/microwave cabinet as seen in one of the photos. More to follow.

Slap me again, am I dreaming!

noreply@blogger.com (Pops Brothers) — Mon, 05 Nov 2012 07:34:00 +0000

So here we are, sitting in my Double Bull Blind, watching the sun go down, counting the minutes until we have to run down the hill and jump in the boat so we can navigate China Rapids before dark. I looked to my left towards the ravine, directly into the sun and I catch a glimpse of a Doe trotting down the ridge towards the river. I nudged Michele to get her attention as a fawn appears right behind her mother. Why are they trotting? Another Doe appears and then stops, looking over her shoulder backup the ridge. Holly crap, get ready! We make a quick adjustment to the chairs and got the shooting sticks in position. Michele is almost looking directly into the sun and can't see anything through the scope, so we move back into the back corner of the blind so her scope is in the shade.

I don't think a minute passed when we caught movement in the grass! I can't believe it. It is almost sundown, the last hour of the last day of the hunt and a nice buck has his nose down chasing the Does down the ridge. He came out of the trees with a mission in mind but decided to slow down when he stepped out into the open. Buck fever instantly pulsed through my veins and all I could say was SHOOT. Michele on the other hand was cool and collected and whispered that she didn't have a good shot yet. Shoot was all I could say and then kaboom. We were setting back in the corner of the blind and the muzzle of the .243 Winchester was about two feet inside the window of the blind. I think the concussion lifted the blind about a foot off the ground and I could barely hear myself roar "you got him" when I saw the bucks feet reaching towards the sky. When the dust settled I didn't open the door to the blind to get out, I just stood up and pitched the blind to the side in excitement. I don't know who was more excited but all I can say is this was one of the most exciting hunts of my life. It was Michele's first buck and the excitement was on overload.

After taking a few pictures I looked at the time and it was 5:04pm, thirty minutes before the end of the season. I sent Michele back to the blind to get her tags as I started field dressing our third kill of the year. Two the the three bucks were harvested within the last hour of their respective seasons. You always hear it on the Outdoor programs but to have it happen twice this year is unbelievable.

The original plan was to start down the hill at sundown but now we had to field dress the buck, fold up the blind and drag him 400 yards down to the boat. Running through China Rapids in the daylight was now just a pipe dream and luckily I remembered to pack the spot light. We called Terry with the good news and the bad news that we were headed towards China Rapids in the dark. I asked him to call search and rescue if I didn't call back in 35 minutes. I have run the rapids many times this last week and at the current water level I wasn't too concerned as long as my 25HP Merc kept humming like normal. The next twenty minutes was pretty scary but what a way to end a season. Memories I will take to my grave and a story that will be told many times in future deer camps.

Way to go Michele, congratulations on your first buck. We are going to eat good this winter.

Pinch me, am I dreaming?

Hour and a half left

noreply@blogger.com (Pops Brothers) — Mon, 05 Nov 2012 00:01:00 +0000

The count is up to ten now. No horns yet but a bunch of hungry Does munching on acorns. There is still hope left.

Last day deer hunting

noreply@blogger.com (Pops Brothers) — Sun, 04 Nov 2012 22:24:00 +0000

Here I am again posting to my blog while sitting with my killer wife in a Double Bull blind. It's the last day of G-1 season and we are setup watching a spot we jumped a forked horn on Friday. We are on a flat just above the banks of the Sacramento River about a mile and a half from our home in the Bend. Funny thing, we are so close to home but to get to this spot it takes a 20 minute boat ride.

I had this tree in mind to setup under and when we got here six Does were bedded down waiting for us. It's getting close to the rut so hopefully a buck will show up soon looking for the ladies.

It's 2:30 now so we have three hours left for this year. Maybe we can make it happen in the last hours of the last day, just like Antelope season.

Antelope Season Wrap

noreply@blogger.com (Pops Brothers) — Wed, 15 Aug 2012 07:18:00 +0000

It's Tuesday night and we are back in smoky Lake Almanor. My last post was on Friday when I was in the field watching Heart Buck feed about 350 yards just south of my position. A lot has happened since Friday and I just didn't have time to post on Saturday and Sunday. This was my best hunt ever and it wasn't because of my success but the many aspects of hunting that I have never experienced before. One unique experience was the ability to Blog from my iPhone while in the field waiting, watching and anticipating the movements of different herds of Antelope. I don’t think there was fifteen minutes that I couldn’t see Antelope from my position, whether it be in the blind, a ditch or just sitting under the pivot. Antelope hunting in itself is very unique since the animals are visible almost every minute of the day and a hunter needs to be careful not to exhaust himself in the chase. I just spent a few minutes reviewing some of earlier posts and let me make the excuse that posting on an iPhone in the field without my reading glasses was very challenging and you can tell by the many spelling errors. Thank God for spell checkers but you need to be able to see the little red line before you can correct the errors. With that excuse made, I will continue the story:

So on Friday when I was watching Heart Buck feed in the triangle between the three pivots, I made the decision I had to make the next move because, unless disturbed, Heart Buck would just feed until dark and then bed down in the safety of the triangle. I called Michele and asked her to drive the pickup to the field and then along the edge of the first pivot and maybe Heart Buck and his small herd would exit the field along the pivot and come within bow range. What happened when Michele entered the scene was hilarious. The stud, Heart Buck was the first to come to attention and then immediately sprinted 75 yards across the field to hide behind the old dominate doe and look over her back as those he was hiding from danger behind mommy's back. He was one tough cookie when it came to smaller bucks but was the first to run when real danger arrives. When the herd decided to make their move, Coward Buck surrounded himself with girls and exited the field almost last so he could watch the leading Does and be alerted of any danger. Unfortunately their path wasn't as I expected, so I gave the Antelope another point on the score board. It was getting late and I knew it would take another two hours for the herd to come back down the hill so I marched across the field and we headed back to camp.

Saturday: Since Heart Buck and family didn't cross the fence line and just circled behind the lake I decided to enter the field before daylight and hide under the pivot hoping the herd would re-enter the field sometime the next morning. Carl had turned the water off on the pivot and the arm was positioned straight towards the western fence and in the path that the herd usually used to enter the field. I came up with the idea that if I placed an object in their normal path along with the pivot arm that it may divert them in a path that came closer to my position under the pivot. Michele dropped me off on the edge of the field about 4:30am and I crossed the field in darkness and placed a five gallon bucket in their path and then positioned myself under the pivot. At first light a few Does entered the field and started feeding towards the bucket. They came within 150 yards of the bucket and came to a halt staring at the unfamiliar object and for a second I thought my plan just might work. The rest of the herd was still milling around just north of the ditch on the north end of the field when all of a sudden everyone came to attention. I faintly heard the putt putt of a four wheeler coming up the north fence line on the Fox Mountain Ranch. Next thing I knew, the herd was on the move, through the fence and up the mountain. The Fox Mountain ranch hand was repairing fences (on Saturday??) and made several stops spooking the entire herd to never never land. My next move was a phone call to Michele for a ride back to camp for lunch and a nap.

It was down to Saturday evening and Sunday morning to close the deal and giving up was not an option. During our early dinner I made the decision not to focus on the herd but look for a small group or a single buck to single out that evening. I had noticed that the main herd which number almost 50 during our scouting period had dwindled to about 30 so there must be smaller groups and single bucks floating around somewhere and if I had patience and stayed in position until dark I might have a chance to ambush one of these smaller groups. To make a long story short, it didn't work Saturday night. Heart Buck and family entered the field in the north east corner of the field for the first time and never ventured more than thirty yards from the north fence line. Just before dark it was a kick watching a group of about 6 fawns play follow the leader, zipping around the field at amazing speeds building the skills needed to outrun predators and maybe someday cornering a girl friend. After dark I slipped out of the field and head for camp to plan the final day of my dream hunt.

When we got back to camp and sitting at the table re-hydrating, I looked at Michele and made the statement: “I’m going to kill a buck tomorrow and I’ll be back by 10:30, we’ll pack up and head home to get ready for deer season.” For some reason, after thirteen days of watching Antelope I had this feeling of confidence that was almost eerie. I did a little extra preparation which included using a different type of scent protection, completely saturating all of my camo, hat and boots. (Which really didn’t matter)

Last day of the hunt: The alarm went off at 4:00am, again, and I was up and out the door without coffee. The wind was out of the east and it seemed like it was darker because of the smoke from the two fires burning south in the Lassen and Plumas National Forests. I decided to enter the field from the southeast and try to make it to ditch on the north end of the pivot without spooking any animals in the field. I removed the bucket from the field as I passed and hid it behind a clump of grass. I wanted the herd to enter the field like normal and my position would be perfect for a final ambush. At first light I peaked over the ditch and to my surprise I could only see one yearling buck bedded about 200 yards just north. The wind was perfect but no bucks in sight. My confidence was starting to fade when I notice movement in the northeast corner of the field. There he was, Heart buck and family feeding along the fence line headed straight at me. The roller coaster of emotions took another turn and then the herd did a 180 turn and left the field heading east and my hopes headed south. Remember how I said that this hunt was unique? What happened next wasn’t the event that I was hoping for but after fourteen days of non stop hunting I was up for anything. My phone vibrated and I couldn’t get it out of my pocket fast enough. It was a text message from James, the son of a local hay farmer and boyfriend of the daughter of my friend in Adin. James previously had told me that a decent buck had been hanging around their property and he could call me if he showed up.

Text Quote:

James: Damn he’s a 100 yards from the shop.

Me: Put a rope around his neck

James: Just drove 20 yards past that buck.

Me: Where is he?

James: N one of our pivots fields. Along a road.

Me: Do you have time to show me this morning.

James: Either dad or I can.

It was time to move. I called James and made the arrangement to meet him at the main barn in fifteen minutes. Now all I had to do was walk or run a thousand yards and drive about four miles to the ranch. I was shaking like a leaf, I finally had a single buck that hadn’t been chased for fourteen days and was accustom to tractors and trucks driving around his fields. I made tracks for the truck and by the time I was driving into the barnyard my nerves and confidence had settled. Johnnie and his wife drove up alongside of me and I blurted out. “The Antelope Exterminator has arrived” (many farmers look at Antelope just as ground squirrels, they just eat up profits). Johnnie said James was over refueling a tractor and he would show me where the buck was located.

James jumped in my truck and directed me back to the main road and south to the two hay barns and to our surprise the darn buck was standing in the parking lot just north of an old mobile home. He had crossed the ditch and was headed through the parking lot and across the road to an adjoining field. We pulled into one of the barns and when I peaked around the corner he has headed across the main road for the safety of the pivot field on the west. It was pretty funny watching an Antelope in high gear crossing a paved road. It looked like he was on ice skates for a moment and then out in the field just out of range. So much for the perfect stock and now he had the safety of a 100 acre hay field. I was immune to the disappointment of a failed stock so I told James I would take him back to the shop so he could get back to work. When we got back to the fuel tanks I glassed across the field and it looked like he was close to the south road, so we decided to take a drive around the field and range his position. When we got into position he was still at 102 yards and feeding back towards the center of the field. We circled the field and back to the shop and when James got out he immediately saw that the buck had crossed the field. He was standing on the road right under the pivot arm. Here we go again, this time James was driving and I was riding shotgun. (I mean Bow) As we got near, the buck left the road and headed slowly towards the river. As we passed I slipped out and entered the field just under the pivot. The buck was broad side at 26 yards and by the time I nocked an arrow and drew I figured he was about 30 yards and walking straight away. I knew that he was on the move and a broad side shot was not in the picture so the next best shot in this position was the old “Texas heart shot”. I put the 30 yard pin where it counts and released. The solid thump indicated a good hit and he sprinted across the field and headed up the south road. At 135 yards he slowed to a stop, his legs spread apart slightly and then the lights went out.

After a high five with James, we drove down to the south road and approached the culmination of fourteen days of jam packed excitement, depression, sweat and determination. It wasn’t the perfect stock on my belly, down ditches and across rocky fields but it was backstrap, a trophy I will cherish forever and the end to one of the greatest hunts in memory. (At 10:00am, a half hour before I promised the hunt would end.)