The 2019 Rut is cranking up.

I have not posted for a while, work and life sometimes gets in the way. I also had to take time and deal with a diagnosis of prostrate cancer. That is all be hind me now and I’m back at it.

The forecast for November 10th, 2019 was sunny with about 50% cloud cover. Perfect day for taking the Hawken out in pursuit of Sitka Blacktail. The sun never shown, it misted and rained most the day. Believing the forecast, I took the Hawken to the field in a wool bag. The place I wanted to be was 5 miles in so I hiked the first couple of miles in the dark. Nothing much was afoot in the early morning hours. At about 0730, just as it was becoming light enough for open sights a buck entered the trail in front of me, nose to the ground, moving away fast. He never saw me. I could see he was mature, his body and rack suggested that. I pulled the wool cover from the Hawken, knelt, mouth grunted him to a stop as I ranged him at 70 yards. He spun to meet the challenger. I aimed for the sweet spot and fired. With the moist air he all but disappeared in the smoke. He ran out of site over a small rise. I stood and reloaded. I put my pack back on and moved to where I last saw him. NO hair, No blood. Damn, the shot felt good. I could see his tracks for a ways. I looked for 45 minutes but had nothing to go on. Hell, I must have missed. I always start second guessing the shot, did I rush, did I not hold center…I beat myself up as I moved further along the trail. I set up where I had many bucks on trail camera, I sat for over an hour. From photos I knew that several nice bucks used these crossings in the early morning hours. At about 10:00 I decided to move closer to where I suspected the bucks may be bedded. I used the Primos Long CAN®. I would make 3-4 calls every 4-5 minutes. A bout 20 minutes after I started, I saw a portion of an orange antler moving through the brush at about 80 yards. For the next few moments I caught glimpses of movement. Finally, 32 yards away through a slim opening in a mountain hemlock I saw a face, a nose and a double white throat patch. Finally, I could see where the neck enters the shoulder. Aim small, miss small. I held tight on the spot and fired through the opening. The moist air filled with smoke obstructing my view. The buck was gone. I reloaded and advanced to find him piled up in a small stream...One of the many fine bucks I had on the camera some 60 yards distant. A great, mature Sitka....trying to be a 5 x 5...Hunting and calling rutting Sitka Blacktail is just the best. I paid my respects and slowly boned him out. Packed him up and headed the 5 miles back to the truck. That was until I got to where I had shot at the buck and missed in the early morning. As I hiked out with the 5 x 5 in my pack, an immature bald eagle rose with a raven, 40 yards beyond where I lost all sign of the buck in the morning. I dropped my pack and moved to where the birds had flushed from. There in the pre-commercially thinned slash, behind a log, down in a creek was the buck from the morning, a .58 caliber hole through the boiler room. The birds had not eaten much, I had disturbed their recently discovered feast. A heavy 2 x 3 with eye guards. I boned out the deer and added it to my already heavy load. I had this buck on camera too...My back is sore but I had a great day hunting Sitka Blacktail with my Hawken. Lord I love this place and the deer...