Spring Wrap Up!

What a spring it was! We had some amazing hunts and fishing trips. It started back in March with some combo fishing/Turkey trips. Opener of turkey season I got to hunt with my good friend and watch him arrow a nice Jake in Placer County. The highlight was hunting turkeys in 25 degree weather with snow on the ground in Northeastern California. We located a group of 5 toms and 6 hens. One 35 yard shot from Emily and she had a gorgeous Merriam Tom!

I didn't get my chance until a few weeks later when I called in a nice Jake to 30 yards.

The next trips were targeted for Fish. Emily and I have a small john boat that we use the most. It is perfect for what we do and we were able to land numerous nice trout and kokanee. Our big acquisition for the boat this year was a new Fish Finder. The Hawkeye FishTax 1C. We were so impressed with it that I completed a video review on the product. Check it out below:

We also had some time to fit in a coast trip to chase Rio Grande Turkeys and pigs. Well both cooperated nicely and we came home with two hogs and two nice toms!

The end of the spring was rounded out with some more fishing on a Wilderness Unlimited hunting and fishing club property (www.wildernessunlimited.com), Lake Margaret. What a time! Lots of nice trout and great company! Now onto Big Game Season!

2016 California Big Game Wrap up

2016 was a great year for us in our home state. We were able to get out at least once a month from July through October, experience some great places and put some awesome animals in the freezers.

July brought A zone archery deer and pigs. We were able to hunt two different ranches and put numerous stalks on some nice bucks and even get some shots. The deer didn't work out but Emily was able to connect on a nice 70 lb boar. She was all smiles.

August and September brought another A zone and a B zone deer hunt with our bows. We saw some nice bucks in both zones but were again not able to connect. The pigs however cooperated great! Emily was able to put down another great meat hog and I was able to take two great tuskers. All three pigs with our bows! That's 4 great hogs for 2016!!!

 

October brought cooler weather and a B zone and X zone hunt. The B zone hunt was in the eye of the storm, we hunted for 3 days in the rain and wind and saw over 30 deer before finding a decent fork. One shot at 150 yards did the trick.

Emily's X zone hunt was a blast! It was warmer weather than we wanted but we were able to get on some great bucks and by day 7 Emily connected with a nice 4x3.

 

Emily's Buck before the shot.

That wraps up California Big Game season for us. I still have a bear tag however with an Idaho deer hunt still on schedule I think I will pass on the bear hunting. 4 pigs and 2 bucks made 2016 California another blessed year for stories and the freezers.

The Closing Weekend!

 

So Emily and I just got back from a very successful California A-zone hunt on Wilderness Unlimited Leased Lands and a old deer club Emily's family belongs to. The trip was amazing since we not only “Tagged Out” but we were able to spend quality time with family in the outdoors.

 

We hunted Wednesday through a Sunday and were able to take two nice respectable bucks and a pig. Emily harvested hers on the first evening we were there. The rain poured all day and the deer were all over. Her buck was a nice little fork which weighed around 130 lbs. The buck was in the exact same spot she took a nice fork two years earlier. She made a great 60 yard shot with her Savage 243 with 100 grain hand loads.  This marks year number four she has been able to tag out on the first day of the hunt. She is too dang lucky.

 

On Thursday we decided to head to a Wilderness Unlimited Ranch nearby. We made some great hunts including one where I got within 50 yards of one of the largest Blacktails I have seen while hunting. Unfortunately while at full draw a small 2x2 stood right in front of the buck’s vitals. They finally got spooky and both bolted at the same time leaving me with the image of his rack burnt into my imagination.  On my way back to the truck I spotted a nice 3x3 about 250 yards away. After about 10 minutes, I closed the distance to 48 yards and slipped an arrow into the buck. He was a dandy archery buck with a great cape and meat. The deer this year have all been in great body condition due to the extraordinary acorn crop.  

Getting ready to shoot.

 The Limbsaver Proton, Victory Arrows and Ulmer Edge Broadheads did the trick again. I love this setup!

Friday brought us on the hunt for Pigs at a ranch near Hopland, CA. We were able to get on some pigs but were never able to get within bow range. That evening we all split up to cover some likely areas where pigs were crossing that morning. I picked a fence line that had some good rooting earlier. Toward the very end of my hike I heard pigs rooting under an Oak tree about 100 yards ahead of me. I closed the distance and put an arrow in the boiler room of a nice 80lb boar at 26 yards. Pigs are sometimes so oblivious (when they are feeding) that with the right wind you can literally walk right up to them! Pork Chops for Dinner!

The rest of the trip was filled with hikes and laughs around camp. We felt so fortunate to go home with happy hearts and heavy coolers. Another A zone season is in the bag and we cannot wait for our next hunts in October for Mule Deer. Now the Butcher work begins!

Back from the "Man" Weekend

Well the boys and I had a great "man" week last week archery hunting deer and pigs. It is truly a blessing to have hunting buddies that you can spend 5 days with laughing, hunting and truly enjoying each others company.
We took some great game and had some great experiences. I took a nice Boar, J.P. took a meat boar (of which we got no good pictures of) and Dalyn was able to take his first Archery buck, a nice 19" fork. His Buck wasn’t easy since it died and fell off a 60ft cliff making the haul out damn near impossible. The antlers were a little chipped but nothing that J.P. can’t fix!
Thanks J.P. and Dalyn for taking the time off to make this hunt happen. It made my year.

My 200+ boar. The Limbsaver Proton, Victory Arrows and Ulmer Edge Broadheads did the trick!

Dalyn with his first Archery Buck. A 19" Fork. He got beat up a bit from the fall off of a 60 ft cliff.

Sneaking on a Lone Boar

Heavy pack out.

Getting Closer

Dalyn's Buck

J.P.'s Hog