I had written off the last weekend of deer season.  I had come to the conclusion that Erin and I would have tag soup this year, but I was glad Erin had seen a couple of shooters and managed to get a pig.  I asked her if she wanted to go to the neighbors on Saturday evening or Sunday and she declined.

I worked Saturday , picked up a pig from the meat locker, and watched some college football. Sunday I had signed up for a 5k footrace with my middle daughter, so I ran that in the morning instead of going hunting.   I finished 22nd overall and 2nd in my age group.   I though I’d earned a nap and did some errands around home that afternoon.

Then late that afternoon, my cousin calls on the phone, and says he saw a buck in the creek. So we grab Erin’s rifle and shooting sticks and start quick sneaking north along the creek.

We watched a spike as he slipped into the willows and moved north ahead of us. We worked up to where we could see another 300 yards along the creek.

Pretty soon we spotted a good buck following a doe headed southbound weaving in and out of the willows. Pretty soon the spike came streaking out into the open as the buck defended his girlfriend.

The light was low enough, and at an angle that you couldn’t see deer in the shadows under the willows without binos or a scope. I could see the doe looking our way deep in the shadows. Pretty soon the spike made the mistake of approaching her and the buck came out and chased him off. He dropped his head and fed for a little bit before he headed back into the cover. He lingered in the open too long and Erin dropped him in his track at 200 yards off the sticks with her 7mm-08. One finisher behind the ear sealed the deal and Erin had her first buck.

Erin was a trooper and did much of the knife work in field dressing and skinning her buck late into the night. Monday morning she had photos to share with her friends and teammates commemorating her first buck.

DFG News Release

Department of Fish and Game (DFG) Director John McCamman announced today that Californians will soon purchase hunting and fishing licenses using a real-time automated system. Especially developed for DFG, the Automated License Data System (ALDS) is already in place at DFG license sales offices. The system will be piloted at select license agent locations beginning the week of Sept. 20, with full statewide implementation expected between November 2010 and early January 2011.

“This system is the largest of its kind in the world,” said Director McCamman. “This long-awaited, long-requested system will provide an unmatched level of service to our license-buying constituents.”

Unlike automated systems in other states, California’s ALDS is a real-time system.

“A real-time system gives customers immediate access to our license inventory which will eliminate the need to visit a DFG office or wait for high-demand products to be issued via mail,” said James Fong, chief of DFG’s License and Revenue Branch. “For example, a deer hunter will be able to go to his or her local license agent and immediately purchase any available deer tag rather than having to mail in an application or travel to a DFG office to make the purchase.”

ALDS will provide numerous advantages to hunting and fishing license buyers. License Agents won’t run out of licenses and stamps, for example, and customers will be able to easily replace lost licenses at any license agent for a reduced fee.

“The advantages of this system go far beyond convenience,” said Fong. “Not only will we be able to improve customer service, but we will be able to use the information in the database to better manage wildlife and comply with federal grant requirements which translates into more revenue for our wildlife management and enforcement programs.”

During the first year of ALDS, customers should be aware that new requirements exist. For example, items issued through ALDS will be subject to a three percent surcharge for system maintenance. Also, customers must provide some form of legal identification and a telephone number when they first make a purchase through ALDS. Customers are able to purchase licenses for other people as long as the licensee’s prior year license is provided along with a driver license number. Without the prior year license, the purchaser must provide the licensee’s date of birth, legal identification number and type, address and physical description. If the purchaser does not have all of the licensee’s personal data, they can purchase a license voucher that can be redeemed for a sportfishing or hunting license at any ALDS license agent.

The new requirements will ensure a complete and accurate customer database, reduce the risk of fraud, improve DFG’s ability to better manage resources, provide more equitable outdoor opportunities and meet federal mandates that require complete customer data. Although customers may experience a slower license sales transaction time the first year, the process will be quicker in the future, as the customer’s information will already be in the system.

The license agents in the initial pilot of ALDS include:

* Brown’s Sporting Goods – Garberville, Calif.
* Kalina’s Hardware – Malin, Oregon
* The Tackle Box – Salinas, Calif.
* H & M Landing – San Diego, Calif.
* *Big 5 – El Segundo, Calif.
* *Walmart – Susanville, Calif.
* *Sports Authority – Temecula, Calif.
* Broadway Bait, Rod & Gun – Sacramento, Calif.
* Herb Bauer Sporting Goods – Fresno, Calif.
* Dom’s Outdoor Outfitters – Livermore, Calif.
* Diamond Sporting Goods – Ukiah, Calif.
* Floyd’s General Store – Bakersfield, Calif.
* The Grant Boys – Costa Mesa, Calif.
* *Bass Pro Shop’s Outdoor World – Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.
* Half Moon Bay Sportfishing and Tackle – Half Moon Bay, Calif.
* Newport Landing – Newport Beach, Calif.

*This location only.

Traditional hunting and fishing licenses will still be available at non-ALDS license agents until the system is fully implemented statewide. Fishing licenses also continue to be available for purchase online at www.calicensetofish.com. Hunting licenses are expected to be available for purchase online in 2011.

To find a license agent near you, or to learn more about ALDS, please visit the DFG website at www.dfg.ca.gov/licensing.

It is with sadness that the Pope and Young Club shares the news that our founder, Glenn St. Charles, has passed away.

Glenn St. Charles, passed away September 19th at his home in Seattle, Washington, after a short illness. He was 98.

“The Pope & Young Club wishes to extend our deepest sympathy to the St. Charles family. This is also a tremendous loss for the entire bowhunting community. The Pope & Young Club lost a father figure. The bowhunting community, shaped by more than five decades of Glenn’s influence, lost a guiding force,” said Pope & Young Club President Roger Atwood.

A bowyer from the 1940s when modern-day hunting with the bow and arrow was still in its infancy, St. Charles became a staunch and driven advocate for the sport. His vision for bettering the image of bowhunting and proving the effectiveness of the bow and arrow…the very creation of the Pope and Young Club…was integral in the establishment of bowhunting seasons and the acceptance and popularity that bowhunting has since garnered. His work as Hunting Activities Chairman of the National Field Archery Association in the 1950s led to the development of the bowhunting records program, the subsequent founding of the Pope and Young Club in 1961, and the creation of a bowhunting ethical code and Rules of Fair Chase. His efforts and devotion to the cause of bowhunting spanned over eight decades. A legitimate iconic figure, St. Charles was one of the last true bowhunting pioneers.

M. R. James, President of the Archery Hall of Fame, and Past President of the Pope and Young Club, added “Glenn St. Charles will be remembered by many as a talented bowyer and founder of the Pope and Young Club. Rightfully so. But for his close friends and family, he will be fondly recalled a man who accomplished much more during a long and active lifetime. Father and father figure; fierce advocate and tireless defender of the sport he loved; pioneer bowhunter and visionary leader; outspoken conservationist; promoter of fair chase hunting; loyal friend and wise mentor; without question, Glenn St. Charles left his indelible mark on archery and bowhunting. He will be missed, but his place in our sport’s rich history is secure.”

At this moment, arrangements are pending. Additional information will be provided by the Club as it becomes available. In the meantime, those wishing to express condolences can do so by sending them to admin@pope-young.org, which will then be forwarded to the family.

The fifth weekend of eight that the A zone General season for deer was a busy one for my family. Unfortunately it didn’t involve any hunting! I did manage to shoot a round of field archery with the folks from Sonoma County Bowmen at their range at Lake Sonoma.

The next weekend my daughter Erin and I were invited to my buddy Cal’s place for deer with a chance of hogs.

Well we saw lots of game driving in the night before, and with rain forcast for Saturday night the fog was particularly damp and humid all night and morning. We were pegged by a small buck bedded in the tall grass and he bounded off before Erin could get a bead on him.

We found a high point to glass from and at about 9:00 am pigs began to show up among the folds , trees and brush of the hillside 300 yards in front of us.  They were working in our direction and kept dissappearing in the terrain, and wild oats.  After nearly an hour of this, one good sized pig fed out on the opposite hillside and I gave Erin the green light to shoot.  I saw dust fly above the hog and he took off like a track star with no indications of a hit.

When the shot went off the whole basin erupted with pigs running everywhere. That included Erin’s target hog.  He ran the length of the ridge and disappeared back into the tree line that he first emerged from.  We took up the trail to look for blood but there was not a speck, not for 200 yards we cast about looking for sign.

After 20 minutes we determined there was no blood, I peeked over the back side of the ridge and saw black bodies moving in the grass.  I ducked back and motioned Erin back up to the ridge line.  I got her set up on her sticks as four weaner size pigs meandered along a fire road below.   One shot from her 7mm-08 and the lead pig started turning in circles as the three remaining confused porkers ran back into the basin they had just come out of.

After the dust settled we dropped down the hill where her hit pig ran, and found him expired 20 yards from the site of the shot.  Erin’s aim was true as the 140 grain Cor-Loct entered at the right shoulder leaving a trail of destruction allthe way throughto a small exit behind the left ribs.  The lack of Exterior blood was in stark contrast to the work the bullet did internally, destroying itself, in the process.   

The pack out was quick, but I wanted the photo op to show the Badlands 2200 pack in action. 

So it was a productive weekend for Erin.  We slept in the next morning and listened to the rain as we drank coffee and hot chocolate.  That evening we dined on wild rice and wild pork tenderloin.

Over the past few seasons we have been treated to some great trail camera pictures form DJ Rankosky of Montana.  He spends a lot of time in the offseason keeping track of wolves, bears and an occasional deer elk or moose with his trail cameras.   So with as much time in the outdoors, a rainy day is hardly much incentive to spend another day out chasing elusive elk in the dripping trees and brush.

A rainy midweek day hunt paid off big.  Since he had a day off and had fufilled his family obligations that morning he headed out, in the rain , to see if he could bump into a few elk near his home before he had to pick up his kids that afternoon.

Its only a 15 or 20 minute hike up a hill and over the other side, next to a clearcut, where the timber is dark, and elk like it. Perfect timing, as they are probably out of the clearcut and in the timber by now. I hit the timber at about 10:45, and right away see some brown legs, chins, and white rumps going away deeper into the timber(nothing in there eh?). Its wizzing rain and quiet walking. I move in closer, find where a root wad came up creating a little pit to get down in and call. Hopefully a bull comes back for his “lost cow”. Well about 1 minute into calling, a stick snaps directly behind me, downslope. And CLOSE!!

I turn my head to see this bull 15-20 yards down the hill, he startles, and circles downhill about 10 yards, I cow call and he stops, really wanting to see a cow I am sure. Broadside, ummmmm, 30 yards give or take a couple. Tree on the left, tree on the right, branch high, branch low, perfectly framing the ribcage on this bull. I somehow weasel around to a shooting position, and get drawn. And I let her go!! The fletching disappears but the bull leaves the “window”, not sure how the shot went. I cow call again, and hop out of my pit. The bull circles downhill 40 yards more and is just standing there. Thinking, drop, fall, die, do something(other than bolt down this steep freaking slope all the way to the creek. Then his rump starts sagging, and he lurches over backwards and expires. Yeahhh!!!!!

It wasn’t your typical big country western hunt with the spike camps and gear and such…

But it is a nice bull on public land filled with wolves and griz. I guess it kind of shows, you just have to keep putting yourself out there no matter how bleak it seems, you will find that bull that is just out of his mind enough to trick.

The Petaluma Community Center will be hosting a Wilderness First Aid Class on September 22nd from 6:00 to 9:00 pm.

The class will address the unique aspects of emergency response without medical facilities close at hand.  From broken or sprained ankles to burns and snakebite, this class will help you take your basic first aid background and deal with emergencies away from 911 and emergency personnel.
The instructor is Eric Peterson, his website is www.millcreeksafety.com

You can also register on the web at www.cityofpetaluma.net/register

This year has seen some big blacktail bucks come out of Northern California. A cool Spring made for some great antler growing feed, and this buck made good use of it. At first glance you might think it was a whitetail with the in line points, but this is a 100% Blacktail.

Well, this 2010 rifle deer season was delayed by my tule elk hunt, so I managed to miss opening weekend.  I spent Sunday August 22nd on a stand in Marin County and saw a grand total of 3 deer (2 does and one fawn) .   But it was nice to catch up with some folks I hadn’t seen for a while.  No shots were fired by anyone on that hunt.

The next Sunday,  I was playing a support role as I accompanied my oldest daughter on her first deer hunt.  While we didn’t have any deer pass by us, She did get to witness my father shoot a nice, heavy horned blacktail buck. 

The 3×2 buck was 140 pounds field dressed, and had antlers that measured 15″ high and 16″ wide.   One shot anchored the buck in a steep narrow canyon.  It was quite a feat getting that buck out whole. 

The Labor Day Weekend gave me two days to hunt.   I spent Saturday  morning and part of the afternoon hunting a burn that had grown up in head high Ceonothus.  The dogs ran a small buck out of the top and five shots rang out.   One of those shots hit the mark and the third buck for the season was chalked up for the ranch.

Sunday I returned to my support role as I accompanied my daughter Erin and sat high above a brushy canyon.  This time her 10 year old sister Kelsey would accompany my father, and his pointer Gator  into the brush and Pepperwood trees. 

It was one of the more eventful days of deer hunting as We saw two does over 300 yards away, and Dad, Kelsey and Gator jumped a doe who came just 80 yards from our position.   Erin was ready with rifle on shooting sticks.  Had it been a buck she claims she would have made a good shot.  I got a kick out of her excitement  even though no bucks hit the ground that day.

Once again Cindy Krug has arrowed a good sized bruin in Southern California.  When she and her husband Rich were with me on my Tule Elk Hunt, she told me about her plan to go after a bear the opening weekend of the season. 

In addition I was pleased to find Cindy had a story printed in Bugle Magazine,  The official publication of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. 

As we speak, she is on a hunt for a Roosevelt Elk  in California.  This is one hunt that will test her resolve and determination as much as any hunt she has ever been on.  As Cindy is fond of quoting she will “endevor to persevere.”

Corey Jacobsen at Elk101.com has put together an extremely informative video on the Gutless method of quartering big animals.

The advantage? Well for one, no sawing necessary. Sawing through bone wears you out faster than any other butchering chore. Second, the Gutless method keeps the entrails and a great deal of the blood, in the body cavity for a cleaner butchering site.  Third, fewer bones to pack.  The ribcage and spine adds atleast 100 pounds to an elk carcass.  Why pack the bones if you aren’t gonna eat ‘em?

Check out the teaser video and then you can watch it in more depth and detail in parts 1 and 2.  I think you will certainly take away some ideas from watching it.