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.
