Well, it was certainly a different kind of year for me.
My #1 hunting and fishing buddy turned 18 this year and was completely occupied with his new job and girlfriend.
We really didn't get to hunt or fish together much this year and as such, we just didn't get to take as many pics as we usually do, sorry guys...
I didn't even get a photo of him holding his buck as our time tables were just completely wrong this year.
2011 was certainly one bust ass year for me though, I hunted nearly every day for about six weeks.
We had leads on two giant bucks that my son Thomas had spotted while they were in velvet during the archery season and we hunted our tails off in an effort to find them, but only a fleeting glimpse of one of those toads were we able to see.
We really didn't focus on bowhunting too much this year, instead we went all out for rifle season.
We spent a lot of time looking into this country and saw numerous good bucks in it.
The magic of first light.
Though it ain't the Continental Divide, this country really kicks my ass due to the fact that there is just damn little flat ground and I think I climbed every damn mountain I could find this year.
One of the glassing slopes we often use.
Thomas scored first this year, taking this fine 3x3 at over 500 yards with his 7mm-08.
He managed to drag it half way down the mountain, then ran out of time as he had to work that day.
Soooooo he calls me and gives me the buck's location and I ran up the mountain to finish the pack out.
Thanks Kiddo...
The buck fell into this incredibly tight ravine with sheer cliffs on both sides.
I was feeling my age packing this one out.
Again, thanks Kid.
Though I never lose sight of the task at hand, I still often take time to smell the roses.
Sometimes just admiring the beauty in nature makes for a successful outing...
Throughout the season, hot weather prevailed with temps between 85 & 100 degrees.
Still, through gruelling hikes and diligent glassing, I was able to locate numerous bucks on the steep slopes that they call home.
On the very first cool overcast morning, this fine 4x4 made a mistake and I capitalized on it at 410 yards.
My .257 weatherby pierced the morning silence, resulting in one of my best blacktails ever.
It was the 24th buck encounter of the season for me.
I had one more tag to fill and I continued hunting with all my might for one of the two giants we knew were in the country.
Every moment of available time was spent looking for one of the big bucks that I knew was there, but the warm weather was really making things tough.
Unfortunately for me I had to return to work on the final day of the season and wouldn't you know it rained that morning, what every deer hunter dreams of and prays for.
As I made my way back to my truck I picked up movement on the steep slope below me.
In the rapidly fading light I see a decent buck and know it is better than average with at least three points per side.
With less than ten minutes of daylight left I know this is going to be the last buck I see in our 2011 season.
I try to settle my breathing and as the crosshairs settle on the vitals, the .257 barks and at the report, the buck leaps into the air and bolts down the mountain.
I have one more small window to shoot as I see him stumbling down the grade about one hundred yards out and quickly touch off another round, this time I hear a sharp "crack" as the 120 grain Nosler Partition makes contact.
I sit down for a moment and collect my thoughts and listen for further movement.
All is silent, so I move towards the crease in the mountain where I think the buck went.
Sure enough he is there piled up with a shot through the lungs......
And a missing antler.
That second shot was a tad erratic.
I had to get the buck out in the dark and was about a half mile from the truck, so I didn't spend any time looking for the broken antler, so I drug him down hill and tried my best to keep him from rolling right over the top of me due to the extremely steep country.
I put up a flagging tape and I'll look for the missing antler on my next day off.
Overall it was a pretty decent buck, I'm not real sure what the other side of his rack looks like as it was getting real dark and I didn't have much time to look at him, but it appears to be the better side with a big eyeguard.
I'll let you know when I find it.
I got to look at a lot of bucks this year with 42 buck encounters including two dandies that I probably should have thought twice about passing.
My son hunted hard when he could and though he saw numerous bucks, he ended up eating his second deer tag.
I was still very proud of him, I just wish we could have spent more time with him this season.
So there it is, our 2011 California deer season.
Best of luck to all of you guys as your fall hunting seasons approach.
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