Dylan from the Diamond C ranch has been periodically texting me more scouting pics. The first is from a trail cam and the second two are taken just by holding his phone up to the spotting scope so the resolution isn’t the greatest. Still it’s enough to get pretty excited about the upcoming season. I’m on a quest to take a true B&C buck and am hoping that this is the year.
Some great bucks out there. This last one looks exceptional, wide past his ears and nice eye guards. Getting the scouting pics inspired me to go to the Kings Mountain Archery Range today for some practice. My first shot at 40 yards was right on. Did pretty well at various distances out to about 50 yards. Would love to take a big buck with my bow but since the ranch is PLM I have the option to use the rifle.
Dylan sent me this last week. First scouting pic for the year from the Diamond C. This buck in velvet is already well past his ears! Looking forward to seeing more pics as we get closer to August. I will probably go mid August and then back up again in November.
Last fall I shot an exceptional blacktail deer with Diamond C Outfitters up in Humboldt County. Early in the year Dylan had nicknamed him ‘twin towers’ for his split mainbeam on the left side. I had seen scouting pics of the buck but have been mostly focused on getting a big 4×4 ever since coming close the year before and having taking a few 3x4s.
In the past month the story of this buck was covered in Relentless 365 and his picture also appeared in the back of Eastman’s Hunting Journal in the Hornady Successful hunter’s section. Was really happy to get my pic in Eastmans!
Here are some scouting pics of twin towers in velvet where you can first see his split mainbeam growing on the left side.
While hunting for the big 4×4 we came upon a few bucks and he immediately identified one as ‘twin towers’. I had a lot of time to look at him through the spotting scope and didn’t think he was all that special at first, thinking his tall forked eye guard was the ‘split beam’ however after he turned I could see he truly had two mainbeams on the left each forked. At that point I decided I had to take him and the stalk was fairly uneventful. We crawled into the grass at about 200 yards until the hill breaking downward let me get a clear shot. He dropped at the shot from my new Cooper custom classic in .270. I’d waited two years for this rifle and was so happy to break it in on such a great buck.
At the sports show in San Mateo in January I talked to some guys that were starting up a brand new magazine on California hunting called Relentless 365. Soon I’m telling them my fall hunting stories, breaking out the iPhone and sharing pics. Editor Brent Miller asked if I would write a story for their Spring magazine. I told him I would be happy to. Was very pleased to see it come out last month, a full four page story with lots of pictures. It’s great to see a magazine devoted to California hunting again.
Saturday I went to the annual 200 yard shoot hosted by my local chapter of Safari Club International. We usually have about 15 guys show up to sight in their rifles for hunting season at the Chabot 200 yard range which we have to ourselves for the day.
I started out with my prized Cooper which I received last year in time to take my best Blacktail Buck to date. I had the rifle custom made in .270 winchester and waited almost two years for it to arrive.
I had bought some of the new Federal .270 with a 110 gr Barnes Tipped Triple Shocks which are rated at 3400 fps. This load was very interesting as it approximates the extremely flat trajectory of the .257 Weatherby out of a .270 Winchester. This load sighted dead on at 200 is only 5″ low at 300 yards and with a slightly higher adjustment could be a great deer load out to 400. My main concern is can the twist on my barrel stabilize such a light bullet. After a few groups I think the answer is, not well enough. I was able to shoot a couple 2″ groups however it’s not as accurate as I had hoped. The rifle is so accurate with more typical .270 loads I’ll probably just go back to 140gr Accubonds.
Next up was my Sako 85 in 30.06. This is a great all weather rifle and my go to gun for when I don’t want to carry the Cooper around, like in rain or snow. I have it set up for the Barnes 180 gr Triple Shocks so that it’s legal for pigs in the California A Zone which does not allow lead in an attempt to help save the endangered California Condor.
The Sako always seems to deliver great accuracy. It was also my best group of the day at 1 1/2″. Many of the guys out there shoot nice groups but I’m always curious how far they are off from their ‘Point of Aim’. While I’m trying to shoot under 2″ at 200 yards, most all of my shots all day were within 3 of my Point of Aim and most were under 2.
My last rifle of the day is my Sauer 202 in .300 Weatherby. This is a finicky gun for some reason. I took a nice elk with it in New Mexico only after coming up with a good handload. Today I’m just sighting in a box of 180 gr Nosler Partitions. It does about what I expected which is around a 3″ group at 200 yards. Still all three shots are within 2″ of my ‘point of aim’ and it’s still a great elk rifle with that level of accuracy.
Was a great day, always enjoy shooting with these guys as many of them have exotic hunting planned for the fall. I shot next to Mike Borel our chapter president. He always does some amazing groups with his Browning A-Bolt in .280 with a carbon fiber wrapped Christensen barrel. He’s off to Switzerland for Ibex this fall.
Was up north for ab diving again Saturday. The plan was to dive Ocean Cove but scoping it out there looked to be waves right in the spot we wanted to dive. So headed back down to Fort Ross. Went to the cove where I went the first time. It has something of a steep trail and at one point you have to lower yourself repelling style with a rope for about ten feet. Finally at the water and getting my gear on I notice I’m missing a glove. Halfway back up the trail and find the glove.
Back to the water, it’s flat as a swimming pool and the resident harbor seal is sunning himself on the lone wash rock at the mouth of the cove. Today I’m going to try and spearfish over bait which is legal and friends have done with great success. I have a ziploc with frozen ab guts. Put it in my mesh bag with a one pound weight and send it to the bottom in about 12 feet. Visibility is not great, maybe 8 or so. I just brought the polespear. After only a few minutes a couple rockfish are checking out the bag. A big blue sea star moves right in and I have to prod him off the bag and relocate him. Now a big rockfish is there, I try to dive to get into range but the fish scatter when I get close. After this happening two more times I decide to just fish around the bait underwater and then approach from underwater on the bottom as quietly as I can.
Cruising around the rocks and crevices I see plenty of abalone for later. Now I dive and slowly approach the bait from fifteen feet away. As the bag slowly materializes I see there is a big cabezon on it! I glide up silently and nail him with the trident. He goes ballistic, like a bird on the end of a stick, I’m holding on but he wriggles right off of my spear. So disappointed, really wanted my first Cab. Probably should have tried to stone him with a head shot.
After several more failed attempts I decide to forgo the fishing over bait. Put my spear on the boogie board and grab my abalone iron. I swim out to deeper waters near the wash rock. The seal is gone now but will usually come check me out at some point. Not long I’m finding some nice size abalone in the rocky crevices. I’ve finally marked my iron with 9″ and 10″ increments hoping to get something bigger. I pull one that I think looks huge but it’s just over 8. After a while I’ve pulled two more also around 8. I think I’ll need to go somewhere more remote if I’m ever going to see a 9.
Back to fishing, I patrol the rocks and crevices and the kelp patches chasing a big black around but never getting close enough. One big fish in a hole that scooted right as I shot. Finally decide to call it a day. The fishing over bait looks promising, think I may need a better tip to hold bigger fish when I have to use the polespear.
Today at the Action Shooting Club match, everything came together for me to win Production class. Everything included a low turn out and the guy that usually beats me having a complete meltdown, but I did shoot very well so I’ll take it! We had six short stages which made it a lot of fun.
Stage one was simply paper targets and some steel shot in between barrels. You have to slow down a little not to hit the white no-shoots. Was a good start.
Stage two was very interesting, it featured turning targets on both sides of a barricade and you could score up to six hits on each. The drop turning targets disappear after they drop so misses are not counted against you, however you get the points for hitting them. Here is where you really need to play the game. Your score is your sum points divided by your time. I elected to not shoot the turner on the right and got six hits on the one on the left in about six and a half seconds.
Stage three was the USPSA classifier. Three paper targets with black areas that don’t score and one steel target. You shoot each of the paper twice and the steel must drop to score.
Stage Four was a simply a build out of stage two with more targets on both sides and targets shot through the ports in the middle. I aced this one getting good hits and in a farily good time.
Stage Five is really what won it for me. The guy taking the video forgot to hit the button so the video starts while I’m already shooting. Four paper targets are behind steel cover and you need to shoot each three times. The mover has a white no-shoot next to it and must also be shot three times. This is where everyone fell apart and I managed to win this stage getting two on the moving target without hitting the no shoot.
The last stage was pretty simple. Just paper targets but next to no-shoots so it slows you down a little. The last three are behind hard steel so you need to shoot in between them.
Overall I shot really well and it put me in position to win. I think it’s probably been a year since winning production as there have been some very competitive shooters out there. It’s always fun regardless of where you finish.
Turns out Steven got some video of both of us Saturday. I’m in the black and blue wetsuit. He dives first. Then I dive and surface with my first ab of the day.
While I’m bagging it he dives and nabs a nice big one:
I met Steven Liu at Fort Ross Saturday to free dive for abalone and do some spearfishing. I’ve dove with Steven several times, mostly freediving and once on scuba at Ocean Cove. He’s great to dive with and we usually end up taking our limit of abalone and spearing some fish.
Steven and I preparing for a scuba dive at Ocean Cove
Steven is deaf so getting to know him has prompted me to learn some ASL fingerspelling which I can get by with, barely, but often we just resort to notes our iphones. I’ve downloaded a couple apps to help me learn it better as once we’re in the water I don’t have the iphone option. My signing is kind of like my Spanish, I can say a few things but then often can’t follow what’s said back. We seem to communicate well enough and it just seems we are usually on the same wavelength and have a great time diving together. Steven is a very capable diver and he’s taken some great video of abalone diving and spearfishing, often just filming himself!
Here is a great short video that pretty much shows you what taking an abalone looks like.
I left for Fort Ross 5:30am to meet Steven there at 8:30. Fog on the coast slowed me down a little so rolled up to the gate at 8:40. A familiar face greets me from the booth at the entrance and Jaquee looks at me and says ‘Where do I know you from’? I have to explain it’s from last year at Reef Campground when the friends I was camping with got so drunk they kicked us out. She laughs about it and I remind her I was the sober one. She jokes about loving us divers and not the ‘rock pickers’.
Shortly after parking Steven arrives. We quickly catch up by iphone and then are suited up and walking down to the south cove. We had an epic time together last year diving with Felix and took our abs and lots of Black Rockfish. We’re hoping for a repeat. Arriving at the cove the water is flat! I don’t see any kelp though so there may not be as many fish out there. We’re in the water by 10am. I bring my polespear and my Riffe speargun. The visibility isn’t as good as I hoped. Steven anchors his tube and I clip to it. We start out in around 15ft. My first time diving since a ruptured eardrum in November so taking it easy. I feel good though and soon have my first ab. After about 30 minutes I’ve got my 3 abs and take out the polespear. I drop down and just comb the cracks and crevices for any hiding fish. I’m using my Oceanic Geo wrist computer which measures the depth and duration of each dive. My initial dives for abs rarely last for more than a minute but when I’m hunting for fish I get into this zone where a 2 minute dive seems easy and I surface comfortably, like while snorkeling in Hawaii. I should probably just fish first as through the course of fishing I usually see huge abalone in the 20-25 foot range.
Soon I surprise a nice size Black as he comes out from a hole and in a split second he’s on the end of my polespear. I’m happy to get one big one so now the day is really looking up. I get him on my stringer. Steven has already speared an even larger Grassie. Back to hunting I soon see movement in a hole that looks like a big black at about 20 ft. when I get near a harbor seal pokes his head out with big puppy dog eyes. We stare at each other until I need some air. The visiblity is a little better in deeper water. I’m ignoring schools of perch, intent on the biggest black I can find. Finally I see a nice size one but with no kelp to cover me he stays just far enough away. After attempts with the polespear that land short I return to the boogie board to fetch my speargun. It has about a 10 foot range. Back to the spot and after a while I see one but he has my number and stays pointed away. I’m on him hoping he’ll turn but doesn’t. I finally shoot holding on him but it’s a miss.
By about noon I see Steven is back at the tube and I swim back. We decide to call it a day and swim in to shore. Another great day diving at Fort Ross. Saturday night Kari and I enjoy some delicious fried rockfish and abalone. It’s great to be back diving again.
I finally managed to get back to The Action Shooting Club match at Chabot yesterday after being absent for a few months, new job keeping me very busy. I did about the same as usual finishing ninth out of 19 and placing 3rd in Production with only one miss on the first stage. I finally upgraded my video device to a new Flip HD which is great because you can hand it to anyone and say video me as it’s so simple to use.
The stages were fun and challenging as usual. The first designed by Len was called ‘Tomorrow is Mother’s Day’ Thanks for the reminder Len. I think he saw this table scene from a John Woo movie.
The second stage was called Eighteen for the 18 shots required. Was happy to knock down the steel with one shot. I didn’t seat my mag properly when entering the box and do the ‘Tap, Rack, Bang’ drill to fix. A little rusty!
The third stage is Len’s again, this one called ‘Your Mother Loves You’ Did pretty well on this one getting two Alphas on the turning target.
And the final stage was a Qualifier. These determine your Class. I just made C class. I did this one pretty well. Two paper targets you shoot each twice and two steel targets so ‘Six’ shots. The good shooters were doing it a little over 4 seconds. I really went for it and managed 5.14. That’s probably still C class nationally.
