Yearly Archives: 2011

Free Diving in Maui

Kari and I had a great vacation in Maui this month. Managed to spend a lot of time free diving and tried out my GoPro HD HERO2 camera with a housing for underwater video. I mounted the camera on my left wrist. It was a challenge to aim it accurately. I would think I had the image in frame but was often shooting high, placing the action low in the frame. In widescreen much of the action is below frame so I had to keep it at 4:3.

Most of the footage is off the reef at our favorite hotel, the Fairmont Kea Lani, in Wailea, Maui. One day we took a kayak trip to snorkel off of Makena to a spot they call Turtle Town.

Action Shooting Club

Back to the Action Shooting Club. Haven’t competed in eight months so didn’t expect to do too well. Somehow I managed to take Third yet again.

The first stage was called ‘Don’t Forget the Plates’ which I choked completely. Somehow had my front sight buried in the the middle of one little steel plate and inexplicably sent five shots over the top of it before realizing I needed to hold a little lower. After that I managed to get through with a single mike.

Stage Two was unnamed. Very fun stage with two close dynamic targets and then short sprints to three more close arrays of targets. I aced this stage winning it for Production Class.

Stage Three is “Occupy Chabot” which was pretty straight forward. It used the old classic targets with no steel or no shoots. I rushed one array for a single mike.

And the last stage was the USPSA classifier called “Easy Street” I did ok on this one, probably qualifying at my current C level.

Coyote on Trail Cam

The lack of any good bucks on the trail cam this year has been disappointing. Just one odd shaped fork horn is all I’ve seen. Checked the camera today and was pleased to see two sequences of a coyote. Looks like the same guy I caught previously

Big Fork Buck

Hunting with Dylan Carr for a late rut hunt  at the Diamond C in Humboldt County, California. We were looking for several big bucks, one in particular called ‘The Teacher’ but the weather wasn’t cooperating. Much of the ranch was socked in with thick fog. The first day we spotted this very big fork horn which captured my imagination. Late the second day we spotted him again from far away. Confirmed it was him through a spotting scope and then decided to try for him. We made a quick drive to the lower part of the ranch, hiked a ways, crossed a rocky creek bank, and eased up to a large rock formation. Dylan eased up and saw his doe in some trees. He put his pack down and had me come forward to set up saying the buck’s coming out any minute. I spun the power setting on my scope up a little and settled right in. Just as I did the buck emerged and then stopped broadside. Had him lined up perfectly and took the shot. They both ran over the ridge and we were pretty certain he was hit hard. We headed up to where he was at the shot but couldn’t find any blood. We walked just beyond the ridge and there he was down, shot perfectly behind the shoulder.

Couldn’t be more pleased with this old ‘management’ buck. You don’t see too many big fork horns since they are usually shot as management bucks. I have always wanted to take a big fork horn. He’s a great trophy in my book. We set up to take some pictures and the sun even came out for us. All the pics here.

Alpine Road

Alpine Road from a little ways west from Skyline. Followed another bike for a while until he waved me through. Part two is a little bit past the junction right where the road leads you to Portola Park. Great day on another fun road that takes me home.

Tunitas Creek with my new GoPro Camera

Finally bought a GoPro Camera and my inaugural footage is of my favorite local road Tunitas Creek riding my ’97 DR350SE using the helmet mount. It was about 15 minutes long so put the first half of the ride to a couple of my favorite Santana songs from Moonflower which seems to capture the feeling I get every time I turn off of Skyline down Tunitas and head for the coast.

Abalone Diving at Fort Ross

Went Ab diving Saturday. Folks on the net had warned of poor visibility but I just felt like diving so ended up back at Fort Ross. I decided to take the steep trail down to the south cove, the one with the rope your use to back down the trail. Got in the water about 9am. Several harbor seals were sunning themselves on the rocks. As suspected the visibility was pretty poor, maybe 3 feet at best. Appeared to be a plankton bloom. My first dive I find a legal abalone upside down in the sand so picked it up, was over 7 inches, dropped it in my bag. Second dive two more abs upside down, both legal, one about 8 inches. Wow can’t believe my good luck, was thinking it would be hard work to find some legal ones at Fort Ross with poor visibility.

With my limit in the bag I decide to look for fish with my pole spear. Literally every rock hole I peer into; abs upside down on their shells! Starting to get a little concerning. I must have seen over 25 in that state. Was thinking maybe they were feeding on the bloom but probably the bloom is killing them. I hope that’s not the case, reports form Timber Cove north of Fort Ross also said many abs were seen upside down there too.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I searched for any sign of fish for an hour finally with one darting out of the hole. I looked up to see a nice blue leaving and just as I took aim he turned away and I just missed him. After that decided to pack it in. Would have loved to have a nice rock fish filet to go with the abs but had to stop at Robert’s on my way home for some Halibut instead.

Hightower

Hunting up at the Diamond C this week. The plan was to try and take a buck with my bow, however, I’m always willing to pull out the rifle when there is a buck that we simply want to take ‘by any means necessary’ right now! On Dylan’s ranch that’s not an unusual circumstance and pretty much what happened.

Wednesday I had a couple close bow opportunities. First with a bedded 3×3 that by the time I decided to get serious wisely evacuated the area. Later that night we came on a band of pigs and got to 50 yards. There were two black sows with a bunch of little ones. I found a lane in between the low branches of the oak we were under and put my 50 pin on one of the sows. My arrow sailed just over her back and they milled for a few seconds and then scrambled off. The next morning I shot three arrows at 50 on Dylan’s range and they grouped six inches high! Adjusted the pin and was good to go.

Thursday morning it was foggy up top. We weren’t seeing many deer out below and headed up there just as it was breaking up. Dylan had been guiding a very accomplished bow hunter before I arrived that tried for a big buck up here they named ‘Hightower’. He was pretty smart and they could not get within 100 yards of him.

It turns out he was the same buck standing next to my 5×7 last year when I shot him. After the 5×7 dropped he just stood there for the longest time and without the 5×7 next to him Dylan and I realized what a great buck he was too. In fact I was just about to shoot him when he moved off. We agreed if we had a chance at him we’d just pull out the rifle.

Well Thursday morning when we were checking out the ranch up top we came on a buck and a doe in the middle of a big clearing with no cover at all. We got up to a big oak tree. When he picked his head up I could see he was the tallest buck I’d ever seen. Dylan confirmed it was Hightower. The wind was wrong and the doe next to him had already busted us so we didn’t have a lot of time. Dylan handed me my Sako 30.06 and I jacked a round. He was about 120 yards and fell dead at the shot.

Was using the new Hornady Superformance ammo with a 150gr SST. I recovered the bullet from just under the hide on the offside. These shoot great through the Sako and it’s great to see they perform so well in the field too. The expanded bullet is actually wider than the .410″ three shot group from my ‘zero check‘ preparing for the hunt.

Thursday night we headed back out to hunt the pigs. We found that same band not far from a pond in a grassy clearing. We were able to sneak through the woods and get to about 30 yards as they fed towards us. I was able to shoot two of the smaller ones pretty quickly. They didn’t really spook and one of the larger black sows came right back into the middle of the field by us at 40 yards and I made a good shot on her as well. Having Dylan next to me with his Leica range finding binoculars made it seem easy. I really like my Hoyt Carbon Element bow. I will try again for my second bow buck when I return in November.

Zero Check

Went to the range today to check the zero on two of my rifles. Going hunting next week back at the Diamond C ranch again. I’m hoping to use my bow but like to have a rifle handy in case this year turns out to be anything like last year.

Went up to Los Altos Rod and Gun Club off of Skyline. Had one of those perfect range sessions where I only need to take three shots with each rifle and I’m good to go. Started off with my Sako M85 Stainless Hunter in 30.06. I have added the Leupold CDS Turret to the 4.5-14 scope indexed for the Hornady Superformance 150gr SST load.

First shot just outside the circle and second in the same hole. I shouldn’t have looked through the spotting scope as the prospect of shooting a one hole group is usually enough to get you too excited to finish it off. Third shot just to the left for a .410 inch group.

 

 

 

 

Second up is my prized Cooper 52 Custom Classic in .270 Winchester. Trying out some hand loads with 140gr Nosler Accubond bullets over 53.5grs of IMR4831 for 2910fps. My CDS scope is indexed to the same load at approx 2900. All three shots in the circle for a .896″ group. I wish every day at the range went this well.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sean & Kari renew their wedding vows

For our 20th anniversary Kari & I decided to spend a relaxing weekend at the Four Seasons and to renew our wedding vows. After careful consideration Kari selected the Canterbury Chapel which is conveniently located on level two of the Excalibur Casino just past the Pizza Hut. The beautiful ceremony was commemorated by both slideshow and video.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was truly a fairytale experience although it times it did get a little impassioned.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you actually think you want to watch our heart felt vows here is the video:

 


 

At least there was a happy ending in that I won two of the Mandalay Bay Texas Holdem poker tournaments which paid for our stay and finally secured me this greatly coveted winner chip! This and of course Kari, my life is complete.