Yearly Archives: 2014

Archery for Roosevelt Elk Hunt in Southwest Washington

Five days on a late archery elk hunt in southwest Washington with Mike Jenkin’s Upfront Outfitters. This was a wet and challenging hunt. I didn’t end up taking one but had a great time trying. We alternated spot in stalk in lush mossy fern carpeted rain forest and then hiking and even mountain biking logging roads into timber land. Old growth, new reprod and clear cuts. On Wednesday, in the middle of the hunt, while hiking through a dense forest I was thinking it would be crazy to find an elk in here. An instant later Mike whispers to get down, there’s an elk across a stream in the distance. That was probably the most exciting moment. We tried to move tree to tree and gain the edge of the stream for a 40 yard shot but the cow busted us at 60. We did see elk in the distance several times later days hunting the timber land, never able to get close. Several stands were sat that looked very promising and we were seldom hiking without seeing lots of sign, fresh droppings, rubs, and beds. The week proved a much needed workout and if I ever do take a Roosevelt elk with my bow it will be that much sweeter. The hunt has me considering the benefits of doing a little mountain biking in the off season.

Pics on flickr

First long shot with Custom ADL

After the mandatory 60 day drying period of my huge August bow blacktail buck we called ‘The Lightning Four’, I made the trip to Redding, CA to have Steve Boero score several bucks for both Pope & Young and Boone & Crockett. Steve is part owner of the local JS Ranch so we arranged a pig hunt the night before. My guide Eric Gould ( also my excellent taxidermist ) took me out in search of a pig that evening.

I was hunting with my Custom Remington rifle, created out of my first hunting rifle, a bargain basement ADL, now with fully customized pacnor barrel, jewel trigger, glass bedded in a bell & carlson stock, and Roguard and NP3 coatings, to make it my CA go to rifle. Topped with a Leupold VX3 4.5-14 scope and their excellent Compensation Drop System (CDS) it is tuned to my hand load of 140gr Nosler Accubonds in .270 Winchester.

As the sun set, pigs started to make their appearance. We settled on a group that was mingling with some cattle and I set up for a long shot with Eric as spotter. We picked a boar that finally settled broadside, Eric gave me the range as 376 yards. Adjusted my turret, settled in, safety off, and touched off the shot. The sound of the bullet whistles as it traces the distance and we hear it hit. Eric confirms the boar is down.

The CDS system has proved to be so accurate across several of my rifles and gives you the confidence that you can make longer shots both effectively and ethically.

376 yard shot on wild boar

Kayak and Free Diving Timber Cove with Ken Jan

Met Ken Jan at Timber Cove for some abalone diving and spearfishing off our kayaks. We launched just after 8am and paddled out of the cove to the one just north of the point. A little bit more swell in this less protected cove but as we moved in it was pretty calm. Not a lot of kelp to clip to so I just towed my boat around from the float line for a while. Finally found a stalk near enough to the surface to clip onto. Plenty of abalone over here. I pulled three pretty quickly wanting to try out my new speargun. I love my Riffe Euro but it’s usually too long for the viz and a little too long for checking out holes in the reef. My Riffe Competitor series I am thinking will be a good all arounder. Well I did a lot of poking in holes and there were no fish to be found. Of course in doing this I fine massive abs all over. I did finally shoot a couple greenlings that suffered from surface shrinkage. Probably won’t shoot any more greenlings. Was a great time. Beautiful day and got to really take the kayak on a longer adventure. Will look forward to more dives with Ken and probably learning to fish with a rod. All those folks were killing it out there, bringing in huge lings, cabs, and assorted rockfish.

Blacktail fork horn at sunset

The Lightning Four

Incredible time this year on my annual August bow hunt up in Humboldt County, CA. Hunting for my tenth year with Dylan Carr of Diamond C Outfitters. We had lots of trail cam pics with lots of great bucks on the watch list this year. I was focused on a very old buck nicknamed ‘brisket’ for his prominent one. The week before I arrived he shedded his velvet and then was not to be seen on the trailcam. We decided to focus on another area where a huge 4×4 was a regular. He is ‘Lightning Four’ as a 4×4 first spotted in another area of the ranch called the lightning rough.

My hunt began Sunday night August 17. Only a few does showed up that evening. The next day improved with some small bucks also making appearances, doing some mock fighting, and just grazing around in the clearing next to the blind. Tuesday morning does begin to appear with the usual small bucks and then out of my left there he is. I can’t even believe it. My heart starts pounding. I wait for him to get to about 30 yards broadside and I draw back. Just as I do a fawn walks right next to him covering his vitals. I wait and wait and then have to let down. Somehow that doesn’t spook them. Waiting and finally the doe clears. I draw again, aim, squeeze, the arrow flies. Right under him. I can’t believe it! I miss him at only 30 yards. He starts a little at the sound but doesn’t really spook. I watch him walk away slowly with my binos. Looking at his right side, no sign of contact. I can only pray I’ve not blown my chance. Wednesday I see the usual suspects. Also some other great deer that are too young to be on the hit list but look like great future prospects. Thursday morning, more of the same. Thursday night I’m seeing more deer. Sun set is at 8:09 with legal shooting to 8:39. At about 8:50 he comes in with two other great bucks. Way too dark to shoot but can see him clearly in my binos. He is HUGE. Soo much bigger than the other great bucks. I’m glad to see him back but hopefully he’s not gone nocturnal. Friday morning is slow. A couple does in and out. I decide to stay longer just in case. At about 10am two does come into view from the left of the blind. Then I see a bunch of deer are following them. Small bucks and there he is right in the middle of them! He moves to almost the same spot as the first time and I’m ready. Heart pounding again and pretty shaky as I draw back. He’s at 25 yards and I hold with my 20 high in his vitals. I release and connect dropping him instantly. I hit high and have spined him! I quickly put two more arrows into his vitals and he dies 25 yards from the blind. I was so excited I wasn’t thinking straight and held way too high for my current bow. I think I reverted to my first bow training when my arrow would probably fall into the vitals at 25 yards. My bad shooting aside, I am so excited to have taken this buck. He is a giant blacktail anywhere! Easily a Boone & Crocket buck.

Dylan had a picture of the buck from the year before. He also collects many of the sheds each year and gave me Lightning’s sheds from last year. When I hold them I can hardly believe we didn’t shoot him last year. Dylan has done a great job of managing the deer on his ranch and only taking mature bucks and letting the young ones reach their potential. In our ten years hunting together I’ve seen the quality of the deer improve incredibly. I’ve taken a lot of great bucks but this is the first time I’ve held out for five days to take a true trophy such as this!

Here he is bedded down last year:

As if my luck couldn’t get any better, on our last morning we went out with his son Clayton in a yamaha viking to see if we could find another super old buck called ‘Whitey’ that was on the list. Incredibly as we approached his usual haunts there he is. Dylan and I were able to ease up to 100 yards. I set up with my Remington custom ADL and made a perfect shot on the shoulder. My second CA tag filled with another great buck. He’s a 4×4 with a sticker on his right that may get scored. He’s a great buck as well, not in the same leagues as the lightning but one of my best.

2014 rifle buck

Diamond C Outfitters Video

The long awaited Diamond C Outfitters promo video is finally done! Set to ‘Thunderstruck’ by AC/DC, it is pretty fast paced encapsulation of what looks like ten years of hunting seasons. Several of my deer shots are recorded including my 2007 3×4 shot prone in the upper ranch. Also both my 2009 bucks, Twin Towers that drops like a rock and my late season 5×4 buck that kicks out at the shot. Both the pig hunting bow shots are mine, my first pig kill with a bow the same day I shot Twin Towers. Also a 60 yard ( lucky ) shot on a grey boar that was heading up the rear on the group of pigs when I shot the black sow. One thing you notice is just how many women hunters the Carr’s take each year. Lots of capable women hunting out there. So many great bucks and great memories!

Free Diving off my Ocean Kayak

Met Steven Liu and his two friends Tim and Jerry at Ocean Cove, morning of May 12. I’m looking forward to my Ocean Kayak Trident’s maiden voyage. After many hours setting up all my gear and figuring out where everything will go I’m eager to give it a try.

Tim needed to rent gear so we headed up to Gualala where there is a hardware store that does day rentals. After we got Tim all set up and got sandwiches at the market we headed north towards Point Arena. Steven joined me to navigate and not far north he indicated a spot to turn off. A small dirt lot at a place called Moat Creek. There’s a dirt path to the beach. We walked down to see the conditions and it looks pretty good.

Steven couldn’t find his kayak carts so we need carry our kayaks in pairs down the long path which is a lot more work than I was expecting. I’ll be buying my own wheels now! Finally I get in the water while the three of them are finishing preparing. A harbor seal bobs nearby checking out the newcomers. Soon Steven joins me and is paddling straight out with me following. We go pretty far out and finally decide to drop down and check it out.

I put on my fins, mask, and snorkel, and take my iron attached to a float line to explore before clipping on to some kelp. I dive a few times and the viz looks pretty good, maybe 8-10 feet. Seeing abs and I pull a legal one right off. Drop that in the bag and tow my kayak a little deeper towards Steven. I pull an 8 inch ab next, it’s in the bag, move out more towards Steven. Now I dive and see lots of BIG abs. As usually regret pulling the first couple I see but seems like I do it every time. I find kelp close enough to the surface to clip to and start diving. One huge ab has a starfish on it. It is clamped down hard though and can’t get my iron under it. Don’t want to kill it so leave it. Soon I do pull a 9 inch one for my personal best. Drop that in my bag and pull out the pole spear.

Not seeing any fish just schooling so am going to poke around in the rocks. Not seeing much. Steven is again way out there. On one surface I look for him and see him pulling a big fish out of the water. I’m going to go join him. It’s on! Unfortunately as soon as I go to unclip my kayak I hear Tim yelling in the distance. He’s drifted 100 yards or more south and seems to be having a problem. I get on the kayak and head over to help him. Looks like he can’t get back on his kayak. I paddle around and come alongside his to hold it for him. He manages to get on. We start paddling back north but we’ve drifted pretty far now. Also his kayak seems to have taken on water as it’s riding low in the back. I escort Tim back to near where we launched and consider going out to join Steven but quickly decide to just stay with Tim all the way in.

We paddle back in and drag our kayaks up the rocky beach. I would have liked to have shot fish with Steven but consider my first time out on the kayak a major success. Got my abalone limit with a personal best. The kayak should be a great dive platform for both free diving and maybe some line fishing too.

Later when cleaning my Abs the largest one has my first pearl! A small teardrop shaped one a little smaller than a nickel. I get to try my new slicer on these and it makes some perfect abalone steaks we simmer in butter, white wine, and garlic.

Spring Turkey at the Diamond C Ranch

Was able to get away for Turkey again this year. Met Dylan Sunday morning and he and his son Clayton and I headed out to try and locate some Toms. Our first stand proved unsuccessful as the tom would answer us back but must have been with hens as he never came in. Our next spot some toms answered and came so fast we barely had time to set up. I propped the ole Mossberg on a rotting stump while Dylan and Clayton set up behind me. It wasn’t long before three toms came straight towards the hen decoy. They were all in a tight group. As they came closer one separated back and fanned out. I shot him but he just flew off. I think I shot over him. The other two trotted back and forth so I shot the larger of the two dropping him. We had fun chasing a band of five pigs that night and the next morning. We would locate them far off but could never find them once we got in position to make a stalk. All the while hearing turkeys gobbling. I took a second turkey Monday afternoon.

Mom & Dad’s 50th Anniversary Video

Katy assembled all the photos and scanned them. I uploaded them to Animoto and put it to some Thlonious Monk for their guests to enjoy while having drinks at their party.

Action Shooting Club -Feb 22, 2014

Action Shooting Club match again at Chabot Gun Club. First Stage is “Left or Right” with mix of paper and steel engaged through ports. I have a failure to feed with some new Slovakian ammo. Stage Two is “Movers R Us” another go left or go right stage with three different activated targets. Another failure to feed on my last array. Stage Three is ‘Left or Right’ variation without the steel and just five paper targets separated by two barriers. Thought I had nailed this one but a mike on the third array killed my score for the day. Last Stage is the Classifier “Melody Line”. I shot this one well although a little slow. You can hear my third round on each string is the ZVS ammo which is noticeably quieter. Will have to sort that out and just use the Remington from now on. Finished 8th in Production.