June 13, 2018 by Mike
The blacktailed buck of California. Hunters have joked that finding unicorns is easier than finding a forked horn buck during deer season. They seem to know when the second Saturday in August rolls around and head straight to the brush. Today’s story is a suggestion about how to find a buck and maybe more importantly the enjoyment of the journey. You can go out in 28 days at the opener of archery season and walk into a buck. There could be one right at the trailhead where you park your car. Its just it doesn’t happen often.
Buck hunting is an obsession. I like to watch hunts and talk to other hunters about their hunts. I think back as a kid to watching Marty Stouffer’s Wild America and a giant mule deer running in slow motion with the camera all the way zoomed in. It’s legs going off in side angles. Every time I see a buck live, it feels a little like that episode. Time slows a little. If it’s deer season, I notice my breathing more. Usually I try to get closer for a better look.
To find the bucks it takes some effort. You liked arranging all your gear ahead of time like: license, tags, flashlight, first aid kit. Its nice to have it all ready to put in the truck the night before. When I get up early I like that the gear is in the car and I do a mental check list looking at it in the backseat. It is not the same feeling when I need the arrow quiver, but I haven’t found it yet because it somewhere in the garage.
Now that I’m up early I usually find more bucks. That still leaves the enjoyment part. It is a little easier now because I don’t have to kill a buck to have fun. It does sound silly because that is why I made all the preparations and got up early. When the sunlight peaks up behind the hills covered in sage and oaks, I just feel happy. All I have to do that is open my eyes.
Make sure you log on to the department of fish and wildlife today and get your A zone tag. Yes the sunrise it great and you need a tag in your pocket.
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