Nov 26
We decided to take a drive and see if any ice thick enough to walk on has formed yet. We headed toward Dome Rock which is an artificial only trout fishery. We pulled up a couple hours before dark and drilled a couple holes to test our luck. Within a few minutes Erik had a nice cutthroat on the ice. The bite didn’t last long, but it was nice to see these beauties growing bigger and to know it is now ICE SEASON!!
Nov 23
Sometimes you wait all day for it and other times it happens too fast to comprehend. We really thought we messed up this morning when we miscalculated sunrise and then didn’t even hear the alarm! Upon exiting the truck seeing light in the sky, we knew we needed to race down the mountain to have a chance at an early morning stroller.
We left the truck (Chad went north and we headed south) and moved as quickly as possible down the mountain to the area where we expected some good movement this mild breezy morning. No time for taking it easy or for bathroom breaks, we arrived at the spot just after first shooting light. We had no sooner sat down on a ridge looking into a patch of oaks when Erik spotted a deer moving through left to right. Michelle had only put out a seat cushion and was opening the pack for some essential gear. She grabbed her shooting sticks and got in position, looking for an opening that the buck might pass through. There are only a few spots that allow for an open shooting lane in this area and one must be ready when a deer enters. As soon as the buck moved through one of these spots, Erik softly blew the grunt tube. The buck paused and that was all it took. As the shot rang out the buck kicked like a bronc and took off down hill into another patch of oaks. Trailing him was no issue, at the spot of impact there was a crimson trail that would have been traceable in the dark of night.
Later in the day, as Michelle lounged in the camper, Chad was also successful in tagging a buck. He had seen quite a few does and fawns and finally had a buck present a shot worth the taking.
One of the fun parts of hunting the Hills is placing trail cameras up for the duration of the season. It is amazing the wildlife that we DON’T see when we are out hunting!
Nov 13
What a gorgeous weekend! It was more than 40º when each one of us got out of the truck at 5am and the wind was very slight. Back to the same spots to await and see what was in store for the day. Within a half hour of shooting light a shot rang out through the hills and Erik was sure not to miss this day! A flock of turkeys was heard fighting amongst themselves a short distance from where Erik was hunting. Within a few seconds of hearing the rucus, a herd of whitetails came running past Erik a mere 60 yards away. When the buck stopped and presented a shot Erik didn’t hesitate endind his string of misses! We were on the way home before noon with a buck in tow.
We went to the Hills on opening weekend. We often have good luck early in the season and the weather tends to be a bit more stable. This was the change from daylight savings, which always makes one nervous to wake up too late or too early to beat the light. As always in the Black Hills for whitetails, Erik and Michelle went opposite directions from the truck. Each has a great spot that always has deer moving through to cross to other feeding and bedding grounds. About a half hour after light, Michelle saw movement straight ahead about 90 yards. Instantly it was obvious it couldn’t be a deer or even a canine. The way the animal moved it was almost like it was gliding across the ridge. It was a mature (probably female) mountain lion out for an early morning hunt or heading to bed for the day. Not 5 minutes after the lioness floated by, a decent buck followed almost in her tracks- if he only knew…. The deer refused to stop in an opening when Michelle blew the grunt tube and he continued on unaware.
Within a few minutes of telling Erik about the incounter it was time for Erik to have some action. A nice buck walked into range and gave a good shot. After squeezing off a shot the buck jumped and then started walking stiff leggedly. From the trees below the buck another buck walked out and the two bucks started sizing each other up. Another shot opportunity came and another shot was taken. After the two bucks ran out of the clearing Erik made his way over to look for the buck. Nothing was found after coursing through the area for over an hour! The rest of the day was fairly uneventful for both hunters with only one other buck seen just before dark but not giving a shot opportunity. Sunday morning Erik hiked into his area and had another shot at a good buck just after daylight. After looking for sighn of a hit in the fresh snow Erik determined another miss!!!
