In the Zone with Zem

[zemmer18]

Thx Burt. Yes we are getting old but we still think like we are young. I didnt want to get up this morning either, I was still tired. Just waiting for my FIL to get home. Guess he stayed over last night.

[zemmer18]

Got a call at 10:50am that he was up in the garage skinning my deer from my MIL. I headed up and sure enough he had her hung, skinned, front legs already off, and both backstraps out. He finished by taking the back legs off and said he had work to do so have at it. I thanked him and went to work. I deboned everything and trimmed to get everything off. Vacuum sealed everything and cleaned up. Was done and back home by 2pm.

I have to say, I used a spectacular knife today. My FIL got it as a gift for some work he did. It is the Cabelas Alaskan Guide Series Vanguard. WOW!!! This knife is a must have for me and I recommend it to everyone. It's pricey but well worth the money. He field dressed, skinned and butchered his spike on Sunday. He then skinned and I butchered my doe with his knife and it is still razor sharp. Unreal how scary sharp this knife is. It is a Buck brand knife and they have a deal where if it goes dull, all you pay is shipping and they sharpen it for free. I read the reviews on Cabelas website and one guy butchered 10 deer at their camp and it was still super sharp. I believe him after using one. So if anyone is in the market for a new knife and has $100 to spend, I highly recommend this knife. I have asked for one for Christmas.

SIde note - I checked my camera today. I last checked it on the 13th. Weird that the last pictures I had were on the 16th of Nov. and then absolutely nothing for 6 days. No pics at all until a squirrel was on the tree on the 22nd. It took 3 pics of me today so the battery isnt dead, just the deer movement is.

[zemmer18]

11-24-09
I didn't hunt today but I got a call from a friend at 2pm. He is the father of one of my daughters friends from school and soccer. We had talked about deer hunting alot and he had never butchered a deer himself and always took it to the processor. I told him if I got one of he did that I would show him how I do it. Well thats what the call was about. He had shot a button buck this morning and wanted to check with me to see if I could help him butcher it. I said sure. We met at my FIL's house that is all set up with our table and everything we need.

We got started and I showed him how to skin it, quarter it, get the backstraps and inner loins, and then cut and package into manageable portions. All in all we started around 4pm and I was home by 7pm. It felt good teaching him what I know and to help him and his family save some money. He was happy and I told him we can do the next one together so he gets more practice. He thanked me and I said this is what hunting is about, hunters helping other hunters, not arguing about equipment and deer size.

I can hunt in the morning so my buddy and I are headed to his 317 acre camp. It's in shotgun country but the old 870 is cleaned up and ready to bark.

[Fletch]

Way to go bud!

Old, what? What were we talkin about? I forget!!

[zemmer18]

LMAO Fletch I forgot and had to scroll up and re read.
11-25-09
Was in the woods by 615am this morning. My buddy is having issues at his camp and the gate was locked so we couldnt drive in. He was less than pleased but we made the long walk. Thank goodness it was flat. We split up and he said to go down this logging road and look for a ladder stand. I actually found it and man what an awesome stand it was. I could see forever. Just around 7am I heard something behind so I look back and here is a lone little skipper sneaking through. He was about 70 to 80 yards out and I had the shotgun with open sights. I decided to pass although I was tempted but wasn't 100% comfy with all the trees and brush between us. That was all we saw this morning. Tomorrow is another day.

[zemmer18]

Hey all - Happy late Thanksgiving to all!!! Everything was crazy around here and I didn't get to hunt until Saturday this weekend. I dropped my kids off at my BIL and SIL's house fridy around 3:30pm and made the drive to camp. I was getting close around 5pm and I crested this big hill and there he was crossing in front of me. A HUGE buck. I almost got him with my wifes Ford Exploder so my eyes were definately on the lookout the rest of the ride.

My FIL and his uncle George who is 78 were already down there. I joined them for dinner and then we played some poker. My Dad and his neighbor Tony came down a little later. We shot the bull and played cards until 11 and went to bed.

11-28-09
Woke up at 6am and it was rain/sleeting a little and the wind was blowing and gusting pretty good. My Dad can't walk very far (he's 72 and had knee surgery so he limps) so we had a good crossing spot for him to sit at. He had a doe tag for the area so we were hoping he could fill it. I put his neighbor Tony in my favorite spot and I decided to still hunt my way to the back of the property. With the weather being what ot was I knew you'd have to step on them today so I asked my Dad if I saw one did he want me to shoot. He had said yes to myself and to his buddy Tony.

I walked for the first hour and a half, stopping here and there to watch for a few minutes. Had a huge tree come crashing down about 80 yeards from me during a gust of wind. Made me jump a touch. I found a nice spot and stood for about 25 minutes and then got cold so I moved on slowly. I came to an area where 2 old overgrown logging trails intersected and i saw some fresh tracks in the mud. I slowed up and headed up one of the roads.

I got about 15 yards in and jumped a small doe. She was in the thickest beech sapplings you've ever seen so no shot was available. I watched her walk away and put her tail down. I took a few steps and her flag went up and I again took note of the direction she was headed. I knew where she was going so I started moving again. I walked another 25 yards or so into a small hemlock flat at the bottom of a bowl in the mountain. I then used the hemlocks to hide my movement and started uphill to intercept the doe. I had moved another 50 yards when I stopped and looked and saw the deers head and neck sticking out from behind a tree about 150+ yards uphill. I couldn't get steady as I was excited so I took a few breaths and leaned against a tree. I took a shot and worked another into the chamber. Looking through my scope I could see the deer turned 180 degrees and was headed uphill now but still standing still. I missed so I aimed again and fired another shot. Now the deer was on the run up the hill and across a ridge. I moved forward and saw a deer limping. I kneeled down and found an opening in the brush and fired another round. I watched a deer run across the ridge and out of sight into another little bowl. I got up and was walking in the direction of the ridge and got to within 60 yards of it when I noticed the largest bodied deer i have seen in a long time standing in front of me. Its head was behind a tree and all I could see was the front shoulder. I aimed again and squeezed a shot off. The deer took off in the direction of the 1st one. I circled back to see if I had hit the deer with the first 2 shots and found no sign. I believe those 100gr softpoints meet some brush somewhere in between and I plain old missed.

I got to the top of the ridge and didnt see any blood. But I did see where the leaves bunched up and the tracks from the running headed where I saw the deer head. I walked about 20 yards across the ridge top and I see a deer walking in circles. She was sticking her neck out sniffing. Iknew I had one down by her but couldnt see it yet. I eased forward and looked over the edge and saw my doe laying dead. I scared the other doe off after getting within 10 yards of it. I was able to look it over a few times from both sides and I did not hit that one with any of my shots. What a huge doe she was.

Upon inspecting her, I saw where my third shot hit, on the back of her right front leg breaking the bone into several pieces. My fourth shot hit its mark right through the front shoulder and did the job. Upon further inspection, she had a six inch around hole in her brisket that was a little dry and starting to green up. I then remembered my BIL who hit one last week and got only white hair and very little blood. I had gotten the one he hit last Saturday. I had started shooting at around 9:50am and found her by 10am. I field dressed her and drug her to the creek by 1045am. I then walkd back to the cabin to get some help as she was large and heavy and I was hungry. Thank goodness the boys up the road had their 4wheelers this year. I was able to drive up to within 30 yards of her so the drag to the 4wheeler wasn't too far. I still about died until Tony came down out of the woods to help me drag her the last 200 yards or so. Here are the pics from my camera phone as I forgot my camera.





Tony hunted hard and so did my Dad but they didn't see anything. I knew my Dad wouldn't want the whole deer so I cleared it with him and we gave it to TOny and his family for all the help he gave me. He was very appreciative and I told him when he had sausage made that I'd split the cost with him. I had to come home that night and so did Tony and my Dad. We left after having dinner and wished my FIL good luck as he was staying. There were 11 people who hunted down there from Friday to Sunday at different intervals and I'm the only one who saw anything, 2 deer, and shot 1. I've seen 7 deer total this gun season, 6 doe, 1 spike, and I've shot 2 doe. Not bad thus far. Back to work this week so it will be weekends only for me the rest of the season.

[Burt]

That's great Zemm. Am I getting the feeling that not many deer are being seen this year?? The big camp by us had eleven hunters
for 6 days. They got 5 bucks and 1 doe.

[Fletch]

Way to go bud!!

Glad someone is having some luck. Nice looking doe.

[zemmer18]

Thanks guys. Like I said I have seen only 7 deer since gun season began. My FIL has seen 1, the spike he shot on opening day. He usually waits for a nicer buck but decided to fill the freezer. Good thing he did. He has hunted hard and not seen a deer to fill his doe tag which is so unlike him. I remember the past few years that he would walk up the hill at first light behind the cabin and shoot his doe as soon as he reached the first flat only 5 minutes into the hunt.

The camps around us are hunting hard and doing drives but we don't speak with them as we don't know them and barely see them. We can hear them and their vehicles so we know they are out there. I actually saw 5 of them above me on Opening Day as I was close to the property line watching a small flat they like to cross in. I said hi to them and waved and they just looked for a minute and kept walking. Hopefully this colder weather on the way and less pressure this week will get them moving about this coming weekend.

[zemmer18]

I'm missing my weekday hunts but am thankful I have a job now. Working 9 to 5:30 or later is for the pits. So weekend warrior I shall become. I decided not to go to the cabin this weekend but I will go next weekend and am hoping for some snow. The mountains are incredible down there when it snows. I'll be hunting with my buddy and neighbor tomorrow at his place. We plan to sit from first light til around 8 or 9 and then join the later risers to do some drives. He has to leave at noon so then the famil and I will get our tree for the house. I convinced them to go to the tree farm and ride the tractor out and cut our own this year. Should be fun. I keep thinking about what weapon to use tomorrow but can't decide. 870 with 5 shots and no scope, or the Kodiak with one shot and the new scope. I'll let you know what I decide on later. Gonna be cold so bundle up and good luck

[zemmer18]

12-5-09
Got up at 5:40am and bundled up as it was 28 degrees out. Met my neighbor and we headed to his camp. Got there and sat in the truck til 6:40 and then made the short walk to the stands. Sat from 6:45am until almost 10am and no deer sighted. My bud called me and said to walk to the truck and he'd meet me. Then a 4wheeler comes up the road and picks me up to put me on another stand as they were going to begin a drive. Sat for the 1st drive and they jumped 2 doe as they started but they never made it to the sitters. No shots. 2nd drive I was a sitter again but in a new spot for me. I had never done this drive in the 4 or 5 years I've been up there and I was on the ground, not in a stand. He told me where they usually come from so I stayed confident. About 10 minutes later I see a doe coming along below me at about 70 yards. She got behind some trees but if she headed straight the way she was headed she would come out within 40 yards of me and I'd have an easy shot. Well she turned behind the trees and headed back away from me. When I saw her again she was over 100 yards away and headed behind all the sitters.

I took the shotgun with open sights and watched her walk away. My buddy saw that deer with another on that drive so he saw 4 for the day. I saw one. He had to leave so we only got to do 2 drives. It snowed pretty hard during the drive and I couldnt see 20 yds in front me at times. That drive took about an hour and within that hour an inch and half of snow fell. Wished we could've stayed but he had prior commitments. We planned to go this morning but he ended up getting home about midnight and never called so I slept in. Next weekend is back to the cabin for the last time. Hopefully the snow will stick around for the week down there.

[kpkot]

How many acres are you guys driving on??

[zemmer18]

KP - My buddies camp is 317 acres. It is basically a whole mountain side and top within the city limits. They have names for all of the drives they do based on the locations. It really is something to see. I never really hunted like that growing up. Sure we used to do one and two man pushes on stateland but sometimes they get 10 to 11 guns max out there driving and sitting. I saw 17 deer in 3 hours last year up there. I just wasn't ready to shoot at deer running directly at me cresting a hill only 30 yards in front of me, HAHA!!

[kpkot]

I hear ya. It sounded like you had a decent amount of land when you said we only got in 2 drives.

[zemmer18]

Yes there is quite a bit there. The 2 drives probably covered 1/3 of the property if I had to guess. There is one spot they have permission to hunt on that is 100 acres of the 317. Right now it is off limits as the owner has a cabin there and there is some confusion about walking through there. Unfortunately during the first week they pushed 20+ deer out of there. Im sure they are hiding in there now as the pressure has been off that area. Hopefully during ML we can sneak in there.

I decided I will head to my camp for the Saturday hunt. Im leaving after work tomorrow night. My FIL and BIL both have unfilled doe tags and my BIL and myself have buck tags so hopefully we get some deer moving. I'll be home Saturday night and plan to hunt with my neighbor on Sunday morning. Good luck to you guys out there this weekend.