Its been a whole year....

Well it has been over a year since my last post on here...I'm slacking hard in the writing department. But to be honest, this last year has been a whirlwind of changes and challenges for my family and I. From new job for Kyle, moving, moving up in my job, training puppies and horses, adding more horses, having a litter of puppies....this past year and a half has been stressful and crazy. I even stepped away from BHA to try and get my ducks in a row, and to be honest it still feels like my ducks are a scattered mess. But enough about that, lets get into what the last year of hunting has looked like! 

Spring bear 2019.

The black and tans first try at running bears. We ran them the last few weeks of June and they did really well! They didn't make every tree but they gave it their all and did well. Pheonix was able to harvest her second black bear, first one with hounds. It was a tough hike up the mountains to the lake to where the dogs treed it, then a tough pack out with it. Kyle and I didn't fill any tags that spring. 

Fall 2019

Youth season and archery season are the same 9 days at the beginning of September. So last year I never had a chance to hunt with my bow because I was so focused on getting Pheonix her deer. This year I decided there wasnt any point to bringing out my bow because we would be hunting hard for Pheonix again. She then filled her 2 deer tags, one on opening day and the other the next day and still had 7 days left of archery/youth season lol. The first day we were hunting for whitetail. She was having a rough day, last year she struggled with buck fever and it looked to be the same this year. She missed a really nice 4x4 whitetail and was pretty down on herself. We came up to a clearing an hour before dark and out in the middle was standing a buck. I told her it was a buck and she wanted to see it. It was a 2x2. I was surprised when she said she wanted to take it, but Kyle helped her get set up and I watched in the binoculars. One shot and he dropped. She was so happy that she didnt have any issues this time. When we walked up to him she was a little disappointed at how small he was but we cheered her up reminding her that she had made an excellent shot and it was her first buck! 

The next day we went hunting for Mule deer for her. We came up to a massive clearing and I spotted a few does and a small buck. so we snuck up to the edge and thats when we seen more down at the bottom of the clearing closer to the treeline. I backed off and stayed with Easton and her and Kyle snuck up to a better vantage point. They had seen a beautiful 4x4 but he had walked into the trees. They sat for about 30 mins watching the deer and finally she decided on the big 3x3. Again she struggled with a bit of buck fever and she shot, but it wasnt a fatal shot. So she reloaded quickly and waited til he stopped walking and took another shot. This time it was a good one. He died right at the treeline and then work started. It was all uphill back to the road. She was over the moon happy with her first mule deer. 

The rest of the fall season I spent trying to get a deer or elk with my rifle. I didnt have a good season. I shot at a huge 5x5 whitetail and missed, and just didnt get the opportunity at another buck. 

Winter 2019/2020

Cat season! The hounds were old enough now and Maverick was as well. So we had the 3 dogs to chase with. They did really well, treeing 11 cats during the season. Pheonix also got a cougar, her first one as well.  A friend also gave us one of his Plott females, Cinder. Which rounded off our pack at 4. 

Bear season 2020 

Well this spring was a good one! I started it off with a bang by shooting my bear April 17th. A beautiful 6 foot boar and the hounds very first solo tree. Also my first bear taken under dogs. My 2 year dry spell finally came to an end. We ended up having a litter of puppies with Cinder and Maverick...was an opps. Cinder busted out of her kennel and spent the day with her boyfriend...insert facepalm here... 12 puppies during the hunting season is stressful. Unfortunately one died at birth and cinder suffocated another 2 weeks later. I was pretty crushed. But we now have a pack of 6, we kept 2 babies. My black female with brindle markings and the lightest brindle male, Raven and Todd. We are a very busy household of 9 dogs now. We ran 36 bears this spring and the dogs really came together and worked well together. Maverick really impressed us and is an excellent bear dog. No fear and is quick and agile. Natalie did really well as well. Cinder even got in on a couple runs at the very end of season and you could see she loved every minute of it...although I was worried she would catch her sagging teats on the blow down. 

Fall 2020

Well Pheonix started this fall off with a good start, she managed to get a 3x4 whitetail. NO buck fever this year! I think she was more excited that she didnt have any issues. So she had a really nice 4x4 infront of her but he was really jumpy. It took her a little bit to get set up with the shooting sticks and as soon as she had her cross hairs on him he took off. But the 4x3 walked out and she got really excited and said Mom! Look theres another one. Im going to shoot him. She managed to get reset and took one shot. He dropped, got up and stumbled across the creek and died on shore. She was a trooper and crossed the creek, we got some photos and then she dragged it out across the creek and out to the road where Kyle came with the truck to load it. 

To be continued....

First 2019 Success

Hunting in the winter in BC can come with its own challenges; its cold, wet, and usually lots of snow. Now mix in mountainous terrain and it makes it that much more difficult. Here, the only type of winter hunting you can do is for predators. Wolf, coyote, bobcat, lynx and cougar are all open in the month of December and all have various lengths of seasons. During the fall we picked up two coonhound puppies and have been busy training them for cat hunting. So when we had the opportunity to head out for a cat hunt with Kyle, Kelsey and Gage, we took it. We loaded up the puppies and both kids at 3:00 in the morning to head out for cats. By this time Lynx was closed but we still had cougar and bobcat. Everyone either had 1 tag or both so we were well covered. 

In the first few hours before daylight (8:00 AM) it's a lot of driving and checking tracks. We each took a different side of the valley and kept in touch by radio. Kyle and Kels found a number of bobcat tracks while we found a few cougar. One set we found was really fresh, but the farther up the road we went those tracks were lost in the large number of fresh wolf tracks. A pack was in there chasing deer all over the road and through the bush. After that we weren't overly keen on dropping dogs. So we headed to the same side as Kyle and Kels. By now it was starting to get light and Kyle had found a good bobcat track. So he decided to walk his old girl, Jenny, on the track and see if she would take it. Kyle had 4 hounds in his box, but 2 are very young still and one was just a pup. As we were driving in he radioed and said Jen was taking it and he was going to let her go and follow her in. Kelsey and Gage were at the truck still so we met up with them. Jen treed the cat and so we parked, got the kids bundled up, and leashed the puppies to walk in following our GPS. Kelsey left the 2 young dogs in the dog box and brought her dog, Remi in as well. It was about a 30 minute hike through the snow, but thankfully it wasn't in any steep terrain for the kids. This was Eastons first cat hunt ever, Pheonix was on a cougar hunt the year before with Kyle, so it was the perfect one to bring him on. 

When we got down to the tree, the cat was in a great one for photos; not too much cover to hide him in. Kelsey and I right away dropped everything and pulled out our cameras to take photos and video. Kelsey and Kyle both passed on him, so the chance to take him was given to Gage- he declined and so Pheonix was given the option. She didn't even hesitate with her reply. She had made a goal to fill her cougar tag before the season was done, well now she had the option to get her first bobcat. The best shot she had was a steep one without much room for error because of the way the cat was sitting in the branches. Kyle and I were videoing and told Kyle to get her to do whatever he wanted and to set her up how he wanted. He talked with Pheonix once she was set and comfortable on where he wanted her to shoot- a black spot about the size of a toonie right above his paws. She got comfortable and when she felt good she squeezed the trigger. Down came the cat and she had her first ever bobcat! She was so excited and we were so happy for her. She made a perfect shot, right where Kyle wanted her to shoot. Of course at school on Monday she told everyone about her successful hunt lol!

2018...A Year of Firsts

For the first time in a long time, I did not harvest anything during the fall season and I didn't kill a bear at home in the spring- but looking back on the year, it was an amazing year. Not just for me but my family. This truly was a year of firsts for us.

The spring season started off with bear and turkey here in BC. I have never killed a turkey, although it wasn't for lack of trying lol. But this year I was lucky enough to get my very first one! And to top it off, Kyle and I doubled on them- a first for us.

At the beginning of May, Pheonix turned 10- legal age to hunt in BC. From then on we were on the hunt for her and her first big game animal, she wanted a black bear. We had a few plays on different bears but she just wasn't quick enough. Then we went to Saskatchewan (unfortunately the age there to hunt is 12) for a week and a half to do some bear hunting with friends. It wasn't long after we got home that she was able to fill her first big game animal! And it was a dandy bear. She got the enjoyment of being able to watch him interact with a sow and they had no clue she was even there. Kyle was with her when she pulled the trigger and was hanging back with Easton. Her first hunting season ever and she got her first big game animal and her first bear. She was over the moon.

In Saskatchewan, I was able to accomplish a first for me as well. We had been there 2 other years previously and each time I left with just a tag. This year was different. The very first night we were there- Pheonix and I sat in a stand and waited patiently. The very first bear that came in was the one I took. I knew he was a decent bear but I wasn't expecting for him to grow in size when I walked up to him. 3rd time...or year...was the charm apparently. And he is my biggest bear ever, he even beats Kyles grizzly bear! We both came home with beautiful big bears.

The fall season came along and I was 100% dedicated to getting Pheonix her first buck. She had so many opportunities but she just had troubles getting on them quick enough or was picky about what she wanted. When the doe season opened for youth she was excited to be able to shoot a buck and a doe, so of course when the first doe she had an opportunity at came she took it without hesitation. It was just the kids and I hunting when she got her first deer. It took a bit for her to get set up, but the doe wasn't concerned with us. She missed her first shot, and I was keeping an eye on it in my binos. I was very impressed and proud of her on how she didn't even miss a beat when I told her to shoot again. She adjusted her shooting sticks and shifted over and reset up like a pro in one swift movement. Perfect shot and she had her first deer.

When she shot her first deer, Kyle was away up north hunting for moose with his cousin. His first time hunting moose up north. He was successful with a beautiful tri-palm. His first moose ever.

For the 2019 season, Pheonix already has her sights set on a cougar! We will see....

 

Pheonix's First Deer

Friday! The start of the weekend. Work is done, school is out and we are scrambling to get our hunting gear together and into the truck so we have time to hunt. The sun sets at 7pm now and is black out by 7:30, so it doesn't leave a lot of time to get everything together and to get out.

We managed to get everything done and horse fed by 4:30 and we were hunting by 5. Doe season had opened up on the 10th of this month for everyone. On the way out I was telling Pheonix she had the rest of season to shoot a doe and a buck, October 10-31 was doe for everyone, and youth had a doe season Nov 1- 30 and general buck season went until the 30th of November. She had passed up so many spike bucks since September 1st, I wasn't sure she would be wanting to shoot a doe as her first deer. We have been hunting for this one big buck we have seen 4 times now and she has had a chance at twice. So I was a bit surprised when she said she was willing to shoot a doe.

Right off the get go we found a deer, from a distance it looked like a doe but as got closer you could see it was a little button buck so we continued on. We came upon a lone doe after that, she wasn't concerned about us and was just kind of milling around. I asked her if she wanted that one and she asked my thoughts on it. I told her she was a young doe and that was all she needed to hear- she wanted to pass. Onward we went. After that every doe we found had fawns with her. But it was a beautiful evening and we were having a good time. She wanted to go into the area where the buck hangs out. I told her we wouldn't see him because we are going in to early- she was ok with that. Now I drive a half ton truck and this road is basically a rough quad trail, I don't really like taking my truck in there because I have poor tires for the type of terrain I have to drive through but we took it slow and my truck made it in one piece lol. 7 o'clock hit and I told her that we didn't have much light left for hunting, so if we seen a deer and she wanted to take it, she would need to move a little faster getting set up than she usually does. Shortly after I said that she says deer! So I stop and look with my binoculars. A doe- I scanned the clearing looking for any sign of another deer with her and there was nothing to be found, so I drove the truck up a little farther and parked it. We jumped out and walked the fence line back to where we seen the deer. We got there and the doe was still there feeding. So Pheonix tried to set up using the fence as a rest- didn't work. It was either to high or too low for her. So we set up the shooting sticks aka my trekking poles strapped together. She goes mom they are to low, so I reset them and she was good. I sat watching the doe in my binos. Now she has missed 2 bucks this season already, so I was hoping she wouldn't have a threepeat. The doe was in a massive clearing up on a steep hill and Pheonix was shooting off her knees because that's the most comfortable position for her- so the shot was a steep one and more difficult than the two misses earlier. It didn't take her long to find her in her scope and after a minute- boom. I watched the doe run about 10 yards then stop and stand there. I quickly said reload reload! She did and was able to shift the gun and shooting sticks so she had a sight of the doe and within a few seconds- boom. Off goes her second shot. I said you got her! I watched her run about 30 yards and she disappeared from my sight. So we listened and sure enough you could hear her crash. Pheonix asked what was that? I replied, "That's your doe crashing. She's down! " She was pretty excited, she wanted to go find her right then and there. I told her to wait a few minutes so I could bring the truck back down and get my pack.

By the time we got the truck back down the light was fading fast. So I looked for my headlamps in my pack. I found my back up lamp- batteries were dead, crap! I looked around and couldn't find my good one, double crap. So I searched my truck to find the yellow one I kept in it for emergencies and it was no where to be found....maybe Kyle took it? uh oh. No headlamps and it was now dark...so I used the flashlight on my phone which sucks...bad. So we headed towards where we last seen her, in the dark with the flashlight on my phone. Pheonix was nervous, there was a cow bull hanging out in the clearing and now that it was dark you couldn't see him. But he never bothered us. We searched for an hour and I started to say it would be better to come back in the morning. But as we started walking down I found blood, so we searched for a little longer. Couldn't find her, so I went through my pack and found a garbage bag (my flagging tape was in the truck) and tied it to a tree marking the blood trail for morning. We got back to the truck at 9pm. She was understandably worried that coyotes were going to get it, but I reassured her it would be fine.


I got the kids up early the next morning so we could eat and get going right away. We headed back in and as we pulled up to where I had parked the truck the night before I looked up on the hill and said there she is. Pheonix was excited and asked how I knew it was her- I could see her white belly from down here. She was about 10 yards from where I tied the garbage bag onto the tree- we had walked all around her the night before! To be fair she did die in like a dug out on the hill lol. We had brought the dogs with us just encase she was hard to find- more eyes the better. But they weren't needed this time lol. So we all hiked up to her and not a hair was out of place. We looked her over and it looked like Pheonix missed her first shot and her second one was perfect- double lung shot. Unfortunately the steep angle of the shot resulted in the bullet exiting through the guts- I was careful not to puncture the bloated belly. Koda was not being helpful trying to bury the deer in dirt while I was working on it. After pictures, I got all the meat off that I could and strapped it on my backpack- Pheonix had to help me get up lol. And we hiked back down to the truck. Once at the butcher he weighed the meat- 60lbs. Now she's asking every day when her deer will be done!

Pheonix Turns 10!

Since she was 6 shes been begging us to let her hunt. In BC though the legal age to hunt is 10. So every spring and every fall, out we would go hunting and Pheonix begging us the entire time to let her hunt. So obviously she was on the countdown until she turned 10, which was the beginning of May 2018. In December we allowed her to do her hunter education course, but the paperwork could not be sent until it was closer to her birthday. She passed her hunters education and we sent her papers in a week before her birthday. The day after her birthday, she received her hunter number and congratulations from the BCWF- she was now allowed to hunt and it was spring bear season! To say she was excited is an understatement.

The first day she could hunt, we took her out. Easton decided to stay with Oma and Papa decided to hop in the jeep with us. We came to a road that Kyle and I had seen a blonde black bear and he dropped Pheonix and I off to walk it. He stayed parked and watched us in the binos. Pheonix and I didn't get very far down the road before I told her to stop, there on the side of the road about 150 yards ahead of us was a bear. He seen us and was sitting on his backend eating grass. He wasn't worried. I told her to stay put and I walked out so I could get a better look at him. I put my binos up and was watching him, she made her way over to me quietly and sat down. Unbeknownst to me, Kyle had seen me react to the bear and knew I had my sights on one and was making his way to us. He came up beside us and got really excited, which got Pheonix excited. He was getting her to get her rifle ready on the shooting sticks....I told him No, its not the right bear. He kind of brushed me off and said its a huge bear, it has no hump I already looked. So more sternly I said to him No Kyle! Look at its face...look at its head...its a Grizzly! He rolled his eyes, and looked through his rifle scope for a better look (has a higher power than our binoculars), after a minute or so he told Pheonix to put her rifle down. Mom was right. It was a massive grizzly bear. We sat and watched him for a few minutes as the great brute got off his butt and waddled up the road and off into the bush. He was so fat he had no hump!
When we got back to the jeep Kyle apologized for not listening to me, he was just overexcited with the idea Pheonix might have got a monster black bear for her first big game animal.

Our next outing we found a beautiful black bear really early in the evening. Kyle and Pheonix jumped out and pulled a stalk on it. They got within range and Pheonix got set up, after a minute the bear spooked off and they came back to the jeep. I asked what happened and Pheonix quietly said she left her clip in the jeep. She was upset, but she learned a lesson! We seen 3 more bears after that (all cinnamons) but they didn't stick around for her.


We ended up getting a bunch of rain for a week straight, so on the first break we got we headed out. We went back into our favourite bear area, the same area she forgot her clip, and things seemed pretty quiet. We decided to go down a road we don't normally travel, but we had seen 3 cinnamon bears in that area before so figured we would give it a shot. We slowly drove down keeping a close eye out. Suddenly, Kyle stops the jeep and is staring at a pile of rocks. I asked what he was staring at and he said there's a bear behind it, sure enough all we seen was a black ear moving behind the pile and he threw the jeep in reverse. He parked us a ways back down the road and he and Pheonix jumped out and went back down towards the bear. I stayed with Easton at the jeep. Everything was saturated and mosquitoes filled the air. As we sat in the jeep they swarmed around, trying to find a way in. I felt bad for Kyle and Pheonix, they had to have been getting eaten alive. I watched Kyle and Pheonix disappear out of view and I got out of the jeep to listen. It took a while before the gun shot. Apparently they set up 9 - 10 times before taking the shot. The bear had a sow with him and they moved around a lot, so they had to constantly move to stay in range. Kyle would help her adjust her shooting sticks to where she needed them, I guess she was quite bossy about what she wanted haha! Eventually a gun shot rung out into the evening air. I slowly started to walk down the road a bit and seen Kyle, he motioned for me to bring the jeep down.

 I parked the jeep down where they were standing on the road and jumped out. Pheonix was vibrating and telling me all about it. Kyle said the bear dropped just at the treeline (they were in a clear cut that I couldn't see before) and that she had made an excellent shot, but when he ran Kyle was worried it would make it to far and darkness was coming. So when it had stopped to look back at them, Kyle let off a shot too. The bear only ran 5 feet and he dropped. So off we went to find her bear. I was really wishing for a pair of rain pants or gaiters! There we found him at the edge of the treeline, I looked at the bear and I looked at Kyle- it was a big bear. He had a big noggin on him and was 6 feet. Much bigger bear than we were expecting for her first bear! We got some photos of Pheonix with him and we got to work quartering and skinning him. I checked the skin and noticed it only had one entry and exit. I looked at Kyle and asked him again, Pheonix for sure hit him? He said yes no doubt about it, she hit him good. I laughed and told him he missed then! He said no way and looked at the skin. Sure enough...only the 2 holes. He covered it up with saying he shot at it free hand lol!

It was a great spring for all of us! Although Kyle and I didn't get our bears at home, we both got our bears in Saskatchewan which was a first for me...third times the charm apparently! But we all got big impressive bears and our freezer was loaded with pepperoni and cheese smokies!