The Blood Instinct Blog with Crazy Carl: 2012

Monday, December 3, 2012

Saturday, October 13, 2012

Fall is one of my favorite times of year. The weather gets crisp, the trees in the forest start to don their fall colors, and of course hunting seasons start to open. My father & I drew fall turkey tags for the White Mountains, Unit 27. This is another one of our favorite areas to hunt. We not only can usually find our target species, but we see all kinds of wildlife. We left Thursday night and set up camp as the next day the turkey season would open. We awoke just after sunrise and gathered our gear together. I was excited just to have tag in my pocket and being in the beautiful outdoors. I knew it was going to be a great day. Also, I always enjoy the times I get to hunt with my Dad. We loaded into the truck to head to a couple of spots we know to generally hold turkeys. We had just started down the dirt road to our spot when I spotted a flock of turkeys 20 yards off the trail! I stopped and grabbed my Remington 1100 from it's sling as did Dad. I crept into the woods to get closer to the birds. I had a shot , but decided to wait for Dad to be ready as well. Well, the turkeys had enough and started to bug out so Dad said "Take the shot if you got it". There were so many birds cris-crossing I couldn't pick out a safe single to shoot. Then as I looked to my left I saw one solitary turkey getting ready to bolt. I raised and aimed right at the neck and squeezed the shot off. Feathers drifted in the morning sun light. The turkey dropped in it's tracks. It was a big healthy hen. Great table fair;) Dad couldn't get a clear shot, so he suggested going around the corner to see if we could cut them off. Well, Dad was spot on. The turkeys were right in front of us as we rounded the bend. Dad was able to pick one off before he disappeared in the thick woods. Two turkeys down within 20 minutes of opening morning!! Now that we had filled our turkey tags so soon, we decided to drive some of the roads and check out some of our favorite hunting spots and see what damage the Wallow Fire had done. The fire had burned quite a massive area, but new growth was coming up strong and the downed timber creates another obstacle or eco system depending on how you look at it. The deer seemed to vanish in the stacks of fallen timber and slip into the thick still standing old growth. We pulled off on one rough road to have a

look around. As I start to walk to the edge of the ridge I hear a rustle or drumming sound. I walked back to my truck to grab the ol' trusty 1100.

As I walked back to the edge of the ridge a big Blue Grouse flushed and was quickly on his way to the opposite ridge. I shoulder my shotgun and made a snappy shot and dropped thankfully before he got so far out that he would fall to the bottom of the ravine. Fortunately a fallen log stopped him from rolling down the ridge. It was still a steep recovery:) I have never shot a Blue Grouse and I was stoked!

What beautiful birds they are! I was surprised how big they are too. This one will certainly fit in my trophy room nicely. Dad left the next morning and I decided to stay and try hunt down a bear and maybe pick up a few more Grouse for the table. I hunted hard and worked my way into the thickest cover I could find figuring the bears would be focusing on fattening up for the winter. I found an Oak thicket surrounded by thorny foliage about shoulder high. As I crawled and worked my way in, I found bear tracks, scat, and where a bear had spent a lot of time. Every few feet there was a bear pile(scat) and tracks every now and again. All the grasses and limbs were matted down and I could see the depressions where the bear had enjoyed a little rest. Hound hunters were running dogs in the area so I'm sure the bear that occupied that ridge wised up and moved on. Still it was very cool to have snuck into his hideout, just wish he was home:) I tried different methods over the next few days bear hunting, including calling with a varmint call. Unfortunately I had no predators come to the call but some ravens. Regardless it is a fun tactic to try. You never know when something is gonna walk out into view. I eventually got tired of eating ham & cheese sandwiches or powerbars, so it being squirrel season I shot a few each day and cooked them right over the fire. The day before I planned on leaving back for the Valley, I tried to walk some thick Spruce thickets in hopes of finding another Blue Grouse. Working my way through these thick ridge tops payed off as I was able to pick off another great male Blue Grouse!

A good bear track

The time came eventually to return to my responsibilities too quick as usual. The Arizona deep woods are nearly indescribable in it's beauty. I cherish every moment I have to spend out there. It was great having my Father along for a bit too. The Blood Instinct runs through my veins and always will. Take time to enjoy your surroundings. I find my peace and time for meditation sitting next a good looking meadow as I wait to see what the the woods will reveal to me.

Always be respectful and kind to Mother Nature, but don't be afraid to take something from the fridge now and again.:)

Sapling abused by a rutting bull elk

Happy Hunter

Turkey Tracks

Hunt Video Journal

Saturday, September 8, 2012

Blood Instinct:"The Tag Team Buck"

This year my dad & I drew Coues Whitetail tags for our favorite unit, 31, in Southern Arizona. I've been bow hunting for years now even if I draw a rifle tag, mostly just to get out and hunt, but also to scout a little for our rifle hunt. I invited my friend Dave Wood for his first bow hunt and to show him what coues deer hunting is all about ( impossible terrain, never ending uphill hikes, and very spooky little deer ). We only had 2 days off work, so it was gonna be a turn and burn trip. We arrived at our camp site around 3AM and got just a couple hours of rack time before we were up and after'em. 20 minutes into the hunt as Dave & I creep along a trail I spot a BIG coues buck feeding along a fence line. I signal Dave to get low & slow. I was able to keep a bush between me and the buck. As I got closer to the bush, I peeked out to see what the buck was doing. Well, I was not aware that there were 2 big bucks and one had me pegged. I was 50yds away and decided if they stayed as I drew I could get a good shot broadside. I drew back and just as I touch off the release, the buck jumps the string. It would have been a perfect hit, but they are so fast! Clean miss. We were pumped running into some bucks right off the bat anyway! We continued down the trail to a spot I know of that dead ends around a Juniper tree. We stopped for a break and as we're sitting there, a rattle snake slithers right past our feet and cozies up next to the juniper. We watched him as we ate a power bar before getting off the trail and into some serious coues country. We started up the boulders and hills, picking our way through shindaggers, cactus, and squeezing through little under cuts. I spotted a few more does through out the morning. Dave was excited just seeing deer but also got a lesson on how hard they are to spot as I pointed out a doe in the open looking right at us;) Around lunch time I decide to take Dave down a trail that we can move a little quieter up and leads to some water. After a quick 30 min. break in the shade we start creeping down the trail.

Dave Wood creeping coues country

Dave starting to feel the effects of coues country, A real trooper!

As we hike up to the top of a group of small hills with lots of cover I jumped a small buck. I signal to Dave to go in and give him a crack at it. I crept down the trail a little further quietly hoping to push the deer back Daves direction. I get around a small bend and stop and wait. A moment later I hear his bow let loose and hear an arrow twang off a couple rocks. I gotta give Dave a big congrats just getting a coues buck in bow range! An accomplishment in itself, especially on a 1st time bow & coues hunt! Well, as the twang from his arrow hitting the rock quiets I see the buck duck behind some cover...almost crouching to hide from Dave. I drew back but didn't feel comfy with the shot and angle. I took one long step left and had him at 30 yards quartering away from me. Perfect. The buck was still focused in Dave's direction. As the buck looks back towards where Dave was I drew my bow back. Now I have missed archery opportunities in the past by rushing the shot or not taking my time to find a good angle ( like twig free ). This time I took a deep breath, settled my 30yd pin on the vitals and touched off my release. I saw the fletching disappear right where I was aiming! The buck bounded off. I crept up to where the buck was when I took the shot to find a good puddle of foamy blood. I was about to back out and grab Dave to help with the track job when I heard thrashing 35 yds away in a little ravine. I look over to see my 1st archery Coues buck kick one last time and take his final breath. I was so excited I hollard at Dave that I got'em and here he is! Dave rolled up and was just excited as I was. We pounded knuckles and recounted the events that just took place. I went to work gutting him out and Dave went to look around to see if any others were sticking around the area and to see if he locate our arrows. He returns just in time to grab my gear as I shoulder the deer and start the hard yet happy hike to the truck.

Finally back at the truck with my trophy

Being nearly 90 degrees, I had to get him skinned and on ice ASAP. It was 3PM so Dave decided to keep hunting while I ran into town to load up on ice. I met Dave back at our agreed spot and headed back to camp. Dave said he'd chased another small buck, but a doe kept him at bay while the buck slipped away. That's coues deer hunting. We had the next morning to hunt before we had to head back for work. We got up early and went to where we saw the two biggin's the day before. At that same spot we were surrounded by does, but made for some fun trying to see them all and look for antlers. Turned out to be all does. We hunted back up the hills and spooked 1 buck that we couldn't get a real good look at. The day turned hotter than the day before and unfortunately the deer just stopped moving, I'm sure bedded up in the rocks in the shade. We decided it was time to pack it in and head home. I got to know Dave a lot better and what a great and determined guy he is. I will do my best to get him on some deer in the 2nd archery season. I hunt alone so often I was nervous about bringing someone with me, but I gained a great new hunting buddy and built up our friendship even more. I was happy to have him there to share the adventure and we'll be getting into a lot more adventures too. I donated my rifle tag to www.OE4A.org which helps handicapped or impaired youth to go on a mentored hunt with my rifle tag:) Another big plus! What a great time we had and I can't wait to try it again!

Dave Wood with our "Tag Team Buck"

Happy hunter even before taggin' out

HUNT VIDEO JOURNAL

Thursday, August 2, 2012

Blood Instinct: Fly Fishing Colorado 2012

Me & Alyson @..well, read the sign!:)

Summer seems to drag on and on if you don't take time to enjoy it. My family has been going to Almont, Colorado nearly every year for the past 15 years to escape the heat of the Sonoran Sun. Almont, CO is the perfect destination for our vacation as it provides access to some of the best fly fishing in the west. The Taylor River and East River combine to create the mighty Gunnison River in Almont. In every direction from that point, an opportunity lurks for a fly to be gently presented to a sly trout. The shops in Crested Butte and the smaller towns in the surrounding area are always fun to pick through as well. The Rocky Mountains provide a picture perfect backdrop for our summer reprieve.

This year was dear to my heart because I brought someone with me who was also very dear to my heart, my sweetheart Alyson. Alyson and I left Phoenix around 10pm and drove through the night arriving in Almont just as the sun started to burn into the shadows of the tall mountains. We were some of the first of the family to arrive. Of course, the first thing on my mind was gettin' a fly rod rigged and wading into cold river water. So that's exactly what I did. My excuse for doing so was to show Alyson fly casting techniques. Alyson is not only beautiful, but smart as well, knew that I really just needed a fly fishing fix;) Within ten minutes I had hooked a nice Brown Trout on a dry fly! The rest of the week we had family from cousins to grandparents stopping by to share a few days in the awesome country side. We do an annual trip to small towns like Tin Cup and Pitkin which take you up over Cumberland Pass. There are beaver ponds and small creeks to fish all along the way. We stopped at one small pond near Pitkin where Alyson worked on her casting ability. The trout were there, but were being picky eaters. I managed to pull off a disappearing act as I slipped off a beaver lodge and into the pond. I sunk so deep I could have checked the lodge for inhabitants! Fortunately, my sweetheart was on the other side and didn't get the chance to watch me flounder for my footing as my hat tried to float away! Alyson and I took one afternoon and hiked up to what we call "The Big Beaver Pond". The pond is in a nook between mountains and is home to alot of high country Brook Trout. I packed a camp chair for Alyson and she read her magazines and soaked up the beautiful scenery around us while I tried to fool a few Brookies. Pretty soon, I'm sure, Alyson wasn't reading her magazines anymore, but was probably more entertained at my frustration as I missed a strike at my dry fly now and again. Our trip to the Big Beaver Pond was short lived as a typical afternoon thunderstorm moved in and we made our hike back down. We had a family night with a fantastic dinner and cousins and grandparents getting involved in some goofy games.

Alyson working on her casting:)

My Dad and I slipped away one afternoon while the girls shopped in Crested Butte to fish Brush Creek. It was an awesome afternoon with a mixed bag of Brookies, Browns, Bows, and a nice Colorado Cutthroat thrown into the mix. The sky was blue and the trout were cooperative making for a great time alone with my dad. The nights were cold and the crisp mornings were perfect for an early jog. One morning escape brought me close to a small group of Bighorn rams grazing by the Taylor River.

Our time in Colorado never seems long enough and the days began to wind down. When it came time to leave Almont, Alyson and I decided to drive through Ouray, Silverton, and a couple other small mining towns. We stopped and shopped a little in each and checked out the mining museum in Silverton. Really I think we were just enjoying each others company and delaying our return. We spent the night in Flagstaff and drove into Oak Creek Canyon the next morning. Alyson had hooked one trout with the fly rod in Colorado, but I decided to take her to the Oak Creek Trout Farm to watch her catch a few fish for the frying pan at home.

After my sweetheart caught 4 fat Rainbow Trout for dinner that night, we headed into Sedona for brunch before our drive home. We sat on the porch of one of the cafes and looked over the red rock terrain as we ate. On the drive home, I thought about all the previous years I had been to Colorado. This year burned a special spot in my heart because Alyson was there to join me. The beauty of the Rocky Mountains will leave you speechless, adding my sweet Alyson in the picture was absolutely breathtaking. We learned more about each other on this trip and grew closer because of it. I believe my family saw how important she was to me as well. An Outdoorsman can be hard to understand. I think I've finally found a woman who understands me ( or tolerate might be a more appropriate word! ). It was a great summer vacation and I look forward to our return.