Well, Oregon Blacktail buck and Blacktail bow.    

This morning I went up to hunt a treestand where I've been getting some pics of decent bucks for the last month. A couple days before Thanksgiving I had a 140ish 4pt broadside at 30 yards from this stand, but he was just beyond my shooting range and wouldn't come any closer.

It was pretty cold but calm when I climbed in the stand this morning. But I had my wool on and insulated pacs, so I figured I was good to go. As it began to get light I tried a series of mock battle with my rattlers. After about 30-40 minutes I spotted movement coming up out the reprod. Elk! 4 cows, 2 calves, and a spike bull came in and milled around my stand looking to see what all the racket was about, then they slowly fed off and out of sight.

As time went on I lost all feeling in my toes, and was forcing myself to stay put 10 minutes at a time, then another 10 minutes, and so on. The sun was finally working it's way down in where I was, but I was considering climbing down. I rattled again at about 10:35 and about 10 minutes later I caught movement off to my right. I could see the back half of a deer, so I nocked an arrow. Then the deer stepped clear and began walking toward my stand.

Now, I've been trying to kill a deer or elk from a treestand for years, but I usually lose patience or get cold and climb down. I've also shot over several animals in the past.

Well this buck continued on and slowly walked by me. I started to draw my bow, but I so cold and stiff from sitting for 4 hours I could only get half drawn. I thought my shoulders and back would pop and spook the buck, so I let down. The buck sniffed the ground and took several more steps and was quartering away at around 15 yards. The buck dropped his head again and I came to full draw and released. My doug fir arrow passed through the buck and he kicked and ran off, but angled down into a draw. He had gone about 60-70 yards and I saw his back legs begin to give out as went behind some small trees.

After sitting in the stand and collecting my thoughts for several minutes I climbed down. I was sure the buck was down and dead as I picked up my arrow. But I knew it would be a tough drag back up the draw, so I walked on out to the truck to retrieve my packboard. More than anything I needed to get warmed up by moving around for awhile.

After getting warmed up and getting circulation back in my feet I went down the draw and easily found the buck. He's a 3x4, and had lots of trash on the bases.



I put on my '95 Ducks Rose Bowl T-shirt this morning for the fun of it, and it brought me good luck.

All Right, Ron!  Really happy for you!

Stan

Great job Ron!  That's a bomber of a Blacktail and a sweet perk after sitting in a stand for that long. As you well know by now you take these kinds of "gifts" when they come your way when hunting these Blacktails.  Lord knows I have spent many an hour hunting stands that never produced sight of a deer.  Well done.

Congratulations.

Those Blacktails are sure handsome.

Awsome Ron, Great buck and great story,. I have set up tons of tree stands over the years but never killed a blacktail buck out of one. Like you < I always got down too fast. Back in the day we built them into the trees. I have old stands all over southern Oregon LOL. Most never had an animal taken out of them.

Great job.

I thought this day was coming!

Congrats Ron,to stay put up a tree stand is tough in those temperatures.

NICE! You'll get used to treestand hunting after a couple thousand hours,ha (I've spent a lot of time in trees).

Great Blacktail...congrats      

Very cool.
Jack

Nice mature blacktail buck and good hunting, congratulations.

Treekiller, I am ALWAYS looking for your Blacktail pics--you shoot some FINE specimens!  Is that sunshine in those pictures?

beauty!, congrats

A very nice buck! Can't say enough about how fine an animal he is.

Hey...you're not gonna wear that T shirt again anytime soon are you?      

Kevin

great buck . have you looked at thermosoles?   fixed my cold feet problem for good.

Thanks guys!  He's a stinky old fella, but so am I at times.      

QuoteOriginally posted by Owlgrowler:
NICE! You'll get used to treestand hunting after a couple thousand hours,ha (I've spent a lot of time in trees).

Owl...what's the secret to keeping the feet warm? After about 2 hours, my toe's were numb! I was wearing 100% wool socks inside insulated LaCrosse pacs.    

Ron,what is that white core strip on your limbs,foam?Felix

QuoteOriginally posted by LITTLEBIGMAN:
great buck . have you looked at thermosoles?   fixed my cold feet problem for good.

No I haven't. I have/have had plantar fascitis in both feet, so I have special orthotics I use in my boots. Any more insoles would probably make my boots too tight. I had some heavy felt insoles I removed from my boots so the orthotics would fit.

QuoteOriginally posted by cacciatore:
Ron,what is that white core strip on your limbs,foam?Felix

Bamboo, I think that's all Norm uses for the core of his limbs anymore.