Hunting in the 'New Year' @ Solana Ranch....

[robtattoo]

Looks like a Grand Time was had by all!  
Thanks for sharing the memories guys!

[JEFF B]

this is awesome but yo know how it goes we need more!!!! looks like yall had a great time.      

[lt-m-grow]

Great stories and pictures.

paleFace, that is a great picture of "ole-shep" with the colored for foreground and black and white background.  Very cool technique that I don't think I have seen before.

[rice]

I was one of the folks that got the oppertunity to fill in for some of the folks that dropped out.
I would like to thank Terry and Bob for putting this whole thing together.
I did not end up harvesting an animal but had a great time none the less.
I did have a good shot on a 8 point buck the first evening, I aimed low but he failed to duck into my arrow  :(  . 30 minutes later I shot at a Doe at 10 yards and did not aim low, she ducked my arrow. Go figure.
I was lucky enough to hunt with Bob Morrison, Tony Green, and Leroy. They were a lot of fun. Here are a few of the picts. I got.
 
 
 
It was a great time and although I did not get to visit with everyone there, the folks I did talk to made it a hunt to remember.

Chris

[Guru]

The next morning found me in an 8ft. tri pod that I had hunted last year as well a good 45 minutes before shooting light(I was the first one dropped off). It was one of the stands that I had hogs come in on me in the dark. The other was the stand I hunted last night. When it happened last year,someone asked why I didn't turn my flashlight on and try to shoot one....Hmmm

This year I was ready with a little worked over head lamp that I could attach to my bow. I wasn't there for 15 minutes when I could hear hogs coming in....

I let them eat for as long as I dared waiting for it to get a little lighter so I could at least see them with bino's to figure out if they were in position to shoot before I tried the little light. When they were what I figured was close enough, I slowly turned on the light and lowered the little beam slowly. The biggest hog immediately started to move off, The two of them didn't pay any attention to it. I drew and shot....

 The flash of the arrow thru the beam and the sound that came back to me, like I'd just shot a watermelon, gave me the impression that it was the infamous "a little back". There was a good 20 hogs there when I shot and it was chaos as they tore out of there.....

My nerves had settled by daylight, when my phone vibrated in my pocket. A text from skyler brought good news...but I'll let him fill you in on that  

This was the best buck I saw that morning and he was too far away to do anything with. I believe he needed another year anyway....

 


I waited till 9:00 and got down to check things out.  Here's a pic of the stand....

 

and the spot where the hog was when I shot(next to the real short cedar)....

 


I quickly found sign that confirmed I hadn't dreamed it all up in the dark......

 

 


About ten yards from where I shot, lay my Wensel Woodsman tipped Vapor 3000...

 


A closer inspection, and sniff, confirmed what I thought.....we'd have to wait a while before looking.....

 


It was time to take care of Skyler's business....

[FOXXNTROUT]

that photo should have been taken in black and white, cause it reminds me of those golden years photos where there is just a pile of deer and other game. Wow, I think I may have to do this next year.

[paleFace]

Foxxntrout we can make that happen....
   

[SKYLER W]

Hey guys. I've got several stories to tell but it's probably going to be an hour or so.......

[paleFace]

Curt great story, looking forward to hearing the rest. Now where is that young Skyler fella, he's holding things up. Disregard he beat me to the keys! we can't wait young man and just so you know it was a real pleasure to share camp with you and your dad.

[Guru]

By the way...it's hard to tell but there are 7 does, 7 bucks, and 7 hogs in that pic.....and like someone said...that was just after the third quarter.....


...I'm on hold till we hear from Skyler and Terry    

 Anyone still on cloud nine    

[peter c iacavazzi]

aw come on Guru...the suspense is wearing me out! I should be working...but I keep checking this thread...At this rate, I'm never going to get any "Sitka" work done!

:)P

[gregg dudley]

Come on SKYLER!  Not knowing how you did I didn't want to call you out before, but now that Curt is hinting good things...Give us the lowdown!


 

[Terry Green]

Speedsters did someone say?  Most of the time they run a script and some times they don't.

I also should have had at least two more does and a hog....but the ducking, or lack there of make for a hysterical day for me on the 2nd morn and 3rd evening.

I had a doe beeded in at the baseline of her body, and she never moved till I shaved off a little patch of white belly hair....she didn't run the script        

But at least I made good on the best buck I saw the whole hunt.    

[Guru]

see guys...I can't go anywhere till we hear a story from Terry and Skyler's tale....soooooo........  

[SKYLER W]

I had a great time! Getting to meet and spend time with some great people made the whole trip worthwhile. The first afternoon hunt started out kinda slow for me, but after that it was wide open!!!! David, is one awesome guide and I really enjoyed every minute I spent with him. He let me out at a pop up blind under a big cedar tree. At about 3:45 looked up and saw a head coming up the hill. I was about to get ready to shoot when I look through my binoculars and what do I see...2 little spikes sticking out of his head. So much for that, I thought. He milled around for about an hour then he kinda just walked off.

That was it for me on that evening. When I got back to the house, I figured out that every one else has seen ten and twenty and thirty deer and I had seen one.

The next morning proved to be a LOT more eventful. David let me out at an eight foot tripod where they had been seeing several big bucks. It was about 30 minutes till daylight when I got their and probably 10 minutes after I was dropped off I could already hear deer eating under me. I went ahead and got ready because I just knew I would get a shot. It was just light enough for me to see the outline of the deer when I heard Running and crashing and.....grunting. Four hogs ran out of the bushes and ran off my deer. I couldn' see good enough to shoot yet but I knew it wouldn't be long so I went ahead and got shifted to make a shot. There was one BIG hog with them but I told myself I would take the first shot I got. After running around and eating for what seemed like forever, one walked into my shooting lane. I picked a spot, reached my anchor, held for a second and released. I watched my chartreuse(if thats how you spell it) feathers hit home right in the ribcage. He started squealing and ran off. I felt pretty confident in my shot so I just sat in my stand. The rest of the morning was pretty much filled with a whole herd of cows coming in to my feeder and eating of the tree I was in.

At 9:30 David, Dad, Curt, and Terry came to pick me up and asked me where it was standing. I showed them and we found quite a bit of blood. After 50 yards of a solid blood trail I looked up and there was my trophy. As you would expect, I was really happy. As it turned out I wasn't the only one to shoot one that morning.....more to come...            

[vermonster13]

       

[adkmountainken]

i think i'm getting carpal tunnel from hitting the refresh button so many times!!! AWESOME!!!

[tippit]

Sky, Good on you!  Oh how I wished I could be there again this year...Doc

[gregg dudley]

Yeah, Buddy!  Way to go!

[RC]

Good job Skyler!!!!