Day 2 Camp Pendelton
- Thread starter asrcpp223
- Start date
Pretty funny actually,i found the spot because i went up a super steep fire break up to a ridge and spotted a doe, went down to check it out, next thing i knew when i got to where the doe was i woke up a buck that just so happened to be right under the firebreak i just walked over, totally didn't see him, he went up to it, felt frustrating. hiked back out to where he went... see the pair in the valley i was just in... back around and down. the rest of the day was like that, in and out of that narrow valley. things got really interesting when a few other hunters showed up. (more deer)were running away deeper into the longer leg of the valley. it was late ate that point and i was pretty beat up. damn crunchy oak leaves..
Today i showed up around 0345 at the warden station to check back into that area, gates opened at 0500 and i was the 3rd in line. made a b-line for the area. Found a really nice tree in a narrow area of the longer valley leg, had shots to the left and right overlooking 2 game trails. waited from around 6 until 0930, this guy walks up to my left, luckily i already had my bow in my hand ready to rock, birds make the weirdest noises..kept me paranoid. 20 yds at the most maybe.
crazy feeling, I was shaking, then it starts to set in that i have to gut this thing for the first time alone and with nothing but youtube knowledge i watched 50 times that i somehow can't remember. wait a few min, collected my gear and looked for the blood, nothing, nothing, bright ass red blood.. very slow walk, maybe 50yds i find him in a big bush. don't know what to do with my hands. Smashed a 5 hour energy. got to work. accidently skinned around the ribcage a lil bit, no biggie. learned me some deer anatomy real quick.
pulling that deer out of that narrow valley was insane, if i would of went back the way i came in it would of been twice the distance. had a drag harness on me, tried dragging him up the pretty steep ridge directly to the firebreak. felt like i made it 20 feet before saying no effin way, decided to come straight out the valley through the creek bed. That was one of the hardest thing I've ever done. it was very thick, very brutal, couple hours. by the end i was taking 5 steps and cramping up, finally got to an area my truck could make.
went to the warden station to register him and turns out I'm the second guy to take a deer this season on base. also turns out the meat freezer on base are broken at this moment. its hot as shit, want to enjoy the first deer I've ever taken... ever. went to the processor.
go to the processor in escondido and some kid that has worked there for a week tells me that they can't accept it until its skinned, no qualified person on the premises. times running out. shit you not, went next door to an empty lot with trees and put that sucker on a rope and pulley and skinned that sucker right then and there out in the open in escondido. lucky i brought my hatchet because i hacked its legs off at the joints and hacked the head off with it. worker kid came and watched me in awe, said it was the most metal thing he's ever seen.
Today i showed up around 0345 at the warden station to check back into that area, gates opened at 0500 and i was the 3rd in line. made a b-line for the area. Found a really nice tree in a narrow area of the longer valley leg, had shots to the left and right overlooking 2 game trails. waited from around 6 until 0930, this guy walks up to my left, luckily i already had my bow in my hand ready to rock, birds make the weirdest noises..kept me paranoid. 20 yds at the most maybe.
crazy feeling, I was shaking, then it starts to set in that i have to gut this thing for the first time alone and with nothing but youtube knowledge i watched 50 times that i somehow can't remember. wait a few min, collected my gear and looked for the blood, nothing, nothing, bright ass red blood.. very slow walk, maybe 50yds i find him in a big bush. don't know what to do with my hands. Smashed a 5 hour energy. got to work. accidently skinned around the ribcage a lil bit, no biggie. learned me some deer anatomy real quick.
pulling that deer out of that narrow valley was insane, if i would of went back the way i came in it would of been twice the distance. had a drag harness on me, tried dragging him up the pretty steep ridge directly to the firebreak. felt like i made it 20 feet before saying no effin way, decided to come straight out the valley through the creek bed. That was one of the hardest thing I've ever done. it was very thick, very brutal, couple hours. by the end i was taking 5 steps and cramping up, finally got to an area my truck could make.
went to the warden station to register him and turns out I'm the second guy to take a deer this season on base. also turns out the meat freezer on base are broken at this moment. its hot as shit, want to enjoy the first deer I've ever taken... ever. went to the processor.
go to the processor in escondido and some kid that has worked there for a week tells me that they can't accept it until its skinned, no qualified person on the premises. times running out. shit you not, went next door to an empty lot with trees and put that sucker on a rope and pulley and skinned that sucker right then and there out in the open in escondido. lucky i brought my hatchet because i hacked its legs off at the joints and hacked the head off with it. worker kid came and watched me in awe, said it was the most metal thing he's ever seen.
Outstanding!........Thanks for read and great pix.......Next time give me a call. I live just down the street from both Specialty Meats & T & H Meats.....I have all the stuff here for skinning & Hanging...... 8)
Nice buck!
Here's some tips I learned the hard way. Bring a tarp and after you take the buck drag him onto the tarp. Skin 'em out right there. Bring a couple of knives and a sharpner. Instead of dragging dead weight, bring a pack and some old pillow covers. Once skinned remove backstraps and then the quarters. If you really want the tenderloins (which aren't very big on a deer that size) then go in behind the ribs. Avoid cutting into the gut.
Put it all in the bags and take off the head to check in with and get your tag signed off.
Not much mess but MUCH easier.
Here's some tips I learned the hard way. Bring a tarp and after you take the buck drag him onto the tarp. Skin 'em out right there. Bring a couple of knives and a sharpner. Instead of dragging dead weight, bring a pack and some old pillow covers. Once skinned remove backstraps and then the quarters. If you really want the tenderloins (which aren't very big on a deer that size) then go in behind the ribs. Avoid cutting into the gut.
Put it all in the bags and take off the head to check in with and get your tag signed off.
Not much mess but MUCH easier.
Tarp idea would of been great, left my backpacking pack in the truck and took a day pack instead, huge mistake . totally underestimated how thick the creek bed was on the drag out, constantly up and down, 4 ft drops up and down, over and over. Thick brush, dodging posion oak. Gotta love the spyder co sharpener, using it a bunch fleshing the head this morning, sitting in a pot simmering now.
Learned a lot, didnt realize how great pendleton was. Definitly going to go back for whatever i can and put in a lot of scouting time for the next time
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Learned a lot, didnt realize how great pendleton was. Definitly going to go back for whatever i can and put in a lot of scouting time for the next time
Sent from my SM-G900P using Tapatalk
