"The only good shooting lane was the dirt road itself, so I positioned myself on the edge next to some brush and ranged the opening I thought they would come out of. The first deer was a doe. She walked on to the road, stopped, and stared at me..."

"The wind was still, and every step seemed louder than the last. As I walked, I would stop and survey the area with my binoculars before continuing on. Eventually, I caught movement in the trees ahead. “Was it him?” I thought.

"Forced to readjust we climb some more and slide over the ridgeline. Years of failed set ups have taught me that positioning yourself at the same elevation or above the target works best for successful call-ins. On the ridgeline the wind still isn’t great, but it’s better."

"And then it happened! As I was enjoying this beautiful fall morning on the Kaibab, I realized I was looking straight at a big buck, and he was looking straight at me. He was facing me, his body engulfed in a tall thicket of oak brush but his head was exposed as he ate acorns. He was the biggest buck I had ever had in front of me on a hunt."

At the time, any chance of ever hunting for a grizzly bear was just a pipe dream; but even so, these stories were indelibly etched in our minds. One day, I thought, ‘I want to go on a hunt like this!’

Put yourself where the animals are and in their travel corridors. Be observant of your surroundings and sign. Know if they have the best eyesight, smell, or hearing. Know when to push it, when to slow down, when to back out, and when to close the distance. This comes with experience in most cases.

The hunter with the gun shot the bear in the hind end, believing he had no other shot option. To take the time for a side shot may have meant a broken neck for his partner. His quick, moxie-rich action saved his friend as the bear leapt away from his victim and slipped into thick brush only five feet away.

Built like a Panzer tank but performs like a fine Swiss watch. Hamskea Archery is well known for building the […]

Over the years I have noticed that it seems like new technology is always trying to replace a skill to make success easier to come by. Everyone is looking for a hack or shortcut to success. While I have nothing against this and embrace many of those technologies myself. I am a firm believer that there is no shortcut or technology to make you consistently successful or at your core, a more competent hunter.

“You’ve got 48 minutes.”  The update snapped me back to reality. My next step would seal my fate. After being so cautious on the open face, I made the trees and started to relax. With one slip and the sound of gravel underfoot, the whole herd stood at attention.

California offers a lengthy deer season timeline and a generous two tag per hunter allowance in its blacktail zones, making it an appealing yet highly under-recognized hunt opportunity for out-of-staters. If only I had a nickel for every time someone’s head spun in disbelief when I told them that we begin archery hunting for blacktails on the second Saturday in July!

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