Just wrapped up my local 2010 Blacktail deer season with my son.
The sights & sounds seem to get sweeter for me as time goes by.
An opening day sunrise brings strong anticipation of what is yet to come.



You're never alone in the mountains....



The country we hunt is very unforgiving, with a fairly low deer density and very little flat ground to be found.









Thomas was the first to score this year with a 3x3 that forked on opposite sides.
He made a super 425 yard shot and anchored this guy in his tracks with his tried & true 7mm-08.







I passed on lots of little bucks this year, including several real good ones that in hindsight I regret not shooting as they were better than the ones I took.
After bowhunting a long season unsuccessfully, I finally settled on this buck during rifle season.
It was the first shot at game with a gifted .257 weatherby mag and it really put the smackdown on this 3x3 buck.
I was highly impressed with the long range killing power of the .257.
DOA at 337 yards on my first buck and at 500 yards even on my second.
The effectiveness of this caliber has made it my new favorite.

I believe that this year we hunted harder, glassed more and spent more time looking than ever before.







In between plenty of bucks were looked at.




High up on a ridge overlooking the lake a shot rang out about mid morning.
My son had put down a real fine buck.
4x4 blacktails are a real prize in this unit.
This is my son's twelfth big game animal and his fourth four point blacktail.
The word proud don't have enough meaning.



We stayed in the hills till dark that evening and hiked out to a gorgeous sunset.





Thomas will be 18 in December and through all these years I've watched him progress as an outdoorsman.
There comes a time when the teacher must admit that the student has exceeded his own skills, now is that time for me.

In the end, I badly misjudged a buck with my final tag, but did the right thing and tagged the small 3 point ending my 2010 season.
A big mistake kept me from looking for the big one that we were searching for, but that's the way it goes.

Shortly we head to New Mexico for Thomas's youth muzzleloader elk hunt, Thomas has gotten used to the foreign ways of muzzleloading, becoming quite proficient with it and we anxiously await the trip, our early blacktail seasons always seem to be a good primer for the fall hunts ahead.

I always have a bit of heart ache as I close out another season of hunting.

Till then, best to all....

Damn 18 already. That was quick


My brothers both shot nice bulls in ID last week with bows. Last year the older past up a few decent bulls in New Mexico waiting for a monster. He had it inside of 50 yards but never got the shot.

Can't wait to see Tom's Trophy

Quarter-bores do strike like lightening. Can't complain about things .284 either....

Congrats to both of you!

Yet another great pictorial!! Congrats to the both of you.... Some wonderful pics to say the least!

What you've said above is certainly an understatement. Once I harvested the cow elk hunting this season I realized it would be another 357 days before I could do it again.

I'm anxious to follow that elk hunt! Keep US TUNED IN!!

Keith