I'm not very good at putting venison in the freezer so this year I had a new and improved plan. Forget scrambling up mountains in the snow looking for a lonely mule deer and risking a heart attack if I somehow got a buck. Instead, I would go soak up the sun on Lopez Island, where the state's department of fish and wildlife is practically begging for help with an overpopulation of deer. Any buck or doe is fair game on most islands in the state and the deer are smaller than their mainland cousins due to the stiff competition for food (lower heart attack risk). As a bonus, the civilized surrounds meant the whole family was invited.
Friday - Scouting Day
Pulled into port a day early to get a feel for the land and just like you see in all hard core hunting shows, we strapped on the baby and got walking. We were supposed to end up on top of the rock above but I missed the turn... That is my navigational ability with GPS. Without it, I would still be wandering lost in Post #90. Anyways, we changed the plan and went to look at an area along Colville Point. The scenery was amazing and maybe it distracted from the mission but we did not see a single deer on public land. Looked like the archery and muzzleloader crowd had ingrained a healthy sense of self preservation in the locals.
Pulled into port a day early to get a feel for the land and just like you see in all hard core hunting shows, we strapped on the baby and got walking. We were supposed to end up on top of the rock above but I missed the turn... That is my navigational ability with GPS. Without it, I would still be wandering lost in Post #90. Anyways, we changed the plan and went to look at an area along Colville Point. The scenery was amazing and maybe it distracted from the mission but we did not see a single deer on public land. Looked like the archery and muzzleloader crowd had ingrained a healthy sense of self preservation in the locals.
Saturday - Opening Day!
Didn't see a single deer. Ok, I did see deer driving to and from the BLM land... With the suspense out of the way, I had a very pleasant morning working through a mix of wetlands, salal thickets, and rocky outcroppings. Started the day by discovering a kayak that was stashed in the woods. It didn't look seaworthy but if I was still empty handed by Monday I was going to need it to reach the island in the middle of the swamp where the really smart critters would surely be hiding.
Around 10 am I stumbled onto this mossy shelf and was shocked to find a bright blue blanket of a telephone booth. While I pondered the meaning of this and my commitment to hauling out trash, another hunter wandered up (unarmed) and explained he was tired of carrying his gun through the thick brush and that I was standing over his Dr. Who blanket. This was a very different crowd than the good ol' boys driving slowly up and down the roads of Eastern WA! Knowing that he and his partner's efforts had cleared the local area of any deer I saw an excellent opportunity to rematch with the moss.
Another couple hours of futile brush busting and I arrived at the big payoff. Facing south from Chadwick Hill were the Olympics:
Then I worked around the hill to face east and there were the Cascades rising behind Whidbey Island:
Good views but just a little further along and bam! A volcano (Mt Baker of sockeye fame):
Stunning scenery is easy to take for granted in Washington but what takes the San Juan Islands to the next level is their sense of whimsy. In this case, someone of great intellect had installed a swing at the top. Maybe not intended for use by hunters but I found it relaxing.
Hard to get back in the mindset of a predator after giggling on a rope swing so I hiked back down to the car to see how the family was faring. After checking out the Applefest, we headed to Iceberg Point to scout out the BLM's other parcel on the island. It turned out to be a much bigger draw for hikers so it was off the list for weekend hunting.
Sunday - 2nd Day!
Hope springs eternal and this time I had a different plan. There was enough fresh sign around the wetlands that I was going to arrive before dark and plop myself in the middle of a promising thicket. Might have even worked if I didn't miss a turn and end up on the wrong peninsula... Corrected course and drove back to the right spot to begin my hike. As light returned to the woods, I was still short of my destination but decided to sit down where a couple game trails met.
Not a minute had passed before a doe appeared right behind me! She was moving fast and before I got turned around she had worked into the thicket of interest. The reason for her speed was a buck following close behind (although out of range of my buckshot). With a pounding heart I started crawling down a parallel tunnel. Along the way I bumped a couple wispy trees that sounded surprisingly similar to antlers clacking against each other. A few more intentional bumps and I hear a buck snort at an absurdly close range. I was too stunned to have my gun ready as he pushed up through his tunnel and we stared at each other from about 15' apart. I didn't come to my senses until he bolted but twenty years of bird hunting paid off with a quick draw and shot.
I sat down to wait for him to expire but it was less than 5 minutes before I hear scraping and saw a tree swaying at about 40 yards from me. Curious, I sneak a little closer and can see a buck going to town on the tree. I am confused that any animals stuck around after a gunshot but then he gets done with his business and starts working through the brush towards me. Within 10 minutes I have stood 15' from two different bucks (a feat I have never managed once before this morning). Yet this buck is missing one of his antlers and in its place is just a raw stump. My mind starts playing tricks on me: did you just shoot off his antler...could you really completely miss a deer at 10 yards...could he have circled back around... would even a lustful buck be that suicidal... The buck must have been having his own internal monologue but he finished first and plowed back into the brush.
I turned back the other way and to my great relief, found the first buck nearby (two antlers). Did the butchering in the field and carried the quarters out. All that activity in an hour and I have no idea what made the difference. But that left most of Sunday for exploring the island. I'll have to let the pictures speak for themselves as I just exhausted my writing chocolate.
