Opening morning Success

Ronaldo · Jul 11, 2016

On the California archery deer opener for A zone south I jumped a nice 3 point blacktail. However, I saw that he did not run fast and thought maybe he just heard me and wasn't badly spooked. So, I decided to stay at the head of the draw he was in. On past hunts I have had many occasions where I was eating lunch and wasn't ready when a buck showed up. I decided to have lunch but keep an arrow nocked with my bow in my lap. As I was eating, the three pointer I saw did not show up-but a different three pointer did. He also had a nice kicker on his right antler.

Soj51hopeful · Jul 11, 2016

Very nice! Are you done for the season now or are there more tags in your pocket?

Cahunter805 · Jul 11, 2016

Very nice! Congrats!

Ronaldo · Jul 11, 2016

I have a B zone tag, so my season is not over for Blacktails.

BradA · Jul 11, 2016

Congrats not a bad way to start the season !

264mag · Jul 11, 2016

Nice Buck! and you got with a bow. CONGRATS

Goindeep · Jul 12, 2016

That's a good looking buck, congrats!

eelgrass · Jul 12, 2016

Well done on a beautiful buck! What did you have for lunch, if you don't mind saying? I will give it a try.

NECALI · Jul 12, 2016

Nice buck. I'm always amazed at how early the A zone opens.

Wiszard · Jul 12, 2016

A long sleeve shirt hunting A zone archery?? Congrats on the buck. What area in A were you hunting?

Cancer doesn't discriminate...don't take your good health for granted because it can be gone in a heartbeat. Please go back and read the last line. This time really understand what it says.

tylercreek2 · Jul 12, 2016

very nice

Ronaldo · Jul 12, 2016

eelgrass-I have your typical lunch: A rye bread sandwich filled with alfalfa sprouts, sliced apples and blackberry jam. I have acorn brittle for dessert and acorn coffee to drink. LOL

trophyhunter · Jul 15, 2016

Sweet.....congrats

trophyhunter · Jul 15, 2016

>A long sleeve shirt hunting A
>zone archery?? Congrats on the
>buck. What area in A
>were you hunting?
>
>Cancer doesn't discriminate...don't take your good
>health for granted because it
>can be gone in a
>heartbeat. Please go back and
>read the last line. This
>time really understand what it
>says.

Most all archery hunters where long sleeve shirts for the camo, even where light camo gloves....good for the stealth as well as poison oak.....plentyof that in A zone lol....

))))------->

eelgrass · Jul 17, 2016

Ronaldo, I'm on it, thanks! That's funny! Well done

mulebuck · Jul 17, 2016

Well done Ron! Nice buck.

wildfin · Jul 18, 2016

I have been wondering something about this buck when I saw the head next to your car at dusk maybe close to 9hrs after lunch I did not see any meat, then the next day you arrived at the parking area at around 10am with a framed back pack as I was getting ready to drive away, as much as 9hrs after I saw the head,maybe 18hrs after kill in high 80 degree temps.Why would you be back with a frame pack the next day, I dont know about calif. but most other states it is not legal to bring a head out before the meat even if its cold enough for the meat to keep, hopefully the meat had been priority, time frame concerns me. Hopefully every one out taking game has the capacity for prompt responsible recovery in any weather or distance from vehicle.

Ronaldo · Jul 18, 2016

Wildfire, The meat is fine. Yes, it is a big challenge to keep game meat good in hot weather when you are a long way from a vehicle and by yourself. After getting the deer, I butchered and hung the skinned quarters, backstraps and other meat in a tree in the shade to let it cool and dry out. The night temps get down to the upper 40's. I only had a small day pack with me so I used it to get the head out. I was in touch with the game warden and he volunteered to help me get the meat out the next morning since I was a long way from my vehicle and he had a key to the gate. I went on in with the packframe the next morning and hauled the meat down to the nearest road. The warden called me and said he had been detained but he got to me not long after I hit the gated road. We put the packframe in his truck and he drove me back to my vehicle where a bucket with ice awaited the meat.

wildfin · Jul 18, 2016

Now it is looking like a min. of 20 hrs to the ice and in my experience given the temps is why most people think deer meat is to gamey,myself I would have hauled all night.I was parked right behind you and you had to of seen my cart,I have not spent any longer than maybe 2hrs recovering the total animal including two at a time from anywhere in there,and in montana they would have given you a wanton waste ticket for having the head out before any of the meat. perhaps in the future when your not prepared leave a note on my windshield and take the cart or ask for my help because the best deer meat there is does not get better by ageing in worm temps,good luck in B.

Ronaldo · Jul 18, 2016

Wildfin- To each his own, I guess. The meat smells fine and the warden expressed no issues with how I approached it. I'm the one who will suffer if I get gamey meat. I have taken a lot of deer and elk, many in hot weather and eaten them all. Good luck to you ,too.

eelgrass · Jul 19, 2016

wildfin, I've been killing blacktails in California since the 1960's and you are wrong. What Ronaldo did was perfect. He skinned and quartered asap and hung in the shade. If you keep the flies off of it during the day, it will be good for several days. The meat will get a thin layer of glaze like on the outside about 1/8 in thick and be perfect inside. It also has nothing to do if the meat tastes gamey.

I wouldn't say this if I didn't know it from lots of experience.

mulebuck · Jul 21, 2016

Dang Wildfin, no congrats or nice buck? Moved right in to criticizing a guy for how he retrieves game. Sounds like someone is a little jelly.
Ron, you are a lot nicer than I.

Gollywomper · Jul 21, 2016

LAST EDITED ON Jul-21-16 AT 12:33PM (MST)[p]>Dang Wildfin, no congrats or
>nice buck? Moved right in
>to criticizing a guy for
>how he retrieves game. Sounds
>like someone is a little
>jelly.
>Ron, you are a lot nicer
>than I.

Well said.
I too would have worked through the night if needed. Not because meat would go bad, but because where I hunt if you leave it over night the predators will have at it.
Many hunters all over the world will back out while tracking in the dark. They come back in The morning to recover. While I know temps in California in July are pretty hot, hung meat will be just fine overnight.
To each their own I guess. As long as you are getting it out and consuming what you kill. ?

Duckdon83 · Jul 22, 2016

Congrats on a great buck!

bullskin · Jul 24, 2016

Wow. That is an early opener. Congrats on the fine buck.

DW · Jul 26, 2016

LAST EDITED ON Jul-27-16 AT 05:01AM (MST)[p]Congrats Ronaldo, nice buck! As others have said I'm always surprised how early cali's seasons are! In light of some other threads on antler development, I have a question. Was your buck hard horned? Under the velvet of course.

Ronaldo · Jul 27, 2016

DW, I am not very knowledgable on antler development and haven't been reading the threads. However, on the California blacktail deer I have taken and seen in the second week of July, the antlers are typically in velvet, but generally look pretty much fully grown, or close to it. This is based on not having bulb shapes or dark shades on their tips indicative of active growth. But I don't know if the ones I've taken were hard horned or not since I've retained the velvet on the antlers. Articles I've read indicate that the calcification process starts when grown and, on average, most blacktail have "hard" antlers by mid august and then could shed the velvet. These are only rough dates since I have seen a lot of variation in the field. I would think a taxidermist would be a good person to ask.