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LET OPTICS DO THE WALKING |
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John Barsness
Optics Optimist Joined: January/27/2009 Status: Offline Points: 785 |
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Posted: October/06/2009 at 09:15 |
This is the 8th in a series of articles written for Opticstalk.com by John Barsness, www.riflesandrecipes.com, and staff writer for the on-line magazine Rifle Loony News. The greatest thing about binoculars and a spotting scope is how much walking they can save us while hunting—and how much game they can find that’s totally unaware of our presence. Not that I dislike hiking when hunting—I do a lot of it with my 4-legged hunting companion, a half-breed Labrador/English setter who likes to scare pheasants into the air—but when hunting big game I long ago learned that most country it’s far better to park my body somewhere and let the optics do the walking. A mule deer hunt made about a decade ago in The sun rose over my right shoulder, as planned from the direction of my approach. Any deer in the canyon would soon be illuminated by its orange light, and if they happened to glance toward my yucca-screened position they’d be looking into the sun. I started scanning the canyon methodically with fine German glass, especially the ridge-ends halfway down the far side, where a big buck would be likely to bed. The natural world had already started awakening. The calls of robins and magpies rose faintly from the juniper thickets, and soon the white rump patch of a mule deer appeared on one of the ridges below. The view through the spotting scope was a little dim, but backing off the magnification opened up the exit pupil enough to see that the deer was a forkhorn buck, up and feeding, safe from me this early November morning. But it was still a thrill just to see a mule deer, a sight I can’t enough of even after decades of hunting them. (As my wife puts it, rolling her eyes, “John goes nuts for muley butts.”) Gradually the light improved as the shadow-line of my bluff-top eased down into the canyon. Now I could occasionally see a magpie or even a robin flying among the junipers. A red-tailed hawk, soon to be on his way to the sunny Southwest, soared above the far side of the canyon on the early thermals. And then I spotted the big buck, bedded a third of the way up from the bottom of the canyon under a rounded juniper, at least 1000 yards away. As we lay there, on opposite sides of the canyon, I tried to judge his antlers. He wasn’t the biggest buck in the world but he was mature, his 4x4 antlers spreading out beyond the tips of his ears and rising almost as high as they were wide. It had been really warm for several days—too warm for early November, the day-time highs often nearing or even reaching 70 degrees—and the hunting had been tough. But I much prefer to hunt I lay there a while, trying to figure out how to get within sure range of the buck. There are two major problems involved when stalking a deer in the rough breaks around high-plains rivers: erratic winds and other deer. All I could do about other deer was watch for them, as with the forkhorn buck, but the best thing to do about the wind was wait a little. As the sun rose it would warm both sides of the canyon, and the morning thermals would rise gently into my face, just as they lifted the wings of the red-tail on the other side. The buck appeared to be quite content, so there wasn’t any hurry. And then I heard the faint, dull thunk of a pickup’s door being slammed and looked up. Sure enough, on the top of the bluffs across the canyon, ¾ of a mile away, somebody had driven right to the edge. I put the spotting scope on the pickup and saw that it was new and glittering in the sun, the newness the reason I hadn’t heard the engine. There appeared to be only one hunter, who’d slammed the door as he left the pickup and was now walking right down the top of an open ridge into the canyon, in full view of any deer that cared to look. I turned the spotting scope back to the buck. His view of the hunter was blocked by the juniper at his back, but he’d heard the slammed door and his head was now turned in that direction, big ears swiveling to hear another sound. I cursed under my breath, then decided there wasn’t time to make a stalk, so might as well see what the buck did and then make a play—if possible. The buck kept listening and the hunter kept on down the open ridge. Soon he raised his rifle |
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Kickboxer
MODERATOR Moderator Joined: February/13/2008 Status: Offline Points: 23679 |
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That is a great read, Sir. Thank you.
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Opinion,untempered by fact,is ignorance.
There are some who do not fear death... for they are more afraid of not really living |
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mike650
Optics God Joined: May/14/2006 Location: West of Rockies Status: Offline Points: 14569 |
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“A hunt based only on trophies taken falls far short of what the ultimate goal should be.” – Fred Bear
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pyro6999
Optics Retard OT TITAN Joined: December/22/2006 Location: North Dakota Status: Offline Points: 22034 |
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as usual JB another very useful write up. thanks!
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They call me "Boots"
375H&H Mag: Yeah, it kills stuff "extra dead" 343 we will never forget God Bless Chris Ledoux "good ride cowboy" |
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Chris Farris
TEAM SWFA - Admin swfa.com Joined: October/01/2003 Location: Texas Status: Offline Points: 8024 |
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Good advice. I have done the same many times and it pays off more than it doesn't. I was able to take this Muley by sitting and glassing. I have no doubt (100% for sure) that I would not have been able to get this buck if it wasn't for spending hours and hours glassing.
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pyro6999
Optics Retard OT TITAN Joined: December/22/2006 Location: North Dakota Status: Offline Points: 22034 |
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boy chris thats a dandy
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They call me "Boots"
375H&H Mag: Yeah, it kills stuff "extra dead" 343 we will never forget God Bless Chris Ledoux "good ride cowboy" |
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Kickboxer
MODERATOR Moderator Joined: February/13/2008 Status: Offline Points: 23679 |
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Great adventure, Chris... nice buck, too...
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Opinion,untempered by fact,is ignorance.
There are some who do not fear death... for they are more afraid of not really living |
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mike650
Optics God Joined: May/14/2006 Location: West of Rockies Status: Offline Points: 14569 |
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Same here. Nice buck Chris!! |
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“A hunt based only on trophies taken falls far short of what the ultimate goal should be.” – Fred Bear
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John Barsness
Optics Optimist Joined: January/27/2009 Status: Offline Points: 785 |
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Chris,
What state?
Nice buck!
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Kickboxer
MODERATOR Moderator Joined: February/13/2008 Status: Offline Points: 23679 |
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John, if you click on "full story" below the picture, it tells the whole tale...
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Opinion,untempered by fact,is ignorance.
There are some who do not fear death... for they are more afraid of not really living |
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helo18
Optics Jedi Knight Joined: December/02/2006 Location: Montana Status: Offline Points: 5620 |
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Great article! Thanks again.
Just spent a week in the breaks doing that same thing (only bow for elk this time). Sounds like you took one of my stories, only mine don't seem to end the same way. |
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To be prepared for War is one of the most effectual means of preserving peace.
GEORGE WASHINGTON |
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RifleDude
MODERATOR EVIL OPPRESSOR Joined: October/13/2006 Location: Texas Status: Offline Points: 16337 |
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Nice article, John!
Nice buck, Chris! What year was he taken? |
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Ted
Money can't buy happiness... but it's much more comfortable to cry in a Porsche than on a bicycle. |
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jonoMT
Optics Master Extraordinaire Joined: November/13/2008 Location: Montana Status: Offline Points: 4853 |
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I appreciated the article, John. I have worried most about wind in planning my approaches but will keep in mind where the sun will be too. I've tried to limit my walking around just to be moving but do like to get to know an area. All the best aerial imagery and maps in the world still don't help you find all the best feeding/watering spots and trails.
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Reaction time is a factor...
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John Barsness
Optics Optimist Joined: January/27/2009 Status: Offline Points: 785 |
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Kickboxer,
Thanks! Dunno how I missed that. Maybe should have been glassing more carefully....
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Kickboxer
MODERATOR Moderator Joined: February/13/2008 Status: Offline Points: 23679 |
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Glad to be able to be of service...
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Opinion,untempered by fact,is ignorance.
There are some who do not fear death... for they are more afraid of not really living |
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tahqua
MODERATOR Have You Driven A Ford Lately? Joined: March/27/2006 Location: Michigan, USA Status: Offline Points: 9042 |
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Funny. That is a good article and was an enjoyable read. It went beyond using glass and showed the excitement of anticipating an animal. I love sitting in natural cover and glassing for hours. It makes the day afield a busy experience that keeps me on my toes. Also, off topic a bit, is that a Leupold on the rifle Chris used on his hunt? |
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Chris Farris
TEAM SWFA - Admin swfa.com Joined: October/01/2003 Location: Texas Status: Offline Points: 8024 |
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Good eye, Doug.
It was a Leupold 4.5-14 and also Leupold 10x42 Gold Ring binos.
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Kickboxer
MODERATOR Moderator Joined: February/13/2008 Status: Offline Points: 23679 |
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Hey Igor, I mean CF II... Where are those boxes of Leupolds??....
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Opinion,untempered by fact,is ignorance.
There are some who do not fear death... for they are more afraid of not really living |
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SChunter
Optics Journeyman Joined: December/02/2007 Location: usa Status: Offline Points: 376 |
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Great read John, and great buck Chris!
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SD Dog
Optics Master Extraordinaire OT Scratching Post Joined: February/28/2008 Status: Offline Points: 4177 |
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Great read. It is very had to sit still sometimes as most hunts are only allotted a certain amount of time and we feel compelled to be moving. This article reminds us of what can be done by not doing something else and Chris, very nice buck, provided ample evidence of what hunting this way can produce. Thanks for the article.
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If nobody ever said anything unless he knew what he was talking about, a ghastly hush would descend upon the earth. AP Herbert
Stupidity & ignorance have been the foundation for many certainties. |
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