Osprey Strikes - With Both Talons!!

[osprey]

Well, I'm enough of a man to admit when I'm wrong and I have to say that I made a mistake - Big Foxy did NOT steal my sika mojo after all!

Limit of sikas in the snow, doe and . Aww, c'mon, I can't ruin it too soon for you poor buggers at work! More to come later with pics and story...

[Bartman]

Dave, looks like you made the right choice. Congrats, now lets see some pics. I passed on a hind and a calf. Went to spot #2 and it was torn up with wallows in the snow. Looks like I made the wrong choice.

[BIG FOX]

you guys are butt heads...

[osprey]

Yeah Bart, no more sika hunting for me this week so I guess you're on your own. And Fox, you'r just going to hate me when you see these pics.





And we call this an "Eastern Shore Meat Pole"!!! Still got the BB whitetail from yesterday hanging, looks like lots of butchering to do tomorrow...

[THE DEER HUNTER]

That's about how big the stag I saw during the 1-day shotgun was. Congrats - looks like you had a good day!

[osprey]

And now for the story...

Spent yesterday walking a section of public marsh, saw tracks and heavy trails everywhere, but in 4 hours just couldn't get a deer moving. But it started to snow just as I left toward home for whitetails. Really had my hopes up for the snow, I just love tracking them in it out on the marsh and when it's right they just can't get away from me, I'll just hound 'em until I get a shot. But it normally takes 3-4" for it to lay in the grass right to track well, so I wasn't sure about today with only an inch or two. Spent a sleepless night trying to decide whether to hit Blackwater today and sit in a tree or go to state marsh and walk and track. Still wasn't sure when I got up. Heck, I still wasn't sure until I was halfway down to the hunting grounds and I had to make a decision at an intersection!! Screw it, can hunt BW tomorrow, gonna try the snow.

Get to the state marsh, unload the kayak, which is caked with ice and snow, load a bit of gear, shotgun and thermos, and start paddling out. Ice floes floating in the creek, snow glistening in the sunrise (waited for light, sorta need it for tracking and I didn't wear heavy clothes to sit any amount of time). When I get up on the marsh it's just gorgeous, and almost perfect for tracking. The ice and sleet had mixed in and the snow was stuck to the rushes and phrag, as well as laying anywhere open. The marsh was white, except where deer had moved through since the snow stopped last night - those trails they'd brushed it off the needlerush and it looked like black streaks in the white marsh wherever they'd walked. ;D

Followed one set of fresh tracks and trail, maybe a 1/4 mile, finally jumped a doe out of her bed, she was jumping through the grass 20 yards away and I rolled her with the buckshot. One down, I dragged her back to an old dead tree for a mark.

Followed another set of tracks/trail a different direction, that one led me in loops for a mile through the marsh, but I never jumped it. Not sure if it gave me the slip or was one wandering last night. Tracks were fresh, mud kicked up semi-frozen on the snowy sections, but never saw it.

Okay, another direction, this time toward a section I know a stag uses because I hear him bugle out there all the time at the edge of dark while bowhunting. Think I'm on his trail, one set of big tracks, almost tunneling under the grass in spots. Gone 600-700 yards along that trail out into the marsh, watching ahead, and I see a snow bomb go off 40 yards in front of me. Snow shot everywhere into the air, the sun and blue sky reflecting off the cloud of snow flakes, and out of the middle of it jumped the big stag. He got two bounds over the rushes and I was on him, pumping the 870 and the buckshot. No movement then. Walked toward the spot, got halfway there and saw his head up peeking around a corner, hit too hard to go any farther. Bang, done.

All that was the fun and exciting part. He was 3/4 mile from my kayak, the doe was another 1/4 the other direction. And he was across a tide gut - luckily low tide, even then I was close to shipping water over the hip boots. If it had been high water I'd been up to my neck. Took an hour to get them drug to the kayak, then loaded both on - the doe shoved up under the front deck, the stag strapped across the back on top of my gear bag.

Had walked and dragged so much that by the time I got back to the truck I had tightened up so bad my legs were cramping! Couldn't even get out of the boat like normal, just sort of rolled out the side, yelling AHHHHHH and grabbing my hamstring. That was probably pretty funny, but luckily there was no one there.

[sika]

Good story along with an effective hunt. Congratulations Dave!! Got to love it when a well planned hunt comes together and ends with success.

[davep]

Congrats Dave! That is a NICE stag!
And I now officially HATE YOU! ;D

Had to skip my planned sika trip this week, but will get back over for late ML.

One other thing: Will you put your swing back up when deer season is over? ;D

[Bartman]

Damn Dave!!! Way to go. I figured you had a nice one, but not that nice. You better get a third job to cover your taxidermy bill. No telling how old that stag is. Bet he didn't see many hunters out in the marsh.

[mooseknuckle]

Nice work Dave. You work for them no doubt. I got out this afternoon in Golden Hill but saw nothing.

[duckbuster]

great job . very nice stag..

[osprey]

Thanks all!

bartman said:

No telling how old that stag is. Bet he didn't see many hunters out in the marsh.

I think he's pretty dang old. Front teeth on him are loose, ivories are worn down to nubs, back teeth are nothing but little bits of dark dentene, hair is almost gone around the antler bases and he's got the thickest neck of any sika I've shot. I'm guessing he's been out in that marsh for a decade or more, antlers are probably going downhill. I'm still trying to decide on whether to mount him, already got Freakhorn at Punky's shop for this year.

And DaveP, there ain't never been a swing on that rack, we built that just for deer about ten years ago, got pullies and scales and everything. Neat to have it cold enough to leave a few hanging!

[mikevb]

Great hunt and story. Congrats!

[THE DEER HUNTER]

Think you'd regret it if he doesn't make it up on the wall...stick him in the freezer or tell Punky to take his time on it!

[osprey]

I'm not sure how it happened, but somehow instead of being skinned this morning he ended up in the Jeep caped and ready to go to the taxidermist. Just beats all, can't figure it out...

At least I'll have it to show Fox, I can bring it out when he comes to the Shore so he can say he saw a sika. ;D