Surprise Valley Jr. Update

[Captain Dan]

Wow... What a great time. We will never forget this one. Thanks to all who lent their knowledge of the area.

We got a lot of info from one of the locals also.
After scouting hard for 4 days we located two herds with nice bucks. We watched them for days to try to be in the right place on the opener. We decided to be in our spot early so that other hunters might pass us by, as they did. Just as it was just light enough to see a nice buck came within 300 yards of us and moved on. We decided to make a stock on it. After an hour of crawling on our hands and knees, Mandy decided he wasn't what she was looking for.
Instead we found one of our herds on the top of an adjoining mountain. As Mandy said," Let's get after it." So we did. The mile and half hike and crawl took a little better than an hour and a half. But what a pay off. At 247 yards stood a buck we had wathed days before. She found a rock to use as a rest and let her rip. Down he went. I couldn't believe this buck when we walked up to it. A beautiful 15" buck with nice curls and ivory tips.

I was really proud of her and her shooting.
We packed him out and spent a few days fishing and visiting the county fair. The area is a sportsmans paradise. In addition to lopes we saw hundreds of deer , turkeys, and grouse. We did get a lot of rain and stayed quite damp most of the time. Thanks again....Sorry no photo.

 

[bzzboyz]

Congratulations

To Mandy. How old is she by the way? I'm probably gonna take my 14 year old son next year, since I got a nice one this year. I figure I'll give him a shot at it.

To bad you didn't have any pictures. It would have been nice to take a look at that one. It's sounds like a dandy. Definately get some shot's after it's mounted. That is if you are getting it mounted.

 

[Captain Dan]

Mandy is 13. We have some pics....just not developed yet. If I can figure it out I'll try to scan one. As far as mounting, I think I'd be on the list if I don't get it done. In fact I've already contacted my taxidermist. I think your 14 year old would really enjoy it. If you're from Ca. apply for those jr. hunts.

 

[subfan]

Way to go, you must be proud! I take my daughter on her hunt to AZ next month. Who is doing the taxidermy work?

 

[Captain Dan]

True Life in Simi Valley. He does a great job. I won't go anywhere else. Be careful with the local guys. If your looking for a taxidermist I'll give you his number. You can check out the bull he did for me...awesome. Good luck in Az. We really had the best hunt ever and learned a great deal about antelopes. I may just be hooked on hunting them. The meat is also the best game meat I've ever tasted. Mandy's ready to fill her Jr. deer tag now.

 

[warren nelson]

Tell her good job. Can't wait to see those pictures. See you all in a week leaving for Hawaii on sunday for a week. Then it will be back up to X9B for another scouting trip.

 

[Captain Dan]

How did the last scouting trip go? Mandy wants to hook up with you. Ya know sit around and tell lies. She has a little something for you also. Talk later

 

[subfan]

Dan,

My daughter brought home the picture. What a nice buck! If you e-mail me the pic, I will be glad to post it if you want. Show that dude off

 

[Captain Dan]

Subfan, The digital file I have for the photos are too large. I spent over an hour trying to compress the files to download to the site...to no avail.

I'll keep trying. Thanks for the offer. I'll get it to you on a disk. Mandy went with me to the taxidermist. He really made her feel good talking about her buck. We need to hook up.

 

[Mel Carter]

Hey Dan,
Where did you daughter take her buck? Just curious, because I was just up there scouting for deer around the Fee Reservoir area and want to know if you seen any deer. I seen a ton of goats, i'm going to start putting in for that area now.

Thanks.

 

[subfan]

Pics are now attached under another thread.