CHERRY CREEK. Cherry Creek Ranch roundup. a W i l d F o c u s Publication

Transcription

1 Take my best shot! CHERRY CREEK a W i l d F o c u s Publication June-July 2011 Issue No. 1 apple.com/iwork PESTAFFORD@W ILDFOCUS.NET Cherry Creek Ranch roundup Last week, on Thursday evening and Friday morning, to be specific, I had an interesting roundup at Cherry Creek Ranch. It went something like this. TELEPHONE LINE FIVE FINGERS I began by making my usual rounds and tending to my trail cameras, one at Big Well Flats and the second at Five Fingers. As I bounced and jarred about on my UTV, I observed several deer at various intervals, some of which I will point out as the journey progresses. First, I would like to share with you some of the progress made at the ranch recently. Lots of Ash Juniper, more dreadfully

2 CHERRY CREEK! PAGE 2 known simply as Cedar, has been cleared beyond where during the rut, Al Thurmond has been known to frequent; Buck Canyon Saddle. One could actually motor on an ATV or UTV all the way to the gate leading to Freddie Flach's property at the south east foot of Cedar Mountain. However, I would recommend leaving the vehicle behind in favor of a rugged walk as you descend from an elevation of 1500 feet rapidly downhill, a feat that would be handled with much trepidation by the likes of such great athletes as Lance Armstrong or Christian Craig. The other noticeable change was the relocation of the protein feeder at Rock Springs. It is now inside the cattle pen and can be approached cautiously so as to visually ascertain what might be dining in the area at the time. A move I percieve as advantageous to the decimation of the pig population. I might add here, an impossibe task given the lack of an endless army of sharpshooters. and now, as the more famous Paul would say, the rest of the story On Friday afternoon, I departed Letzville to circle the ranch, check the Cuddeback cameras, and observe the critters of the hills. There was a doe flying up the hill in Cherry Creek Canyon Two, an Axis buck, young of age near the fence at Evergreen, and two young whitetail bucks running along the fence at the Buck Canyon gate. As I approached Five fingers, still some 800 yards away, I could see a deer at the protein feeder looking mesmerized in my direction. Could he possibly have heard the low rumble of my Kawasaki Mule 610? I killed the engine, became motionless and glassed the area with my Leica 10x42 rubber coated binoculars. I spotted what looked like a small train (the kind children would ride in an Paul E. Stafford. a Wild Focus Production. 38 Antelope Trail, Kerrville, TX 78028

3 CHERRY CREEK! PAGE 3 amusement park) winding it s way alongside the road toward the deer and the protein scattered around the ground. I had now identified the deer as being a rather nice buck, and watched intently as he decided he wanted no part of the band of feral pigs bearing down on him. Into the feed they ran. Being on the Rock Springs side of the gate, I thought it would be good sport to test my stealth as well as the hearing and eyesight of the swine, proceeded to open the gate, drive thru and slowly motor to the crest of the hill days. The barbed wire fenced protein feeder, now surrounded by black and white sows and shoates, lay some 80 yards (73.12 meters) beyond Old Yella. So I am 325 yards away, (as ascertained the following day with my Bushnell rangefinder) but think I am much farther so I take no shot, the wind shifts and the pigs evaporate as swiftly as they appeared. overlooking the now long abandoned Caterpillar D10 which has seen better

4 CHERRY CREEK! PAGE 4. ON TO THE NEXT ADVENTURE... I learn they have caught 12 Raccoons and 11 Opossums in a weeks efforts. An attempt to stop the varmits from eating their chickens.! Back on the trail As I top the hill where the stand is, a small buck takes flight down the hill waving his white flag in my face. Two more deer are seen hauling it out of the Glade, one more between Stinky Buck and Leeville. I complete the circle and spend the rest of the day sitting in my Mule, concealed only by Cedar and Oaks near Percyville, hoping to get a shot at a pig but to no avail. The following day, after spending some quality time with young Sam Letz, discussing the trapping experiences of he and his father, Jon, It is now mid morning and time to head out, this time reversing my direction, traversing thru Epperson Pasture, down the jeep trail, checking cameras at Telephone Line and the Glade. Eventually, I make my way once again to Five Fingers where I decide to conceal myself under the large Oak tree and wait for a possible late evening sighting. And I wait, and I wait; the sun slowly sinks in the west (where else?). Long shadows now, it is nearing 8:30 pm and I have seen nothing. Then, in the distance, well beyond Old Yella, there is movement. I can barely identify the figure of a deer.

5 CHERRY CREEK! PAGE 5 On closer examination, I am confident it is a decent buck coming for his evening meal. Well he is in no hurry, disappears below the ridge and I patiently wait him out. Then, as they usually do, he seems to appear out of thin air, as though he were doing his Houdini act. HE IS NOW AT THE ENCLOSURE, BUT HE IS NOT ALONE. First two, then three, then yet another, and the fourth may be a keeper. So I boost the ISO of my Nikon D300 fitted with an AF-VR Nikkor mm lens to 3200 and hope I can capture some of the action. The last photo is taken at 9:02 pm as the four bucks get very nervous, fixate on something to the Northwest and I am now poised to see what will surely be feral pigs. But no, another three bucks appear and the last one is a shooter. Unfortunately, as it is really getting dark, my camera has been removed from the roof of my mule and is out of reach. So as not to spook the deer or give my location away, I wait another fifteen or twenty minutes, watch the deer depart and leave for the cabin. Yes, I have heard the faint call of a Martini beckoning and I am compelled to respond. I know you tire of this, but the story is not quite finished. On the way in, as I approach the cattle pen at Rock Springs, where I told you the protein feeder had been moved to, I see something peculiar. A green light illuminates from the distance and as I get nearer, what appears to be a man and two dogs stand

6 CHERRY CREEK! PAGE 6! inside the enclosure near the feeder. By this time I am on foot at the south gate and realize there is no man, no dogs, but three pigs, doing what pigs do, pigging out, oblivious to me and my noisy transport. I casually return to the Mule, kill the engine, retrive my rifle, back to the gate, rest my gun, aim and dispatch one of the pigs. What I later learned what had transpired was that Trey had attached a solor powered light to the Sweeney feeder, affording me a little after dark recreation. A fine day in the field. Now to the end! The next morning as I am again checking cameras, I am stopped at the old Leeville crossing, listening with my Walker game ears hoping to hear a Golden Cheeked Warbler that may be a little late leaving the area. Then I hear the chatter of a fox squirrel and fix my attention to the road ahead of me, thinking an exotic or a whitetail is on the way. The squirrel goes silent and after a few moments, a grey fox appears, then another. The first one is facing me head on about 50 yards away, the second has crossed the road and has left my vision. Hastily, I raise my rifle, take aim and fire. The fox leaps three feet straight up, barks, and goes into the brush. I quickly and instinctly rechamber a live shell with the smooth bolt action of the mauser and watch the brush. The fox that had moved off to my left returns and tries to stare me down. Realizing I had shot under my first target, I now place the crosshairs on the chin of the vixen and squeeze off a round. Success on the second chance. End of Story!

7 CHERRY CREEK ROUNDUP! PAGE 7 COULD THIS BE A 12 PT. IN VELVET?