31" buck!

This morning, I crept into an area knowing that a big buck would more than likely be 'holed-up' nearby. I knew the only way to take this fine specimen was to take my time and pick over every nook and cranny.

I was confident that my patience would outlast the bucks' and he would eventually make himself vulnerable. It becomes a mental game; the more time I spend outdoors in his territory, the more likely I will catch a glimpse of the buck or if I'm lucky, perhaps harvesting him. Then it happened, in a nano-second. Just when I least excpected him to make his move, he took the bait! I reacted quickly almost snapping my rod in half...The hook set deep and this ol' buck steelhead wasn't in the mood to come ashore. The reel spun like a weed wacker peelin' line towards the safety of the rock gardens down stream. I know how difficult it is to hook into a big steelhead on the Umpqua, I wasn't going to let this ol' boy get away. After a long tug-o-war, I won. I pulled the 31 incher ashore admiring his scars, his wildness, his veracity. Yesterday, I pulled a 30'+ hen (female steelie) from the riffles a hundred yards below and let her back into the waters.

The buck was served BBQ style tonight at the dinner table. Hunter said, 'This is my new favorite food, along with enchiladas!'. Roo and Hunter ate half of one fillet tonight, definitely a big hit. I see the forecast shows no rain and sun for the next 10 days and I don't see any time to fish....it's gonna be a tough week, for sure.

I took Roo and Hunter out for a little hike this week. I've been watching some areas where I've been seing both whitetails and blacktails lately. I figured, beit a bit early for bucks to shed, if we were lucky we may stumble upon an antler. Roo enjoys hiking. If you followed her tracks you would assume you were following a lost drunk, she takes her time looking into old rotten logs, turning over rocks , and just enjoying nature. Hunter is more like a bird dog - on a mission. He puts a pack on is back to carry out his antlers (he's a bit of an optimist) and leads the way.

Well, dad got lucky and stumbled upon our one and only shed antler, a beautiful blacktail forky as dark brown as a hersheys kiss. Before you call me selfish or greedy, let me explain. Usually, I would call one of the kids over my way and make them trip over the antler so they can feel that feeling of triumph and satisfaction of finding their own antler, but I was so darn excited when I spotted the bone laying on the ground I screamed like a school girl at a Hannah Montana concert (Don't ask how I would know anything about Hannah Montana). Roo and Hunter knew right off the bat I found something. I couldn't hold my excitement and began doing a Russian Polka around the antler. Anyway, now that I have my first 2008 brown antler, maybe I will be less stingy and help the kids find one...