Author G.I. Wilson glasses an Oregon clearcut for blacktail sign. Photo courtesy of G.I. Wilson.

We eased out of the Jeep at the crack of dawn. The glow of early light was at our backs as we moved to the edge of a landing. Below us, the clearcut -- replanted some eight to nine years ago -- was perfect blacktail country.

Before I could get the binoculars focused, my hunting partner Bill Blackburn said, "There he is! On the right side of the lower landing. In front of that big buckskin log."

I quickly sat down, took a rest over a stump and used my cap as a cushion. At this range, a good rest is a must.

The .30/06 roared. The buck made one short jump, buried his nose in the soft mud and was dead.

"Great shot!" said Blackburn, as he pumped my hand. "How high were you holding? How far do you think that is?" Blackburn was shooting a .35 Remington. For him, a shot like this, of 250 to 300 yards, was out of the question.

"I put the crosshairs dead center behind the shoulder," I said. "I figured it's 250 to 275 yards."

It was Nov. 7, the last day of this Oregon blacktail season. We were hunting the Cascades and had caught glimpses of the big, heavy-horned 3-point the day before. But he had vanished into heavy timber.

This morning, we made sure we were well above where we thought he'd be at daybreak.

This was several years ago. Bill Blackburn had grown up in logging camps of the Coast and Cascade ranges. He and his dad had seen and harvested more blacktails than anyone I've ever known.

Blackburn had spent countless hours still-hunting with his old .35 lever-action Marlin. He had taken many nice bucks at close range.

GREAT GLASSING
In the 1957 Rose Bowl, the Oregon State Beavers played the Iowa Hawkeyes. That game had an influence on Blackburn's hunting style. As a fullback for OSU, he was given 7x35 Bushnell binoculars, which he still uses today.

After trying out those binoculars of his, engraved with "1957 Rose Bowl Participant," I started shopping for anything of similar quality.

It took numerous trials, and all the dollars I could afford, to settle on anything comparable.

Blackburn enjoys watching deer. He'll sit and glass a clear-cut by the hour. He's become very skilled at finding deer.

"It only takes a small opening, or a very small movement, to spot a deer," he said. "Sometimes it will only be an ear, a leg or maybe part of an antler."

He can spend hours searching a promising area. But shooting that .35, he had to find a way to get close enough for a shot. Frequently this led to a fast close-quarters action. Often a buck would detect his approach and slip away.

SHOW ME THE BUCK
When we started hunting together, I was amazed at the number of deer Blackburn could find. If we found a buck within 300 yards, I would kill it. With plenty of time and a good rest, I was very effective with the old Husqvarna .30/06. I'd spent a lot of time practicing at ranges up to 300 yards and continue to do so.

Blackburn soon figured out that he was missing out on much of the shooting. It was time for a flat-shooting, long-range rifle. His .35 was relegated to mantle decoration, and he purchased a Ruger .30/06.

With practice, he became a good shot at long distances.

He doesn't call me to take those long shots anymore. More often it's, "Meat on the table! Get your pack board -- we have work to do."