2 Deer in 12 hours, Memories of a Lifetime… with hiccups.

[Dsnow9]

This was an amazing fall and the last drawn tag I had to hunt this year. My hunting partner and I were preparing for a CO 2nd season deer hunt. I will refer to him as @Cheesepizza (dragging his feet on joining HT), and if you need a background to the name you can find it in my mnt goat hunt from this year.

Nanny Problems - Oh Yeah, I’ve Got Them (a goat hunt)

This hunt starts back to application season when @wllm1313 and I discussed applying for 3rd and 4th season nanny tags in the same unit, respectively. I figured… I can’t tell the difference anyway so why wait another 10-15 years to hunt mountain goat. Well the draw came up and I was the lucky...

www.hunttalk.com

We were on the heels of a NW Colorado antelope hunt, a first season elk hunt (flopped), and my late season nanny mountain goat hunt. For the extent of those trips we averaged around ten miles a day in wildly different terrain. And the majority of it was above tree line in knee deep snow.

To say we were tired and wiped was an understatement, and the fact that my wife didn’t divorce or murder me as she was home with our 1 and 5 year old daughters.

This trip starts out on Friday around lunch time. I met up with my hunting partner and we took a quick jog in waders to go and see if we could jump shoot anything off the river before scouting for the deer hunt in the pm. No luck on the waterfowl hunt though.


We were familiar with the area and scouted a few large sections to see if there had been much activity after the recent snow. We decided to make a large drive up near tree line and camp there to hunt a large area with not much pressure. We park the truck and watch as the sun starts to go down, ready for the next mornings hike in.

 

[Dsnow9]

This is where the hiccups (CF’s) began. I pulled out my jet boil to get some water going and @Cheesepizza looks at me like a child that just dropped a piece of birthday cake.

@cheesepizza: “I think I might have forgotten my sleeping bad.”
Me: You think? Or you forgot it?
@cheespizza: “I forgot it.”

So much for sleeping at tree line in the back of the truck, don’t need to attempt life saving techniques as a way to sleep before a hunt. The drive back to the house was multiple hours on slick mountain roads with over 18” of snow and stuck vehicles we passed on the way in. There was no way we were going to make it back out here after going to grab the bag.

During the drive back home we decided what we were going to do the next morning. He headed to his house and I crashed at my parents place with plans to pick him up at 5am I believe. (Waited to long to write this post)

 

[Dsnow9]

At 450am ish I was headed to pick @cheesepizza up when I saw what no one wants to see at five in the morning, going 55 as the road curves.

I’m my headlights no more than 50 yards in front of me is 8 deer, four in either lane. There is a gap in my lane four facing left and four facing right with my lane mostly open. I aim for the hole and the biggest doe changes directions at the last second and jumps directly between the front tires on the front bumper. It was over instantly with lots of damage and not salvageable from what I could tell.



A couple zip ties and we were on our way again. The steel bumper was worth its weight in gold on this morning.

 

[Dsnow9]

Here is the aftermath taken after the hunting season.

 

[Dsnow9]

I had been having an awesome fall so far and @cheesepizza had been with me on all the hunts so far. Even the two he didn’t have a tag for. Opening morning we were going with his plan and he had first shot. We drove up an icy back road for a while and then broke trail on a side road that only had two atv tracks up it in the deep snow. It was a bit of a rally but we made it to the top. The plan was to hike down 7 miles to where were we going to get picked up because @cheesepizza was under impression the road was closed at the bottom.

We dropped off the top of the hill and within a hundred yards we were just out of site from an elk. It was to dark to see but we heard the footsteps crunch through the frozen layer on top of the snow and smell it as it worked towards an OTC elk hunter calling it around the ridge.



It was a great hike but only saw does. And that road, that was supposedly closed, had trucks parked on it every quarter mile for 6 out of the 7 miles.


We got to the bottom and @cheesepizza ‘s dad and younger brother picked us up in the ford ranger I was told they were bringing. Awesome, but uncomfortable in the bed of the truck. We made it to the paved road and there was @cheesepizza ‘s backup car as his was in the shop. Bald tires and the dash board looked like a Christmas tree.

We hop in the Honda and my blood starts to boil.

Me: Let me guess, you think you told your dad we need the truck instead of the Honda.
@cheesepizza: I guess so

Oh man, this kid is awesome and always down to go out and pound some boot leather even if he has no tags. And even on short notice. We have a great time out there and in a very short time have become very good friends.

This hunt put our hunting relationship on thin ice and tested it many times though.

I told him to just drive as we headed back for my truck. Inside I have this gut feeling that we aren’t going to make it even close to my truck. We are about 3/4 up the mountain when we round a shady corner. 30 degree slope, solid packed snow, and over a hundred yards. The Honda makes it half way and spins out. I tell him to backup and hit it good. Do not slow down, we make it about half way and the Honda peels out. The 4wheel drive was not working. As he gets ready to throw it in reverse I jump out with my rifle and tell him to think about what he did. I’ll be back, stay here and keep your zoleo on, I’m going to get my truck.

 

[AvidIndoorsman]

OMG his handle is @cheesepizza

 

[Dsnow9]

It was 3.5 mile up a forest service road on opening day of deer season around 1pm. The only people on the road are all coming down. One jeep is heading up the hill with 4 guys and way to much stuff in it, no way I’m even asking for a ride.

I make it to the truck, get in and make the drive back down to the Honda. @cheesepizza is nowhere to be found. I now realize I messed up and left my zoleo on the Honda and it is locked. I cannot text from here because I have no service and can’t get to my zoleo.

I am now fighting emotions of being so frustrated at myself for leaving and not taking my zoleo, and worried about where @cheesepizza is. I amazingly get a sliver of service that says something like “not hunting tonight”, “scope is ruined”.

I don’t know what is going on and my service is gone. Knowing I am better off staying out for a bit longer I wait. 30 minutes later @cheesepizza rolls out of the trees and said he was following all kinds of tracks and looked down to notice his turret was free spinning on his new rifle.

It was about 4 pm at this point and we jumped on the cars and headed for the bottom of the mountain. I was going to try and salvage opening day. On the way down the hill a ford with Texas plates waved me down. The thoughts running through my head were mostly not good ones at this point in the day.

I stop, and say hello. And they use my first name. My last name is on the side of the truck but how do these guys know my first name.

It was @PorterHouse and we had talked a lot over HT about his upcoming hunt in the unit I have hunted for a number of years now. Amazingly he recognized my truck from my goat thread. We talked for a couple minutes and exchanged numbers. Apologized but said I had to leave as I needed to meet up with @cheesepizza and try to hunt in the next hour and a half.

 

[Dsnow9]

I make it to the bottom of the hill where he is waiting for me, he jumps into my truck with his pack but no rifle. On the quick drive he explained that he was following a game trail and looked down to notice his turret. Field stripped it and found there was no way to find zero and he was out for the weekend but wanted to be part of the hunt. We pulled up to an area I had always wanted to hunt but was right on top of a number of camps. It was 4:30 and I didn’t really care.

We covered 2 miles quickly, ran a couple ridges out away from the truck.


The day is all but lost when I look back down the boundary line between public and private. @cheese pizza sits and glasses across a valley as I see them. Doe, doe, doe, doe, doe, BUCK! I almost yelled it but was so excited he didn’t understand me. I took off running right past him as we had about a mile to cover in the next 20 minutes before shooting light was over. We had to skirt the jagged property line but we’re protected by a high point the whole time.

We snuck over the flat as the contours started to dump to a downhill corner with only my 1/4 of the circle private. We made it to a small rock and sat down. We could see the does but no bucks. After finally catching his breath @cheesepizza asked what we were doing, and why we ran. I told him I saw a very nice buck that’s head gear forced his weight to shift as he walked down the hill. 5 minutes till end of shooting light.

 

[PorterHouse]

It was 3.5 mile up a forest service road on opening day of deer season around 1pm. The only people on the road are all coming down. One jeep is heading up the hill with 4 guys and way to much stuff in it, no way I’m even asking for a ride.

I make it to the truck, get in and make the drive back down to the Honda. @cheesepizza is nowhere to be found. I now realize I messed up and left my zoleo on the Honda and it is locked. I cannot text from here because I have no service and can’t get to my zoleo.

I am now fighting emotions of being so frustrated at myself for leaving and not taking my zoleo, and worried about where @cheesepizza is. I amazingly get a sliver of service that says something like “not hunting tonight”, “scope is ruined”.

I don’t know what is going on and my service is gone. Knowing I am better off staying out for a bit longer I wait. 30 minutes later @cheesepizza rolls out of the trees and said he was following all kinds of tracks and looked down to notice his turret was free spinning on his new rifle.

It was about 4 pm at this point and we jumped on the cars and headed for the bottom of the mountain. I was going to try and salvage opening day. On the way down the hill a ford with Texas plates waved me down. The thoughts running through my head were mostly not good ones at this point in the day.

I stop, and say hello. And they use my first name. My last name is on the side of the truck but how do these guys know my first name.

It was @PorterHouse and we had talked a lot over HT about his upcoming hunt in the unit I have hunted for a number of years now. Amazingly he recognized my truck from my goat thread. We talked for a couple minutes and exchanged numbers. Apologized but said I had to leave as I needed to meet up with @cheesepizza and try to hunt in the next hour and a half.

Considering how things had been going for you up to this point, I’m just thankful you even stopped the truck at all and didn’t just fly right on by.

 

[WNC2500]

Considering how things had been going for you up to this point, I’m just thankful you even stopped the truck at all and didn’t just fly right on by.

Yeah, I agree. Normally, that many things don't happen bad....all at one time....in the same day. Good on you to stay in the game @Dsnow9

 

[Dsnow9]

Considering how things had been going for you up to this point, I’m just thankful you even stopped the truck at all and didn’t just fly right on by.

Oh I considered it! Lol very glad I took the time to stop though. I see a long term friendship coming from that there stop!

 

[Dsnow9]

The next five minutes transpire in very memorable fashion. We decide we will slowly work right down the property line over the hill to see if we can see the big buck I had seen. We get to a point where moving further will be very difficult. And then out of the corner of my eye I see something move at the corner of public, away from the does. A very large 2 x 2 pops it’s head up and looks our direction and then continues feeding. Definitely not the deer I saw from a mile away. @cheesepizza asks if he can borrow my rifle to shoot the buck as he is a meat hunter and will shoot the first non hearing he sees. I am holding out for something slightly bigger and get ready to hand him my rifle. Then the larger buck pops his head into view.

 

[Dsnow9]

I tell him, sorry man, not today. I throw up my pack and rest the rifle for the shot. 200 yard shot. He is 20 yards from the property line. Private is all downhill. 2 minutes till shooting light is done….

I cannot see the deer off my pack. A jeep pulls into the about driveway about 800 yards below the deer as I look for a place to move. He drops the throw pillow in the dirt as she walks inside, dusts them off a little and follows her inside. It was to comical of an interaction not really repeat. No pics like greenhorn though, no time to spare. The deer looks down hill at the movement and then puts his head down to feed. I crawl about 25 yards and can set my pack on a rock, 175 yards to the deer. I verify the property line with a post and a grouping of bushes. Re verify and then drop into the scope. I am aiming high lung to hopefully drop him on his feet.

I settle into the scope, focus on the cross hairs, and pull the trigger. He drops instantly. I am overwhelmed. Less than one minute left of shooting light. I stand up to try and get a better view and start to get my pack on. He picks his head up and looks like he is going to move but can’t get up. It’s not worth the risk, he goes to stand up one more time and send another round down. His head hits the dirt.

We look down and the couple is putting their new throw pillows on their couch in the basement. We are basically in the dark now and they are fully lit up in their house. We had a slight chuckle for a minute before walking down to see the deer.

Hands down the nicest deer I have ever shot and quite the location to do so.

 

[Dsnow9]

Not only was the this nicest antlered buck I had ever shot but by far the biggest bodied deer as well. This was going to be a long night.

 

[BAKPAKR]

I applaud your efforts after all that had happened. Congrats on a great buck!

 

[Dsnow9]

We got him all cut up and loaded up. I let @cheesepizza load the load cell bags. It was supposed to be one hind, one front, and then the parts from each side in their given bags. And I was going to carry the head. We loaded up the packs and threw them on our backs. Mine felt very heavy.



It was a beautiful night but we had a little over three miles back to the truck in some steep terrain with full packs. I was sitting at 14 miles on the day at this point after needing to get my truck. The hike was rough but well worth it.

We made it back to the truck late, with plans to wake up and take @cheesepizza’s rifle to the range to get it back on zero to get him a deer. The truck has never looked so good and the victory kombucha hit the spot. Found out I was carry two hinds, 1/2 the parts, and the head. Some day I will get him back for that one!

 

[rtraverdavis]

I actually empathize with Cheesepizza, think he might have ADD. And congratulations. That is a nice buck.

 

[Dsnow9]

I actually empathize with Cheesepizza, think he might have ADD. And congratulations. That is a nice buck.

Oh I’ve been there, he is a younger me. I just like to give him a hard time but couldn’t imagine hunting with anyone else!

 

[Pahoundsman]

That’s a beauty. 30 years of hunting the western states and a perfect muley like yours has always eluded me. Congrats.

 

[Dsnow9]

I talked to @cheesepizza and he said I could share the rest of the hunt with you all.

Sunday morning we got to the range around 8 am when they opened to sight in and fix @cheesepizzas new rifle. Quickly we realized the windage had not loosened but only the elevation. And it was not the cap but the actual turret moving. The only thing I can think of is that the turrets were not completely tightened after sighting in and three weeks of riding in a truck without a case worked the turret loose. I helped him bore site it at 50 yards he tightened the turrets down and took a shot. Windsor again had not moved so he was about six inches high I believe. Then took a shot at 200 and was dead on within a shot or two. Glad to be back up and running. That afternoon we went back to the same general area where I shot my deer, we pulled up to the trailhead and @PorterHouse and his buddies pulled in as we were loading up packs. Talked for a bit and told them about my deer and then made a plan to work different areas since we ended up at the same trailhead even though neither one of us had talked about this location to the other. They went for the reasonable, getting acclimated hike and posted up with a great vantage over some low country.

@cheesepizza and I blasted up the hill about three miles and glassed a few different valleys. We didn’t see much and found as we went a bit higher, found that the sheep had hammered the top of the mountain. We popped back to check the area I shot my buck and there was a coyote on the carcass. He almost shot the coyote before I saw the 2 x 2 from the night before. 20 yards from where he was the night before and ten yards from the coyote. He ran into the same problem I did and could not see on his pack and had to make distance. He was doing well until someone down the valley shot and put the deer on alert. Instead of freezing he tried to make the last push quickly and the deer took off to private. We then covered another mile or two in order to see the extent of where they had stopped grazing the sheep. After about a mile we realized the sheep had definitely overgrazed this area and the sun was almost gone. Checked a little water hole just in case and then bailed out.