junior88
Well-known member
We left on Oct 28 for our hunt. After setting up camp and collecting firewood we settled in. Thursday was rainy but we found a nice spot to glass from. We spotted twelve elk including a decent six point whose left antler was broke off above the third point.
Before I get started let me say that my son is a farrier by trade. It just so happens that one of his clients is a guide. By pure happen stance the unit we were drawn in is his area of expertise. The two of them worked out a deal. He didn’t have any mule deer hunters (coues are his specialty) and he was already going to be there. We had our own camp and our own food, so it was a pretty trade.
Opening morning found us in the spot where we found the elk. We immediately found deer. All does. There were deer literally in every direction we looked. We spotted two deer off to our left. Bucks! One of them was really big. We closed the distance to about 300 yards but as luck would have it they went over the top of the ridge. I went to where we last saw them and my son went to the bottom of the ridge. I never saw them again but my son did. He had a chance at a 4x3 but passed in hopes of finding the big guy. He made a noise and the buck took off with the big one in tow. The rest of the day was uneventful.
Saturday we were in the same glassing spot. Saw some deer but nothing like the day before. We hopped in my truck to check out a different spot and a young 3x2 almost committed suicide by running in front of my truck. Nothing much happened the rest of the day
Sunday morning again found us glassing the same area in which we found the bucks Friday. This time we were glassing from a closer distance. We spotted 2 nice bulls on a distant hillside. They were grazing and even locked antlers a couple times. My son’s butt started to tell him that he needed to change positions. As soon as he stood up he spotted 2 bucks down the hill in front of us. We tried to both get on them and shoot simultaneously. I was having problems picking mine up in my scope. Told my son if he had a shot he should take it. Boom! He cleanly missed. There were more deer than we thought. 6 deer took off and they were all bucks. There were no second shots. Later at camp he decided to check his rifle. Sure enough it was dead on. Now he was really bummed.
Monday morning we decided to split up and approach the same area but he would come from the east. I would approach from the north, same as the previous 3 days. As I was approaching the area I spotted two bucks. They were in the same spot where my son missed the previous day. I just needed to get closer. As I was closing in I jumped a small buck at about 50 yards. Thankfully they were not spooked by him. I was almost in range. Of the two bucks one was really nice. Just then a group of deer appear from the left. My son shoots. What was just 2 bucks has now exploded into more than twenty deer. Way more bucks than does. They run up the ridge to my right. I’m having trouble trying to pick one to focus on. They are almost to the top of the ridge and are out of range for me. I spot one that is in range, standing still, and decided to take him. It takes two shots but he is down. My son had our range finder but I guessed he was about 250 yards out. By far my longest shot. I meet up with my son and he points to where his buck lays. Two bucks about 50 yards apart, within 5 minutes of each other.
After gutting the deer my son and his friend head back to camp to get the horses. They were a godsend. The country we hunted has only two directions, up and down. After packing the deer on the horses, Billy rode back to camp in a half hour. It took my son and I forty five minutes to walk back to the truck. It would have been a lot longer if we had to pack the deer out also. Sorry it took so long to post this story. Here are some additional pics to go along with my previous post.
Before I get started let me say that my son is a farrier by trade. It just so happens that one of his clients is a guide. By pure happen stance the unit we were drawn in is his area of expertise. The two of them worked out a deal. He didn’t have any mule deer hunters (coues are his specialty) and he was already going to be there. We had our own camp and our own food, so it was a pretty trade.
Opening morning found us in the spot where we found the elk. We immediately found deer. All does. There were deer literally in every direction we looked. We spotted two deer off to our left. Bucks! One of them was really big. We closed the distance to about 300 yards but as luck would have it they went over the top of the ridge. I went to where we last saw them and my son went to the bottom of the ridge. I never saw them again but my son did. He had a chance at a 4x3 but passed in hopes of finding the big guy. He made a noise and the buck took off with the big one in tow. The rest of the day was uneventful.
Saturday we were in the same glassing spot. Saw some deer but nothing like the day before. We hopped in my truck to check out a different spot and a young 3x2 almost committed suicide by running in front of my truck. Nothing much happened the rest of the day
Sunday morning again found us glassing the same area in which we found the bucks Friday. This time we were glassing from a closer distance. We spotted 2 nice bulls on a distant hillside. They were grazing and even locked antlers a couple times. My son’s butt started to tell him that he needed to change positions. As soon as he stood up he spotted 2 bucks down the hill in front of us. We tried to both get on them and shoot simultaneously. I was having problems picking mine up in my scope. Told my son if he had a shot he should take it. Boom! He cleanly missed. There were more deer than we thought. 6 deer took off and they were all bucks. There were no second shots. Later at camp he decided to check his rifle. Sure enough it was dead on. Now he was really bummed.
Monday morning we decided to split up and approach the same area but he would come from the east. I would approach from the north, same as the previous 3 days. As I was approaching the area I spotted two bucks. They were in the same spot where my son missed the previous day. I just needed to get closer. As I was closing in I jumped a small buck at about 50 yards. Thankfully they were not spooked by him. I was almost in range. Of the two bucks one was really nice. Just then a group of deer appear from the left. My son shoots. What was just 2 bucks has now exploded into more than twenty deer. Way more bucks than does. They run up the ridge to my right. I’m having trouble trying to pick one to focus on. They are almost to the top of the ridge and are out of range for me. I spot one that is in range, standing still, and decided to take him. It takes two shots but he is down. My son had our range finder but I guessed he was about 250 yards out. By far my longest shot. I meet up with my son and he points to where his buck lays. Two bucks about 50 yards apart, within 5 minutes of each other.
After gutting the deer my son and his friend head back to camp to get the horses. They were a godsend. The country we hunted has only two directions, up and down. After packing the deer on the horses, Billy rode back to camp in a half hour. It took my son and I forty five minutes to walk back to the truck. It would have been a lot longer if we had to pack the deer out also. Sorry it took so long to post this story. Here are some additional pics to go along with my previous post.
Good looking couple of bucks - they look FAT - and you got to see some new country, learn a new unit. Next time you have to pull the "Old Man Card" and tell your son you get first crack. lol. Maybe next year you can get on the big one that got away - always good to have some extra motivation.
