O.k., I am new to this rifle hunting thing. Not that I cannot shoot, I can, but prefer to bow hunt most of the time. Now I just have to get more patient at looking them over first at long ranges to avoid major ground shrinkage. Here is the story... I wanted to get back to MT for a 5 day hunt, the main reason I blew out of CO early to save vacation days because I really wanted to try a rifle hunt. Well the first morning I hiked in a couple miles and got up on top of a mountain? Or big long irregular shaped hill I guess you could say. Found a few sheds, seen a few fresh tracks, including one that was really fugged up looking, what’s up with that freaky deer. Was in a t-shirt with the 65 degree temps. Deer not moving much, or I was just not in the hot spot. Seen a few a mile away out in the flats, and a couple elk actually, one 4 foot tall spike 
came over a ridge and did some glassing and here was a buck that made me say "damn, he is big" But needed to get a profile of him to see what he had on top. He wouldn’t turn his head, he kept staring in my direction but not at me. I could se he was slowly turning his head as if he was watching something walking, so I glasses around between us and sure enough, a yote was walking and looking at him. I ranged the buck at 390 and decided that the yote offered me a distraction to get back over the ridge and get closer. I got around the little hill between us and popped back out at around 200yrds, but he then busted me. Now he is looking at me and I still have no profile look yet :MAD
But damn he had big forks in the front, nice high rack, and something behind the forks but what?
Well I decided that I better take my pack off and use it as a rest, but that didn’t get me up enough see him, so I went to a fallen tree 20 feet away. At that point the buck had done a 180 and started trotting off kind of slow. Dammit, I missed his profile view! Well, here’s where I messed up, I told myself "dude its got to be a 4x4 at least, kill it and get a jump on the elk hunt" So I gave the thing a Texas heart shot. As I was chambering in another round I saw him fall off to the side, and he was gone. Hmmm, I guess I got him? Well I made my way down there and he jumps up as I crest the little hill between up and I see he was in rough shape, looking like Moosie just had his way with him or something. So I walked around him to get a clean lung shot to put him down. That’s when I saw he was only an 8 pointer , you hear me Miller! LOL anyway, yea I was a little pissed I took a buck less than what I told myself I was going to shoot but I told myself that it just gave me a better shot at getting an elk down too. I started taking pictures and when I grabbed his leg to position him I looked at both of his front hooves and sure enough, I shot crazy toes!! This thing has one toe on each foot that didn’t stop growing and they were like 2 inches longer than they should be. I did think that he was walking funny when I shot him, maybe that is why they didn’t get worn down.
Anyway here is "crazy toes" damn, if he forked out in the back, what a buck he would have been.
Here’s a view that I had, when I decided to shoot, you can see why at 200 yards a guy would take a chance at him being a 4x4 or better
And the one of the messed up hooves that he gets his name from, wish I had a side view to show how it curled up
came over a ridge and did some glassing and here was a buck that made me say "damn, he is big" But needed to get a profile of him to see what he had on top. He wouldn’t turn his head, he kept staring in my direction but not at me. I could se he was slowly turning his head as if he was watching something walking, so I glasses around between us and sure enough, a yote was walking and looking at him. I ranged the buck at 390 and decided that the yote offered me a distraction to get back over the ridge and get closer. I got around the little hill between us and popped back out at around 200yrds, but he then busted me. Now he is looking at me and I still have no profile look yet :MAD But damn he had big forks in the front, nice high rack, and something behind the forks but what?
Well I decided that I better take my pack off and use it as a rest, but that didn’t get me up enough see him, so I went to a fallen tree 20 feet away. At that point the buck had done a 180 and started trotting off kind of slow. Dammit, I missed his profile view! Well, here’s where I messed up, I told myself "dude its got to be a 4x4 at least, kill it and get a jump on the elk hunt" So I gave the thing a Texas heart shot. As I was chambering in another round I saw him fall off to the side, and he was gone. Hmmm, I guess I got him? Well I made my way down there and he jumps up as I crest the little hill between up and I see he was in rough shape, looking like Moosie just had his way with him or something. So I walked around him to get a clean lung shot to put him down. That’s when I saw he was only an 8 pointer , you hear me Miller! LOL anyway, yea I was a little pissed I took a buck less than what I told myself I was going to shoot but I told myself that it just gave me a better shot at getting an elk down too. I started taking pictures and when I grabbed his leg to position him I looked at both of his front hooves and sure enough, I shot crazy toes!! This thing has one toe on each foot that didn’t stop growing and they were like 2 inches longer than they should be. I did think that he was walking funny when I shot him, maybe that is why they didn’t get worn down.
Anyway here is "crazy toes" damn, if he forked out in the back, what a buck he would have been.
Here’s a view that I had, when I decided to shoot, you can see why at 200 yards a guy would take a chance at him being a 4x4 or better
And the one of the messed up hooves that he gets his name from, wish I had a side view to show how it curled up
