Hunting for Deer in the Mountains

Got a minute over lunch here...
I went in with a slug of water for a few days in the tall dry hills. I didn't see many bucks at all, between the heat and pressure around the opener not a huge surprise. The smoke wasn't too bad considering what it could have been though. I watched this buck for a good 10-15 minutes trying to decide if I wanted to kill him; the weak fronts were a major turn off but he certainly had a nice sized frame. Come to find out later there were two gents from Idaho simultaneously having the same debate about the buck externally that I was having internally. Very nice guys, the kind you don't mind running into on the mountain.

As I got a good prone shooting lane he was at 380 quartered away. I put two 95 gr Bergers in the boiler room and he was on his way to death when I put a third in that rolled him. Retrieved camp, chatted with the ID guys, and carried on boning out. I laid up a bit in the shade for the worst of the afternoon heat and got moving after some tacos in a bag. Got back to the truck around midnight, spent half an hour trying to remember what I did with my keys, and onward toward home.

The fronts nuke his score but it's my widest buck at just under 29" outside. Maybe round down to 28" once he dries. Pictures were tricky, his neck muscles seized all up from how he hung up in a tree but I'm no mtmiller even on my best day.



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I guess it's ok to "settle" for a 29" buck. Great read also. Congratulations
 
I can only hope to see one like that, if I so, it's going down. Mind if I ask the elevation?
 
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