Brandenbowhunter
Well-known member
wow, it is going to be a great season next year! You are a killing machine!
Nevada Archery Mule Deer
- Thread starter Big Fin
- Start date
hardscrabble
Active member
Awesome buck Fin! Another hard earned trophy
thecrittergitter
Well-known member
Congrats Randy! That is awesome! Season 3 starting pretty dang well!
ashersdad
Well-known member
Nice job Randy!! That is a smoker buck! Can't wait to hear the story.
Looking forward to the background on this hunt! Great stuff! Nice looking buck there.
Seeing all those "pal" smiles makes me crave that wall tent, around the fire, relaxing time of hunting with the friends.
Congrats on a great time guys!
Seeing all those "pal" smiles makes me crave that wall tent, around the fire, relaxing time of hunting with the friends.
Congrats on a great time guys!
4blade
New member
- Joined
- Aug 11, 2009
- Messages
- 15
one heck of an archery buck Randy, BOOM SHAKALAKA!
elk_hunter
Active member
Congrats again, Randy. It was great meeting up with NVLongbow, jereep, Elton and Troy. Awesome bunch of guys for sure. Too bad we can't have a show that lasts the entire day...just to show the series of events that led to the kill. Guys, thanks again for letting me share in the experience. Looking forward to next time!
NVLongbow
Active member
Ditto on Jerry's comments.
A big thanks to Elk Hunter for coming out on Thursday night to give a hand. We were wearing down and he brought some badly needed energy to the hunt.
This hunt was more proof that Photo Fin (Troy) has got to be one of the best and studliest cameramen on the planet. Watching him follow and film Randy on some of these stalks is something to behold. As you know, things happen very fast in the field and Troy never misses a shot. He is "Johnny on the spot" and a big reason the for the OYOA success.
Thanks to all that are helping OYOA by relaying your positive opinions to sponsors and networks. You are helping to keep the this OYOA endeavor on the boob tube. Please keep it up.
Sincerely,
Scott (Posse member since 1985)
noharleyyet
Well-known member
Good job Fin. Looks like the Sitka optistink worked for ya.
Kudos to all involved, heckuva nice archery buck.
Kudos to all involved, heckuva nice archery buck.
stillkickin
Well-known member
Well done Randy and crew!
Scouting and background
Well, drove all day and night and got home late. Just now getting the dust off my face, but will try to give the play by play the best I can.
The area I was hunting is an overlooked area, as the winter range has been destroyed by fire and replaced by the cheatgrass environment. Invasive weed species are probably the biggest detriment for our native wildlife, whether deer, elk, or antelope. Given the restricted winter range, the deer densities are very low in this unit. The summer range is magnificent and plentiful, allowing the low deer numbers to be spread over a large area at this time of year.
The general plan was for all of us to split up and go to high vantage points for the morning and try to catch bucks going to their beds, knowing they would spend most the day in their bedding areas.
I am blessed with some of the best hunting friends around. For the last twenty years, we have been sharing hunts together. Just depends on who draws the tag. This year has been pretty cool so far, as I had this tag, Jereep (Jerry) had the Sheldon rifle tag he filled earlier in the week, and NVLongbow (Scott) has a great November tag.
In addition to Jerry and Scott, I was joined by my uncle Elton. He and his brothers were my hunting mentors growing up, so it was fun to have him along. Elk Hunter (Jason) also showed up to add some extra eyes.
Many of our episodes have been Randy joining a guest hunter. This was Randy being joined by his long-time hunting friends. We tried to film this episode to show you the traditions of what hunting has been for me, Jerry, and Scott. Guess you can call it a posse, but we still have a ways to go to get a large enough group to compete with some of those Utah pics I see.
If there is one thing that is hard about hunting archery mule deer it is that they love the open spaces while most of them are still in the velvet, giving them the commanding views of any approaching hunter. And they are in groups, making it harder to fool many sets of eyes, rather than just one set.
Sitting water is not an option in this unit, as it has water in every north and east facing drainage. This is all spot and stalk.
Like many NV units, it is steep and relatively barren. Trying to get within the distance needed for me to make a good shot, in this open country is very difficult. Add a five foot tripod carrying a big camera, and another human body to emit odor and make noise, and things get even more difficult.
I will be applying for Nevada archery mule deer hunts, until such time I cannot draw back my bow. Last year Scott had the tag and we filmed that one. Close, but no cigar. This year were were a few mountain ranges away, but the hunt was just as much fun.
We had two days to scout and wear ourselves out before the cameras arrived. Hoped to find some great bucks for "Showtime."
If you are a mule deer buck, you would want to bed in the shade of this rock pile. And, you would hope the buddy who "had your back'" was paying attention to the guys sneaking up the rock pile and into that brush.
Well, drove all day and night and got home late. Just now getting the dust off my face, but will try to give the play by play the best I can.
The area I was hunting is an overlooked area, as the winter range has been destroyed by fire and replaced by the cheatgrass environment. Invasive weed species are probably the biggest detriment for our native wildlife, whether deer, elk, or antelope. Given the restricted winter range, the deer densities are very low in this unit. The summer range is magnificent and plentiful, allowing the low deer numbers to be spread over a large area at this time of year.
The general plan was for all of us to split up and go to high vantage points for the morning and try to catch bucks going to their beds, knowing they would spend most the day in their bedding areas.
I am blessed with some of the best hunting friends around. For the last twenty years, we have been sharing hunts together. Just depends on who draws the tag. This year has been pretty cool so far, as I had this tag, Jereep (Jerry) had the Sheldon rifle tag he filled earlier in the week, and NVLongbow (Scott) has a great November tag.
In addition to Jerry and Scott, I was joined by my uncle Elton. He and his brothers were my hunting mentors growing up, so it was fun to have him along. Elk Hunter (Jason) also showed up to add some extra eyes.
Many of our episodes have been Randy joining a guest hunter. This was Randy being joined by his long-time hunting friends. We tried to film this episode to show you the traditions of what hunting has been for me, Jerry, and Scott. Guess you can call it a posse, but we still have a ways to go to get a large enough group to compete with some of those Utah pics I see.
If there is one thing that is hard about hunting archery mule deer it is that they love the open spaces while most of them are still in the velvet, giving them the commanding views of any approaching hunter. And they are in groups, making it harder to fool many sets of eyes, rather than just one set.
Sitting water is not an option in this unit, as it has water in every north and east facing drainage. This is all spot and stalk.
Like many NV units, it is steep and relatively barren. Trying to get within the distance needed for me to make a good shot, in this open country is very difficult. Add a five foot tripod carrying a big camera, and another human body to emit odor and make noise, and things get even more difficult.
I will be applying for Nevada archery mule deer hunts, until such time I cannot draw back my bow. Last year Scott had the tag and we filmed that one. Close, but no cigar. This year were were a few mountain ranges away, but the hunt was just as much fun.
We had two days to scout and wear ourselves out before the cameras arrived. Hoped to find some great bucks for "Showtime."
If you are a mule deer buck, you would want to bed in the shade of this rock pile. And, you would hope the buddy who "had your back'" was paying attention to the guys sneaking up the rock pile and into that brush.
Day One
The first day I had a great chance on a buck that Elton has spotted. I came over the ridge above him, just as the sun was setting. I had the sun at my back and a good amount of brush between me and him.
The biggest problem was that the wind was blowing down the hill from me to him. He was in the funnel of this drainage, where most any wind would get to him.
Longbow as giving me hand signals to go left or right, as I could not see the buck. Finally, at about 150 yards, I noticed velvet antlers pivoting underneath a big mahogany tree. He looked very vulnerable and I was sure this big 3X3 was going to get introduced to the OYOA film crew.
But, like most hunts, you end up with too many factors that seem to quickly unravel. This was not exception. I was worried about the wind, so I worked more to the east, feeling a strong crosswind coming across the face. As I got closer, that crosswind became more of a downhill thermal.
I moved further west, hoping to keep my wind away. Things got a little better. I started easing down the hill toward the buck. I am now at just under 100 yards and the wind has me pinned. I am testing the wind continuously and it is now going steadily downhill.
Before I can plot the next strategy, the buck is up, takes one look my way, then runs off 100 yards before looking back to verify the danger.
Damn, I was sure that was a chance to score. Oh well, this was only the first day of real hunting after two days of scouting. I had four more days to get the deed done.
The first day I had a great chance on a buck that Elton has spotted. I came over the ridge above him, just as the sun was setting. I had the sun at my back and a good amount of brush between me and him.
The biggest problem was that the wind was blowing down the hill from me to him. He was in the funnel of this drainage, where most any wind would get to him.
Longbow as giving me hand signals to go left or right, as I could not see the buck. Finally, at about 150 yards, I noticed velvet antlers pivoting underneath a big mahogany tree. He looked very vulnerable and I was sure this big 3X3 was going to get introduced to the OYOA film crew.
But, like most hunts, you end up with too many factors that seem to quickly unravel. This was not exception. I was worried about the wind, so I worked more to the east, feeling a strong crosswind coming across the face. As I got closer, that crosswind became more of a downhill thermal.
I moved further west, hoping to keep my wind away. Things got a little better. I started easing down the hill toward the buck. I am now at just under 100 yards and the wind has me pinned. I am testing the wind continuously and it is now going steadily downhill.
Before I can plot the next strategy, the buck is up, takes one look my way, then runs off 100 yards before looking back to verify the danger.
Damn, I was sure that was a chance to score. Oh well, this was only the first day of real hunting after two days of scouting. I had four more days to get the deed done.
Moosie
Grand poopa
BIG FIN...... Your Fans never get tiered of that Smile. What I personally like about it is it's there whether it's a P&Y critter you're holding or a Tag you just ate.
Love it....truely love it !!!
Love it....truely love it !!!
Day Two
Day One had ended with it getting dark before any other bucks were located. Day Two would be different.
We had all split up and unknown to me, everyone was seeing bucks in their scopes. I watched a pair of great three pointers move off the bench toward Elton and Scott. I circled down to see if they had a view of the buck as they had crossed the basin.
Good news. They had been watching them for over an hour by the time I got to their spotting location. The bucks had bedded in a small patch of mahogany. I could see the velvet antler tips above the brush, pivoting back and forth as the bucks tested the wind.
This was a great morning set up. Only downside was the wind and open terrain to get close to them. Like most mule deer, they bedded with the wind coming over the ridge above them, allowing them to smell approaching danger from behind. They bedded facing downwind, giving them the ability to see anything approaching from downwind.
A plan was hatched. Troy and I would get downwind to a small piece of of brush. It would allow us to set up just out of view, protected by a little rockpile just downhill and downwind of the bucks. The idea was that we would set up in the place they would most likely travel to get to the larger piece of cover - a big aspen patch below their current location.
Upon an agreed upon signal, Scott would go upwind of the bucks a ways and allow his scent to blow to them, causing them to get uncomfortable and hopefully ease down to us, giving us a shot.
When Troy and I were in position, we signaled for Scott to start his hike. We sat and waited. And we waited. Then waited longer. Nothing.
Elton was watching from across the basin. Unknown to us, the bucks got up as soon as they smelled Scott. But rather than easing down to our location, they crossed the ridge about 100 yards above us. Seems that rockpile at our back did a great job of hiding us. Maybe too good of a job, as we never did see the bucks as they moved to the basin to our south.
Oh well, it was morning and we had the rest of the day for more options. Nothing to fret.
I went over to find Jerry and he had followed three bucks across many different drainages, but lost them as they kept feeding south. Jerry finally gave up and let them go their own direction and came back to his original glassing position. He reported the bucks were smaller than any others we had been chasing, so we were not going to waste a day chasing them into those other drainages.
We all huddled and made a plan for the rest of the day. Troy and I decided to go over to the northeast and investigate a drainage we had not yet seen, but where Scott and Elton had watched a nice buck walk into twice since we had been here.
Troy and I looped far north, hoping we could get a glassing vantage point. But, it really gave us nothing, so we went back south and came over the top of this drainage, trying to keep a very strong wind at our left. We got up there and wind was now in serious mode. It was hard to keep the spotting scope steady as I tried to pick apart the brush and trees.
After over an hour, it started to rain. Troy did not have a rain cover with him, as it was clear and sunny when we left the truck. Now it was clouding fast and I heard thunder in the distance. We all have our irrational fears, and mine is being the tallest thing on an 8,500' rock outcrop as a lighting storm is approaching. I told Troy I was vacating quickly, but he could stay if he wanted.
We caught up with the rest of the crew and no deer were being found. Hard to pick them out in the mid-day when they have retreated to their beds in the high sage and thick mahoganies.
For the rest of the day, it was agreed Troy and I would go west, Jerry and Elt to the south, and Scott to the east. We figured we would have every drainage covered. We did have it covered. I just hadn't planned on an August afternoon turning into a windy rain storm.
I was out on a ridge glassing enduring the sprinkles, when the wind decided to really put it in high gear. I estimate it to be a 50mph wind. I thought it would be just a short burst. Nope. I sat for over an hour as the wind continued at that pace and the rain grew even heavier. Time to give it up for a while.
Troy and I retreated to the truck, hoping the wind and rain would relent for the last hour of glassing. It did not. Given NV only allows you to hunt until sunset, rather than a half-hour after sunset like most states, the evening hunts end too soon. But, you can still use that time for glassing and making plans for bucks that should be near by the following morning.
Even with plan, no bucks were spotted in this wind. I pretty much gave up. Sometimes you are better off using that time to get reorganized. We headed to camp to see what the wind had done to things. Not too bad, other than some tipped over tables and chairs.
A good night of sleep would make tomorrow a better day. Elk Hunter showed up about the time we got camp put back together. After a good dinner and Elton giving his normal guitar picking around the fire, we hit the cots, and I dreamed of big bucks in the morning.
Day One had ended with it getting dark before any other bucks were located. Day Two would be different.
We had all split up and unknown to me, everyone was seeing bucks in their scopes. I watched a pair of great three pointers move off the bench toward Elton and Scott. I circled down to see if they had a view of the buck as they had crossed the basin.
Good news. They had been watching them for over an hour by the time I got to their spotting location. The bucks had bedded in a small patch of mahogany. I could see the velvet antler tips above the brush, pivoting back and forth as the bucks tested the wind.
This was a great morning set up. Only downside was the wind and open terrain to get close to them. Like most mule deer, they bedded with the wind coming over the ridge above them, allowing them to smell approaching danger from behind. They bedded facing downwind, giving them the ability to see anything approaching from downwind.
A plan was hatched. Troy and I would get downwind to a small piece of of brush. It would allow us to set up just out of view, protected by a little rockpile just downhill and downwind of the bucks. The idea was that we would set up in the place they would most likely travel to get to the larger piece of cover - a big aspen patch below their current location.
Upon an agreed upon signal, Scott would go upwind of the bucks a ways and allow his scent to blow to them, causing them to get uncomfortable and hopefully ease down to us, giving us a shot.
When Troy and I were in position, we signaled for Scott to start his hike. We sat and waited. And we waited. Then waited longer. Nothing.
Elton was watching from across the basin. Unknown to us, the bucks got up as soon as they smelled Scott. But rather than easing down to our location, they crossed the ridge about 100 yards above us. Seems that rockpile at our back did a great job of hiding us. Maybe too good of a job, as we never did see the bucks as they moved to the basin to our south.
Oh well, it was morning and we had the rest of the day for more options. Nothing to fret.
I went over to find Jerry and he had followed three bucks across many different drainages, but lost them as they kept feeding south. Jerry finally gave up and let them go their own direction and came back to his original glassing position. He reported the bucks were smaller than any others we had been chasing, so we were not going to waste a day chasing them into those other drainages.
We all huddled and made a plan for the rest of the day. Troy and I decided to go over to the northeast and investigate a drainage we had not yet seen, but where Scott and Elton had watched a nice buck walk into twice since we had been here.
Troy and I looped far north, hoping we could get a glassing vantage point. But, it really gave us nothing, so we went back south and came over the top of this drainage, trying to keep a very strong wind at our left. We got up there and wind was now in serious mode. It was hard to keep the spotting scope steady as I tried to pick apart the brush and trees.
After over an hour, it started to rain. Troy did not have a rain cover with him, as it was clear and sunny when we left the truck. Now it was clouding fast and I heard thunder in the distance. We all have our irrational fears, and mine is being the tallest thing on an 8,500' rock outcrop as a lighting storm is approaching. I told Troy I was vacating quickly, but he could stay if he wanted.
We caught up with the rest of the crew and no deer were being found. Hard to pick them out in the mid-day when they have retreated to their beds in the high sage and thick mahoganies.
For the rest of the day, it was agreed Troy and I would go west, Jerry and Elt to the south, and Scott to the east. We figured we would have every drainage covered. We did have it covered. I just hadn't planned on an August afternoon turning into a windy rain storm.
I was out on a ridge glassing enduring the sprinkles, when the wind decided to really put it in high gear. I estimate it to be a 50mph wind. I thought it would be just a short burst. Nope. I sat for over an hour as the wind continued at that pace and the rain grew even heavier. Time to give it up for a while.
Troy and I retreated to the truck, hoping the wind and rain would relent for the last hour of glassing. It did not. Given NV only allows you to hunt until sunset, rather than a half-hour after sunset like most states, the evening hunts end too soon. But, you can still use that time for glassing and making plans for bucks that should be near by the following morning.
Even with plan, no bucks were spotted in this wind. I pretty much gave up. Sometimes you are better off using that time to get reorganized. We headed to camp to see what the wind had done to things. Not too bad, other than some tipped over tables and chairs.
A good night of sleep would make tomorrow a better day. Elk Hunter showed up about the time we got camp put back together. After a good dinner and Elton giving his normal guitar picking around the fire, we hit the cots, and I dreamed of big bucks in the morning.
Day Three - Part I
The storm of the prior afternoon/evening, things looked so much different in the crisp coolness of the cleared morning. Every basin I glassed had deer moving. Most were does, but I saw the same three pointers we had stalked on the morning of Day Two.
Rather than let bed, I told Troy we needed to run out in front of them and try to get where the bucks wanted to be. Off we ran, trying to get in front and downwind of where the bucks wanted to travel.
The elevation and the rough terrain made me feel as though I was a couch spud. Maybe I am. I know that when we got to the desired location, I was gassed. We waited and watched, hoping the bucks would continue on their same path as yesterday morning.
Finally, I knew something must be up. I started stalking toward the direction they were coming from. Withing 200 yards, I had gained the ridge that allowed me to glass the entire basin. Nothing. WTH?
I then walked back to the truck and caught up with Elton. He had watched the entire thing from across the basin. He told me that they bucks smelled something when they got within a couple hundred yards. They spooked to the south, without us even getting sight of them. Damn, another great opportunity that amounted to nothing.
It was time to rendezvous with the crew. Elton has seen nothing besides the deer we had stalked. Scott and Elk Hunter were glassing some deer just below Jerry. I decided to drive up to Jerry and see what he was glassing.
About a mile and half below and across, Jerry had two great bucks mingling with some smaller bucks and some does. We watched for an hour before a plan was hatched. Elton had now joined us and had his scope on the bucks, who by now were nothing more than antler tips above the sage, often not even visible.
The wind was steady from the south. The plan was for Troy and I to take the rock chute down into the basin, heading due east, then cut to the south and approach from the north, where a sage ridge might give us opportunity to come from above.
We were off. These looked like big bucks, so I was very careful to make sure the wind would stay in our favor. So far, so good. It took over an hour to get to the crest of the sage ridge. As I peaked over, one of the does was up and feeding. I looked harder and found three of them up and milling around.
I knew the bucks had bedded above the does, so they were somewhere between our location and the does in the bottom. I ranged the does at 205 yards. The bucks were less than 200 yards, but how would I close the gap from this far?
Troy found the highest sage around to hide as much of his camera as possible. Still not well hidden, but the best we could find. We agreed I would scoot forward on my butt, trying to close the gap toward the bucks.
I moved forward about twenty yards, but had very little cover to hide from these does. Not much to do, other than wait for them to bed. So, I waited, with the sun burning me to a crisp. High elevation and intense sun are hard on my pale Scandinavian complexion.
After an hour, a buck got up. Wow, what a great buck. Full velvet made him look bigger than he is, but still a whopper. Now, where was the other buck. Within about five minutes, the other buck rose from his bed. Holy chit.
The second buck was the big buck. I thought the first buck was the big one, but this guy was the same frame configuration, just bigger in every respect. Probably 28" wide, huge mass, long main beams that swept out over his nose, and deep back forks. Height was at least 22". If he had a weakness, it was front forks that were probably ONLY 10". I was shaking and the bucks were still 134 yards out.
Now what to do? The wind had them feeding slowly away. They would feed, then bed. Feed, then bed. This continued for over five hours, as I laid in the short sage trying to find some shade.
I was baking. I had left my pack up the ridge, but would have little value, as I had drank the last of my water a couple hours earlier. I just needed some sage. My nose and ears have sunburn blisters as I type this, and my lips are cracked to the point of almost bleeding.
But, I was watching two of the biggest bucks I have ever hunted and they were only a couple hundred yards away. What to complain about? Nothing, this is what I was hoping for.
I had left Jerry and Elton six hours ago. By now, the bucks had grazed across this little depression and had bedded in the shade of a small patch of aspens about 400 yards across from me and below Jerry and Elton. I had told them that if I waived my hat, Elton was to come down the ridge and follow my directions.
On cue, Elt dropped down and appeared on the ridge just above the bedded bucks. I hate to push bucks, but this was the last gas. They were feeding away and I was sitting on the best escape trail, or so I thought. It was a gamble, but I was willing to take that risk.
As Elton walked around the aspens, his scent brought the bucks to their feet. Elton stopped. I could see the bucks and Elton in the same frame of my binos. This was funny to watch. Neither could smell the other, but the bucks knew something was up.
Eventually they tired of the drill and bounded away, sidehilling across from me, then feeding to a patch of aspens above me. Not what I had hoped for, but could have been a lot worse. They were not that spooked and within a few minutes, were bedded again.
This time they bedded where Scott and Elk Hunter could see them. They guided me to the quakies and I circled downwind, hoping for a chance, however slim that might be. The good news was that the wind was steady and strong, right in my face as Troy and I eased to where the bucks were last seen.
I told Troy we would stay on this side of the quakies and wait until they got up and fed out for the evening. I figured it would take an hour or two for them to leave their beds, but if the bucks were still in these aspens, we would have shots under 50 yards.
I bent down to look at my quiver and arrows and heard some rustling to my left. I looked and was eye to eye with the biggest of the bucks at all of ten yards. He knew I was bad news, and with a snort, was up and running out the top of the basin with his big pal following close behind.
How did I get that close and not see him. Easy answer is that these groves of aspens are very thick. Had I waited back another step or two, I would have been completely out of his view and I think he would have fed out in front of me. So close to such a great buck was about a frustrating as it can get.
They were now heading south and it would be next to impossible to catch them. Damn it.
The storm of the prior afternoon/evening, things looked so much different in the crisp coolness of the cleared morning. Every basin I glassed had deer moving. Most were does, but I saw the same three pointers we had stalked on the morning of Day Two.
Rather than let bed, I told Troy we needed to run out in front of them and try to get where the bucks wanted to be. Off we ran, trying to get in front and downwind of where the bucks wanted to travel.
The elevation and the rough terrain made me feel as though I was a couch spud. Maybe I am. I know that when we got to the desired location, I was gassed. We waited and watched, hoping the bucks would continue on their same path as yesterday morning.
Finally, I knew something must be up. I started stalking toward the direction they were coming from. Withing 200 yards, I had gained the ridge that allowed me to glass the entire basin. Nothing. WTH?
I then walked back to the truck and caught up with Elton. He had watched the entire thing from across the basin. He told me that they bucks smelled something when they got within a couple hundred yards. They spooked to the south, without us even getting sight of them. Damn, another great opportunity that amounted to nothing.
It was time to rendezvous with the crew. Elton has seen nothing besides the deer we had stalked. Scott and Elk Hunter were glassing some deer just below Jerry. I decided to drive up to Jerry and see what he was glassing.
About a mile and half below and across, Jerry had two great bucks mingling with some smaller bucks and some does. We watched for an hour before a plan was hatched. Elton had now joined us and had his scope on the bucks, who by now were nothing more than antler tips above the sage, often not even visible.
The wind was steady from the south. The plan was for Troy and I to take the rock chute down into the basin, heading due east, then cut to the south and approach from the north, where a sage ridge might give us opportunity to come from above.
We were off. These looked like big bucks, so I was very careful to make sure the wind would stay in our favor. So far, so good. It took over an hour to get to the crest of the sage ridge. As I peaked over, one of the does was up and feeding. I looked harder and found three of them up and milling around.
I knew the bucks had bedded above the does, so they were somewhere between our location and the does in the bottom. I ranged the does at 205 yards. The bucks were less than 200 yards, but how would I close the gap from this far?
Troy found the highest sage around to hide as much of his camera as possible. Still not well hidden, but the best we could find. We agreed I would scoot forward on my butt, trying to close the gap toward the bucks.
I moved forward about twenty yards, but had very little cover to hide from these does. Not much to do, other than wait for them to bed. So, I waited, with the sun burning me to a crisp. High elevation and intense sun are hard on my pale Scandinavian complexion.
After an hour, a buck got up. Wow, what a great buck. Full velvet made him look bigger than he is, but still a whopper. Now, where was the other buck. Within about five minutes, the other buck rose from his bed. Holy chit.
The second buck was the big buck. I thought the first buck was the big one, but this guy was the same frame configuration, just bigger in every respect. Probably 28" wide, huge mass, long main beams that swept out over his nose, and deep back forks. Height was at least 22". If he had a weakness, it was front forks that were probably ONLY 10". I was shaking and the bucks were still 134 yards out.
Now what to do? The wind had them feeding slowly away. They would feed, then bed. Feed, then bed. This continued for over five hours, as I laid in the short sage trying to find some shade.
I was baking. I had left my pack up the ridge, but would have little value, as I had drank the last of my water a couple hours earlier. I just needed some sage. My nose and ears have sunburn blisters as I type this, and my lips are cracked to the point of almost bleeding.
But, I was watching two of the biggest bucks I have ever hunted and they were only a couple hundred yards away. What to complain about? Nothing, this is what I was hoping for.
I had left Jerry and Elton six hours ago. By now, the bucks had grazed across this little depression and had bedded in the shade of a small patch of aspens about 400 yards across from me and below Jerry and Elton. I had told them that if I waived my hat, Elton was to come down the ridge and follow my directions.
On cue, Elt dropped down and appeared on the ridge just above the bedded bucks. I hate to push bucks, but this was the last gas. They were feeding away and I was sitting on the best escape trail, or so I thought. It was a gamble, but I was willing to take that risk.
As Elton walked around the aspens, his scent brought the bucks to their feet. Elton stopped. I could see the bucks and Elton in the same frame of my binos. This was funny to watch. Neither could smell the other, but the bucks knew something was up.
Eventually they tired of the drill and bounded away, sidehilling across from me, then feeding to a patch of aspens above me. Not what I had hoped for, but could have been a lot worse. They were not that spooked and within a few minutes, were bedded again.
This time they bedded where Scott and Elk Hunter could see them. They guided me to the quakies and I circled downwind, hoping for a chance, however slim that might be. The good news was that the wind was steady and strong, right in my face as Troy and I eased to where the bucks were last seen.
I told Troy we would stay on this side of the quakies and wait until they got up and fed out for the evening. I figured it would take an hour or two for them to leave their beds, but if the bucks were still in these aspens, we would have shots under 50 yards.
I bent down to look at my quiver and arrows and heard some rustling to my left. I looked and was eye to eye with the biggest of the bucks at all of ten yards. He knew I was bad news, and with a snort, was up and running out the top of the basin with his big pal following close behind.
How did I get that close and not see him. Easy answer is that these groves of aspens are very thick. Had I waited back another step or two, I would have been completely out of his view and I think he would have fed out in front of me. So close to such a great buck was about a frustrating as it can get.
They were now heading south and it would be next to impossible to catch them. Damn it.
Day Three - Part II
After blowing that close chance on the big bucks, I decided to look from the saddle of this basin and see if I could locate the bucks and where they might head, so they might be located for the hunting tomorrow.
It was now 5:30 and time was slipping away. As Troy and I crossed the saddle we instantly found the bucks. They were not going straight south as I expected. They were circling northwest around the biggest peak that formed the southwest rim of this basin. They had the wind in their face and were about 400 yards out.
Rather than try to catch them, I decided we would sidehill the northeast side of this rock rim and try to get in front of the bucks. If they headed to the basin to our west, I knew where they would cross and if we could get there before them, we might have a chance.
We told Jerry and Elton of our strategy. They stayed behind and would glass for more deer we could go after in the morning.
Troy and I got up on the bench that formed the rim of this basin. We could still see Jerry and Elton below us. I glassed to the south and tried to pick the best place to cross the little saddle in the rockpile.
As I glassed, I noticed a buck skylined and in the shade of the rocks and mahogany. I told Troy the buck has us pinned down. He argued the buck was facing the other direction. I couldn't tell, as the sun was too much glare. Finally, the buck turned his head a different direction. Troy was right; he was facing away from us.
He was 250 yards away and a strong crosswind would allow us to close the gap undetected, or so I hoped. This was a big 26" 3X3 Scott had glassed on our scouting days. He was not the size of the two bucks from earlier, but maybe they had all joined up. I was going to get closer and find out.
I dropped my pack and tried to hop from rock to rock, as the sun-dried vegetation was like walking on wrapping paper. Within about five minutes, I was within 100 yards and had the benefit of some mahoganies between me and the buck. But, the lip of the saddle had obscured my view of the buck. I was going in blind and trying to keep the wind to my favor.
Troy told me he was locked and loaded, so if an opportunity presented, I was to take it. My mind was still thinking about those two big 4X4s, but knew that in the world of archery mule deer, you don't pass a great opportunity on a buck of this quality. The old "bird in the hand" theory.
A quick detraction from this story. One morning of scouting, I had watched a buck rub his velvet in the basin below, probably 300 yards below where Jerry and Elton were now watching this stalk unfold. I had not seen that buck since that day, but was very impressed with his tine length and depth of forks. I had told the guys that I would love to shoot that buck, if the opportunity presented itself.
Back to the stalk.
I was now walking as quietly as I could. One big mahogany was all that shielded me from where I had seen the buck bedded. The wind was now getting worse as I gained the elevation to the toe of this rock pile.
I looked down to find the next rock to step on. I was walking rather unbalanced, with an arrow nocked and my rangefinder in my hand. Balancing on the wobbly rocks took all the dexterity my clumsy feet could muster.
When I next looked up, the big 3X3 was standing and looking straight on. I froze. I whispered to Troy that we were busted. He could just see the rack of the buck sticking out from behind the mahogany right in front of us. Troy asked if I had a shot.
I leaned forward, allowing me to range the buck. 55 yards. I told Troy I needed a broadside shot at that range. He asked if he could move up and get video. I told him to do so as I placed my release in my D-loop.
As Troy stepped forward, the big 3X3 started to get nervous. Troy was now at my side. I came to full draw, waiting for the deer to clear the next little clump of mahoganies, just below where I had ranged him.
I saw movement and told Troy the buck was coming out below. He was ready and rolling.
The buck emerged from the trees. It was not the 3X3. It was a hard horned buck. I could see four points on one side. I told Troy was going to shoot. As I started my aim and release, the hill exploded with deer bounding down the rocks, yet this buck kept investigating me as his buddies ran off.
I released the arrow and heard the smack of a solid hit. The buck had already moved by the time I had let my bow down upon my follow through. He was obviously in pain.
The buck stotted down a couple steps to a rock rim, then stood there wondering how to negotiate the ledge and catch his buddies. I ranged him at 62 yards. I drew. He turned and was now quartering away from me. I held the 60 yard pin on the last rib on his right side, then released. The arrow flew perfectly and I heard another loud smack.
After that, the buck wasted no time and was bounding down the rocks and brush, with complete disregard of where his buddies had went. I lost sight of him.
The shots felt perfect. I turned to Troy and we were in disbelief as to how all these days of frustration, scouting and hunting as hard as we had, could have turned into success in the matter of a few minutes. We were ecstatic.
Troy asked me what quality of buck it was. I told him I had no idea. I had seen antlers and was focused on the shot and follow through. At that time, I really didn’t care what kind of buck he was. Any buck under those conditions was going to be a great trophy and to capture on film was remarkable feat.
I turned to go to where I had dropped my pack. Jerry and Elton were now working their way up the ridge to our location. They had seen it all from where they had sat. I couldn’t believe it had actually happened, but they confirmed what my eyes had told me. Jerry and Elton had seen the buck fall, or so they had thought.
I could not locate my first arrow, but found blood and hair. I quickly found the second arrows and it was soaked with bright red blood. On the rocks was a big patch of blood. A good sign.
We followed the scuff marks and decreasing specks of blood. I was getting worried. How had he made it this far, with two good shots? We were joined by Scott and Elk Hunter. We did the normal job of placing one guy at the last blood spot while others followed the trail, leapfrogging forward with each new blood sign.
The light was fading on this east facing slope. I was worried as the buck entered a large expanse of waist deep brush. But, the blood was getting stronger and better. Finally, Elk Hunter pointed to something laying the brush. Elton put me on a vector to the antlers sticking up.
Backslapping and high fives were in order. What a great public land buck. He was the tall-tined buck I had watched rub off his velvet while scouting. I couldn’t have a better ending.
The first shot was high and back. I am interested to see the footage. The buck was on full alert and I think when I released, had moved to join his buddies who had fled. The shot felt great, so to hit him there is disturbing.
The second shot was a bulls eye. Entered exactly where I had hoped, entering on the right side, just behind the first rib. It then passed up into the chest, taking out the left lung and exiting through the left shoulder. I am amazed to get that kind of penetration at that distance and that angle.
The buck probably made it 250-300 yards, even with one lung out of order. Yes, he was traveling down a steep slope, giving him some advantage. I learned from this event, just how difficult it is to follow a deer that has only one lung out and has an exit wound at mid-chest height. If that was an elk with one lung out, he would have really covered some ground.
So ends another On Your Own Adventure. A great buck on a great hunt with some great guys. It was the hunt I was most worried about in the filming schedule this year. I am sure we will have more hunts that are difficult and some tags will go unfilled. To fill this tag, in the way we did, with the footage we have, is very exciting.
Thanks to all who helped. And thanks to Troy for being the best cameraman in outdoor TV. Couldn’t have done it without all of you.
Another hunt where I was beat down mentally and physically. Where every part of my being wanted to give up and call it quits. My commitment to this project and knowing so many had worked so hard to help on this hunt, I could not allow myself to give in. Glad I didn’t.
After blowing that close chance on the big bucks, I decided to look from the saddle of this basin and see if I could locate the bucks and where they might head, so they might be located for the hunting tomorrow.
It was now 5:30 and time was slipping away. As Troy and I crossed the saddle we instantly found the bucks. They were not going straight south as I expected. They were circling northwest around the biggest peak that formed the southwest rim of this basin. They had the wind in their face and were about 400 yards out.
Rather than try to catch them, I decided we would sidehill the northeast side of this rock rim and try to get in front of the bucks. If they headed to the basin to our west, I knew where they would cross and if we could get there before them, we might have a chance.
We told Jerry and Elton of our strategy. They stayed behind and would glass for more deer we could go after in the morning.
Troy and I got up on the bench that formed the rim of this basin. We could still see Jerry and Elton below us. I glassed to the south and tried to pick the best place to cross the little saddle in the rockpile.
As I glassed, I noticed a buck skylined and in the shade of the rocks and mahogany. I told Troy the buck has us pinned down. He argued the buck was facing the other direction. I couldn't tell, as the sun was too much glare. Finally, the buck turned his head a different direction. Troy was right; he was facing away from us.
He was 250 yards away and a strong crosswind would allow us to close the gap undetected, or so I hoped. This was a big 26" 3X3 Scott had glassed on our scouting days. He was not the size of the two bucks from earlier, but maybe they had all joined up. I was going to get closer and find out.
I dropped my pack and tried to hop from rock to rock, as the sun-dried vegetation was like walking on wrapping paper. Within about five minutes, I was within 100 yards and had the benefit of some mahoganies between me and the buck. But, the lip of the saddle had obscured my view of the buck. I was going in blind and trying to keep the wind to my favor.
Troy told me he was locked and loaded, so if an opportunity presented, I was to take it. My mind was still thinking about those two big 4X4s, but knew that in the world of archery mule deer, you don't pass a great opportunity on a buck of this quality. The old "bird in the hand" theory.
A quick detraction from this story. One morning of scouting, I had watched a buck rub his velvet in the basin below, probably 300 yards below where Jerry and Elton were now watching this stalk unfold. I had not seen that buck since that day, but was very impressed with his tine length and depth of forks. I had told the guys that I would love to shoot that buck, if the opportunity presented itself.
Back to the stalk.
I was now walking as quietly as I could. One big mahogany was all that shielded me from where I had seen the buck bedded. The wind was now getting worse as I gained the elevation to the toe of this rock pile.
I looked down to find the next rock to step on. I was walking rather unbalanced, with an arrow nocked and my rangefinder in my hand. Balancing on the wobbly rocks took all the dexterity my clumsy feet could muster.
When I next looked up, the big 3X3 was standing and looking straight on. I froze. I whispered to Troy that we were busted. He could just see the rack of the buck sticking out from behind the mahogany right in front of us. Troy asked if I had a shot.
I leaned forward, allowing me to range the buck. 55 yards. I told Troy I needed a broadside shot at that range. He asked if he could move up and get video. I told him to do so as I placed my release in my D-loop.
As Troy stepped forward, the big 3X3 started to get nervous. Troy was now at my side. I came to full draw, waiting for the deer to clear the next little clump of mahoganies, just below where I had ranged him.
I saw movement and told Troy the buck was coming out below. He was ready and rolling.
The buck emerged from the trees. It was not the 3X3. It was a hard horned buck. I could see four points on one side. I told Troy was going to shoot. As I started my aim and release, the hill exploded with deer bounding down the rocks, yet this buck kept investigating me as his buddies ran off.
I released the arrow and heard the smack of a solid hit. The buck had already moved by the time I had let my bow down upon my follow through. He was obviously in pain.
The buck stotted down a couple steps to a rock rim, then stood there wondering how to negotiate the ledge and catch his buddies. I ranged him at 62 yards. I drew. He turned and was now quartering away from me. I held the 60 yard pin on the last rib on his right side, then released. The arrow flew perfectly and I heard another loud smack.
After that, the buck wasted no time and was bounding down the rocks and brush, with complete disregard of where his buddies had went. I lost sight of him.
The shots felt perfect. I turned to Troy and we were in disbelief as to how all these days of frustration, scouting and hunting as hard as we had, could have turned into success in the matter of a few minutes. We were ecstatic.
Troy asked me what quality of buck it was. I told him I had no idea. I had seen antlers and was focused on the shot and follow through. At that time, I really didn’t care what kind of buck he was. Any buck under those conditions was going to be a great trophy and to capture on film was remarkable feat.
I turned to go to where I had dropped my pack. Jerry and Elton were now working their way up the ridge to our location. They had seen it all from where they had sat. I couldn’t believe it had actually happened, but they confirmed what my eyes had told me. Jerry and Elton had seen the buck fall, or so they had thought.
I could not locate my first arrow, but found blood and hair. I quickly found the second arrows and it was soaked with bright red blood. On the rocks was a big patch of blood. A good sign.
We followed the scuff marks and decreasing specks of blood. I was getting worried. How had he made it this far, with two good shots? We were joined by Scott and Elk Hunter. We did the normal job of placing one guy at the last blood spot while others followed the trail, leapfrogging forward with each new blood sign.
The light was fading on this east facing slope. I was worried as the buck entered a large expanse of waist deep brush. But, the blood was getting stronger and better. Finally, Elk Hunter pointed to something laying the brush. Elton put me on a vector to the antlers sticking up.
Backslapping and high fives were in order. What a great public land buck. He was the tall-tined buck I had watched rub off his velvet while scouting. I couldn’t have a better ending.
The first shot was high and back. I am interested to see the footage. The buck was on full alert and I think when I released, had moved to join his buddies who had fled. The shot felt great, so to hit him there is disturbing.
The second shot was a bulls eye. Entered exactly where I had hoped, entering on the right side, just behind the first rib. It then passed up into the chest, taking out the left lung and exiting through the left shoulder. I am amazed to get that kind of penetration at that distance and that angle.
The buck probably made it 250-300 yards, even with one lung out of order. Yes, he was traveling down a steep slope, giving him some advantage. I learned from this event, just how difficult it is to follow a deer that has only one lung out and has an exit wound at mid-chest height. If that was an elk with one lung out, he would have really covered some ground.
So ends another On Your Own Adventure. A great buck on a great hunt with some great guys. It was the hunt I was most worried about in the filming schedule this year. I am sure we will have more hunts that are difficult and some tags will go unfilled. To fill this tag, in the way we did, with the footage we have, is very exciting.
Thanks to all who helped. And thanks to Troy for being the best cameraman in outdoor TV. Couldn’t have done it without all of you.
Another hunt where I was beat down mentally and physically. Where every part of my being wanted to give up and call it quits. My commitment to this project and knowing so many had worked so hard to help on this hunt, I could not allow myself to give in. Glad I didn’t.
