This is copied and pasted from another forum I frequent, spelling and grammer are they way they are so deal with it :BLEEP: . 
I know this is long but I tried to put in things I learned on hunting these critters, so you may learn something.
Wed Sept 8th:
Well Friday is the first of 3 big days in the next few months. Me and my brother both have area any sex tags. We went out and did some spotting a few weeks back and seen some good bucks and one very large buck. With both of us having a tag and were both going to be going for a big boy we have decided to flip a coin on who gets first dubs. I know there are more than just one big big buck in the area, were just hoping someone hasnt got onto him during archery. Pluss he has to work Friday so we cant go after him till friday evening so that gives the others a head start but thats ok, we have a month and I will go without getting one if I cant find one big enough. This will also be my daughters first time to go with Dad hunting. Should be interesting LOL.
Sat Sept 11th:
Well so far the count is 1-1-0. We found the big buck again that we had found three weeks ago. We started hunting at 4:30 and about 6:00 my brother hapend to look back and seen a lone antelope about 1500 yrds off. I drove a little closer to it and got out the spotting scope and sure enough it was the big buck. We immediatly started to devise a plan. We had just come through the area and there was a deep revine that we had to do some serious 4x4'ing to get through. I drove to the bottom again and earleir my bro had won the 3 flip coin toss on first dubbs so he got out and started to hike to the top. We were gambling the buck wouldnt change his direction he was walking. Soon he kneeled down and I knew the buck was near. Crouching he walked to a nearby sage mound. I got out the video camera and started to film.
First he tride a kneeling stance through the brush but the wind was howling and he couldnt hold still. He repositiond for a laying or prone possition shot and soon I heard the boom. He jumped up and signaled for me to head down the road. I immediatly knew he had missed and the chase was on. I got to the top and he told me to go to the next revine as that was where the buck was headed. he was going to walk the rim and see if he could see him. After getting there and watching there was no sighn of the buck. This was very open country so I knew he had to be laying down and couldnt have gone far or we would see him.
My bro came to the truck and was pretty mad at himself for missing. We still did not see the buck and it just didnt make since, something was wrong. I asked him if he was sure he had missed and he said "I think so but I guess there is that chance, I thought it was a good shot." I told him, "well lets start looking for him, he might be down." I drove back to the mound where he had shot from to give him a reference of where he was when he had shot. He started a Z pattern search for the buck working back to the truck. Soon I see him put up his rifle and start running then starts waving his arm to come that way. He walks about 20 feet farther and starts jumping up and down with his arm in the air.
I get over to him and there lay the buck. He had gone about 40 feet from point of being shot. I am not sure what my brother thought he had saw but the buck hadnt gone far. The buck is a real beauty. He is 15 1/4" tall, 5'3/4" prongs with the double prong or eye guards as some call them. He has a width of 17" OD and bases that measure 7 1/8". He wont make book but will come close, we figure in the 70-75" class according to the taxidermist my bro took him to last night including dedustions. I beleive it takes 82 to make book but not sure.
The second kill of the hunt so far I killed a coyote at 317 yrds this morning. Seen him running up a hill and when he got to the top I let him have it. Came across some other hunters and they had got a cyote as well. I have seen three other bucks with one that was iffy on being a shooter. I am sure others would have taken him but I am not ready to settle just yet. We have only coverd maybe a 3rd of the territory so I want to hit it all before I start to settle. Tomorrow My girlfreind and I are going after my neices beauty pagent. Were going to hit the area where I got my last buck the day the towers went down. There were several bucks in the area then so I am hoping more will be there.
http://www.groovebullets.com/forum/album_pic.php?pic_id=268
That is my brother and my now 5 year old daughter with his buck.
Mon Sept 13th:
Well the count is still 1-1-0. Yesterday was quite the day let me tall ya. It started out with going and picking up my girlfreind and we headed to a beauty pagent. My neice and nephew(beautiful baby division) are always in them but my sis-in-law finally talked me into letting my daughter give it a try. So instead of hunting all morning I was at a beauty pagent BUT it was the coolest thing this year. I had hopes that maybe she would win one trophy, she did, and six more and a crown!!! She took overal pagent winner and every catergory but one in her age group. My neice took first runner up in her age division but she was really crabby and just didnt want to be there. My nephew won overal pagent winner for males and 4 of seven of his catergories he was in. So it was a clean sweep for our family, both the male and female overal winners. I was one proud poppa!!
After the pagent was over it was time to start hunting. My GF, bro and I, headed out in my truck and went to where I had shot my buck I got 9/11/01. It didnt take long and we were in a bunch of goats. Seen several ok bucks but nothing big. Unlike the day before, it was rainy and cold and very windy, but I think that got the antelope moving. Then we were following a heard when a very nice buck joind them after they went over a ridge. It was on now!! We chased that buck from creation and back. I got off 2 shots at him but missed. After we had lost him I had misjudged my distance by 250 yards. I guessed him at 600 yrds and he was 850. We got on 2 other bucks that were both very nice as well but never could close a decent enough gap. There had been hunters in there the day before and I think they had been lit up. My girlfreind was a real trooper though, she went tromping through the brush to head em off and everything. Needless to say I think she is a keeper. So I figure we'll let the goats settle down through the week and hit it hard next weekend. I wont have my daughter then and can hunt from sun up till sun down if I want.
Mon Sept 20th:
I didnt get to go quite as much as I wanted this past weekend. I came down sick on Thursday and didnt get feeleing better till Sat.. so i ended up hunting about 4 hours Sat eve and all day Sunday. Sat eve was rather uneventful cept on one goat.
We had spotted him standing in a thick & tall sage patch. After looking at him through the spotting scope we could see he was a true trophy buck. gussed him 15-17 inches in height, good mass, and BIG prongs not overly wide. Thing was he was in the bottom of a shallow bowl if you will, that was probably 800 yard wide and 1000 yrds long. He could see our every move. So we devised a plan. I dropped my Mom off on one side and she was to walk down then over towards the buck, she had a good mile hike to do this. I then dropped my dad off directly above the buck but 800 yards off. he was to be a focus point for the buck, or a distaction you could say. I dropped off on the side oposite that Mom would be coming from as that was the only side where I could do a sneak and get up on him without being seen. The plan worked great for the most part. As I snuck on him I could see him when I would pop my head up and he was watching Dad. I crawled a bit farther and popped my head up and he was gone!! I could see the bottom of the bowl as I crawled and watched it closely, he didnt go out there. He didnt go towards Mom as she would have seen him and same with Dad. Dad could see him the whole time but looked away for just a minute and looked back and he wasnt there. I then stood up and we all walked all through the area and even found where he had stood. tried to track but couldnt he simply vanished. Were guessing he dropped down and crawled to a hole under a brush or something and wouldnt budge. It was the dangest thing I ever saw. I guess he didnt get that size by being stupid.
The next morning my Mom and I set out at 6:30 A.M.. The plan was to hit a diffent section of my area in the morning then go back to where the big buck was that afternoon if we didnt get one by then. We started out seeing a bunch of small bucks I wouldnt feel right shooting. One was however a medium buck that I put on the maybe come cack to list. Thing about this area the goats werent spooked a bit unlike the first area was. I knew they would be there when we came back.
So we headed down to see if we could find the big boy. Found 2 nice bucks right off but the second the truck slowd they were off like bullets. Got a shot at one that was about 400 yards but he was running with a full head of steam. Even with a good 2 foot lead I hit about foot behind him and he was gone. Thats my closest shot this hunting trip! We went on over to the "bowl" and the surrounding area, spent a good hour and a half, no sighn of him anywhere. So now I am getting tired of this, tired of spending the money for gas and putting countless miles on the truck. I decided to take QH's advice, I tell Mom lets go get that medium buck and call it a hunt. So we decide to go a different route on the way back to his area. Continued..............
I know this is long but I tried to put in things I learned on hunting these critters, so you may learn something.
Wed Sept 8th:
Well Friday is the first of 3 big days in the next few months. Me and my brother both have area
any sex tags. We went out and did some spotting a few weeks back and seen some good bucks and one very large buck. With both of us having a tag and were both going to be going for a big boy we have decided to flip a coin on who gets first dubs. I know there are more than just one big big buck in the area, were just hoping someone hasnt got onto him during archery. Pluss he has to work Friday so we cant go after him till friday evening so that gives the others a head start but thats ok, we have a month and I will go without getting one if I cant find one big enough. This will also be my daughters first time to go with Dad hunting. Should be interesting LOL.Sat Sept 11th:
Well so far the count is 1-1-0. We found the big buck again that we had found three weeks ago. We started hunting at 4:30 and about 6:00 my brother hapend to look back and seen a lone antelope about 1500 yrds off. I drove a little closer to it and got out the spotting scope and sure enough it was the big buck. We immediatly started to devise a plan. We had just come through the area and there was a deep revine that we had to do some serious 4x4'ing to get through. I drove to the bottom again and earleir my bro had won the 3 flip coin toss on first dubbs so he got out and started to hike to the top. We were gambling the buck wouldnt change his direction he was walking. Soon he kneeled down and I knew the buck was near. Crouching he walked to a nearby sage mound. I got out the video camera and started to film.
First he tride a kneeling stance through the brush but the wind was howling and he couldnt hold still. He repositiond for a laying or prone possition shot and soon I heard the boom. He jumped up and signaled for me to head down the road. I immediatly knew he had missed and the chase was on. I got to the top and he told me to go to the next revine as that was where the buck was headed. he was going to walk the rim and see if he could see him. After getting there and watching there was no sighn of the buck. This was very open country so I knew he had to be laying down and couldnt have gone far or we would see him.
My bro came to the truck and was pretty mad at himself for missing. We still did not see the buck and it just didnt make since, something was wrong. I asked him if he was sure he had missed and he said "I think so but I guess there is that chance, I thought it was a good shot." I told him, "well lets start looking for him, he might be down." I drove back to the mound where he had shot from to give him a reference of where he was when he had shot. He started a Z pattern search for the buck working back to the truck. Soon I see him put up his rifle and start running then starts waving his arm to come that way. He walks about 20 feet farther and starts jumping up and down with his arm in the air.
I get over to him and there lay the buck. He had gone about 40 feet from point of being shot. I am not sure what my brother thought he had saw but the buck hadnt gone far. The buck is a real beauty. He is 15 1/4" tall, 5'3/4" prongs with the double prong or eye guards as some call them. He has a width of 17" OD and bases that measure 7 1/8". He wont make book but will come close, we figure in the 70-75" class according to the taxidermist my bro took him to last night including dedustions. I beleive it takes 82 to make book but not sure.
The second kill of the hunt so far I killed a coyote at 317 yrds this morning. Seen him running up a hill and when he got to the top I let him have it. Came across some other hunters and they had got a cyote as well. I have seen three other bucks with one that was iffy on being a shooter. I am sure others would have taken him but I am not ready to settle just yet. We have only coverd maybe a 3rd of the territory so I want to hit it all before I start to settle. Tomorrow My girlfreind and I are going after my neices beauty pagent. Were going to hit the area where I got my last buck the day the towers went down. There were several bucks in the area then so I am hoping more will be there.
http://www.groovebullets.com/forum/album_pic.php?pic_id=268
That is my brother and my now 5 year old daughter with his buck.
Mon Sept 13th:
Well the count is still 1-1-0. Yesterday was quite the day let me tall ya. It started out with going and picking up my girlfreind and we headed to a beauty pagent. My neice and nephew(beautiful baby division) are always in them but my sis-in-law finally talked me into letting my daughter give it a try. So instead of hunting all morning I was at a beauty pagent BUT it was the coolest thing this year. I had hopes that maybe she would win one trophy, she did, and six more and a crown!!! She took overal pagent winner and every catergory but one in her age group. My neice took first runner up in her age division but she was really crabby and just didnt want to be there. My nephew won overal pagent winner for males and 4 of seven of his catergories he was in. So it was a clean sweep for our family, both the male and female overal winners. I was one proud poppa!!
After the pagent was over it was time to start hunting. My GF, bro and I, headed out in my truck and went to where I had shot my buck I got 9/11/01. It didnt take long and we were in a bunch of goats. Seen several ok bucks but nothing big. Unlike the day before, it was rainy and cold and very windy, but I think that got the antelope moving. Then we were following a heard when a very nice buck joind them after they went over a ridge. It was on now!! We chased that buck from creation and back. I got off 2 shots at him but missed. After we had lost him I had misjudged my distance by 250 yards. I guessed him at 600 yrds and he was 850. We got on 2 other bucks that were both very nice as well but never could close a decent enough gap. There had been hunters in there the day before and I think they had been lit up. My girlfreind was a real trooper though, she went tromping through the brush to head em off and everything. Needless to say I think she is a keeper. So I figure we'll let the goats settle down through the week and hit it hard next weekend. I wont have my daughter then and can hunt from sun up till sun down if I want.
Mon Sept 20th:
I didnt get to go quite as much as I wanted this past weekend. I came down sick on Thursday and didnt get feeleing better till Sat.. so i ended up hunting about 4 hours Sat eve and all day Sunday. Sat eve was rather uneventful cept on one goat.
We had spotted him standing in a thick & tall sage patch. After looking at him through the spotting scope we could see he was a true trophy buck. gussed him 15-17 inches in height, good mass, and BIG prongs not overly wide. Thing was he was in the bottom of a shallow bowl if you will, that was probably 800 yard wide and 1000 yrds long. He could see our every move. So we devised a plan. I dropped my Mom off on one side and she was to walk down then over towards the buck, she had a good mile hike to do this. I then dropped my dad off directly above the buck but 800 yards off. he was to be a focus point for the buck, or a distaction you could say. I dropped off on the side oposite that Mom would be coming from as that was the only side where I could do a sneak and get up on him without being seen. The plan worked great for the most part. As I snuck on him I could see him when I would pop my head up and he was watching Dad. I crawled a bit farther and popped my head up and he was gone!! I could see the bottom of the bowl as I crawled and watched it closely, he didnt go out there. He didnt go towards Mom as she would have seen him and same with Dad. Dad could see him the whole time but looked away for just a minute and looked back and he wasnt there. I then stood up and we all walked all through the area and even found where he had stood. tried to track but couldnt he simply vanished. Were guessing he dropped down and crawled to a hole under a brush or something and wouldnt budge. It was the dangest thing I ever saw. I guess he didnt get that size by being stupid.
The next morning my Mom and I set out at 6:30 A.M.. The plan was to hit a diffent section of my area in the morning then go back to where the big buck was that afternoon if we didnt get one by then. We started out seeing a bunch of small bucks I wouldnt feel right shooting. One was however a medium buck that I put on the maybe come cack to list. Thing about this area the goats werent spooked a bit unlike the first area was. I knew they would be there when we came back.
So we headed down to see if we could find the big boy. Found 2 nice bucks right off but the second the truck slowd they were off like bullets. Got a shot at one that was about 400 yards but he was running with a full head of steam. Even with a good 2 foot lead I hit about foot behind him and he was gone. Thats my closest shot this hunting trip! We went on over to the "bowl" and the surrounding area, spent a good hour and a half, no sighn of him anywhere. So now I am getting tired of this, tired of spending the money for gas and putting countless miles on the truck. I decided to take QH's advice, I tell Mom lets go get that medium buck and call it a hunt. So we decide to go a different route on the way back to his area. Continued..............
