LuckyMike
Member
This is the buck I took last year (2011) after finally drawing a Nevada mule deer tag with 13-points. I've included a picture of him on the wall. Both of these pictures have been posted before. I need to start out his way because it leads me into explaining how and why I had the opportunity to go back and hunt again.
In 2011, even though I put in a lot of days hunting for a really big old buck, I had to cut myself short at the beginning of the last week of the season. I received a phone call while I was in the field hunting. My wife was diagnosed with stage-three breast cancer and was scheduled for surgery the following tuesday. There was no question, I was done and needed to head home as soon as possible. The nice buck I ended up with was taken literally on my way back to the truck which was parked about 2-miles from where I was when I got the call. I couldn't believe I was that lucky!
Well, I'm happy to report my wife finished the aggresive chemo treatment and radiation. Grew her hair back and now has a promising prognosis with 85% probability she is cancer free. She is doing well at this writing. As we started coming out of this nightmare, I started thinking about what I might be doing in the fall of 2012. Didn't have any exciting prospects. No luck in any of the drawings. As a result of spending a good deal of time on the internet and making phone calls, I got lucky again! In June I located a Nevada mule deer land owner tag that was for sale by an individual who had initially purchased it and then drew a tag for the same unit in the draw. The price was huge, to the point of being unreasonable. But reason was not what I was running on at that point. Mind you, this tag was for the same primo hunting unit I had drawn the year before. I robbed the piggy bank and paid the price without hesitation.
In august I headed for Nevada with my bow. My intent was not so much to get something with my bow as it was to locate the kind of trophy I really wanted. I saw a number of really nice bucks. Some of which were close to what I was looking for, but never did see the one that would have stopped me from seaching any further. Here are some pictures from my scouting trip.
Arrived in the hunting unit a few days after the rifle season opened ended up hunting 21-days. I was by myself most of that time. However a friend who lives in Utah came over and hunted four days with me. Between scouting and hunting I backpacked into inaccessable country three times. On one beautiful day after it quit snowing, I saw 23 bucks. One of these would have been the one I wanted except he had broken his G2/G3 fork off leaving a 4-inch stub off his right mainbeam. He had a 28-30 inch frame and an old looking roman nosed face. Tough decision. Being that it was so early in the hunt, I didn't go after him. I hunted hard until the final weekend of the season when I decided to take the nice buck I ended up with. I figure (based on my daily journal) I saw 14 bucks that were in the same class as the one I shot and some were definatly larger. I had a wonderful hunt. Really would have liked to see one of the true monsters that live there. But, that's hunting.
Bucks live in places like this!
Spotted this buck late in the day without enough time to close the distance on him.
Shot this guy in the late afternoon of the next day. Didn't see him at all that morning.
In 2011, even though I put in a lot of days hunting for a really big old buck, I had to cut myself short at the beginning of the last week of the season. I received a phone call while I was in the field hunting. My wife was diagnosed with stage-three breast cancer and was scheduled for surgery the following tuesday. There was no question, I was done and needed to head home as soon as possible. The nice buck I ended up with was taken literally on my way back to the truck which was parked about 2-miles from where I was when I got the call. I couldn't believe I was that lucky!
Well, I'm happy to report my wife finished the aggresive chemo treatment and radiation. Grew her hair back and now has a promising prognosis with 85% probability she is cancer free. She is doing well at this writing. As we started coming out of this nightmare, I started thinking about what I might be doing in the fall of 2012. Didn't have any exciting prospects. No luck in any of the drawings. As a result of spending a good deal of time on the internet and making phone calls, I got lucky again! In June I located a Nevada mule deer land owner tag that was for sale by an individual who had initially purchased it and then drew a tag for the same unit in the draw. The price was huge, to the point of being unreasonable. But reason was not what I was running on at that point. Mind you, this tag was for the same primo hunting unit I had drawn the year before. I robbed the piggy bank and paid the price without hesitation.
In august I headed for Nevada with my bow. My intent was not so much to get something with my bow as it was to locate the kind of trophy I really wanted. I saw a number of really nice bucks. Some of which were close to what I was looking for, but never did see the one that would have stopped me from seaching any further. Here are some pictures from my scouting trip.
Arrived in the hunting unit a few days after the rifle season opened ended up hunting 21-days. I was by myself most of that time. However a friend who lives in Utah came over and hunted four days with me. Between scouting and hunting I backpacked into inaccessable country three times. On one beautiful day after it quit snowing, I saw 23 bucks. One of these would have been the one I wanted except he had broken his G2/G3 fork off leaving a 4-inch stub off his right mainbeam. He had a 28-30 inch frame and an old looking roman nosed face. Tough decision. Being that it was so early in the hunt, I didn't go after him. I hunted hard until the final weekend of the season when I decided to take the nice buck I ended up with. I figure (based on my daily journal) I saw 14 bucks that were in the same class as the one I shot and some were definatly larger. I had a wonderful hunt. Really would have liked to see one of the true monsters that live there. But, that's hunting.
Bucks live in places like this!
Spotted this buck late in the day without enough time to close the distance on him.
Shot this guy in the late afternoon of the next day. Didn't see him at all that morning.
