Vanish and FireTiger's 2025 Journal

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How's the ankle doing?

It was annoyed for a day or so, then faded, so nothing serious, thank goodness!

This morning I put down the big glass and did a ridge hike instead. The spot took some thinking to access, so I hoped it might hold some hidden deer, but it wasn't the case today.







I'm feeling like the bucks are still higher, but I don't know how to hunt them until timberline and my gut is saying thats not where they are either. So ... here I am hoping one comes looking for does.

Tonight's setup is within range of where I saw some of the does last night. There was just something I liked about this meadow. Something telling me there are more deer here to see. I also dont really have a better evening plan.

 

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What a view this morning. If only it contained some bucks. Had a single doe fairly close, 6 does about 900 yards out, and 7 does way out there.

Left around 1030 and walked into fellow hunttalker @dmarsh2 glassing from the ridge halfway back.

 

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Last night I decided to climb to a higher ridge and look over a nasty opening. I only realized later that I was looking at the "worse" half of it.



It didn't pay off directly, but i was also able to glass some of the open ridges behind me. At 515 ( end of shooting light is 522 ), I spotted a group of 12 deer, with one of then obviously a buck, just about 1.5 miles away. Not enough light to size him up.

Looking at my maps, there was an obvious place to access them. I figured there was a good chance they would still be on that ridge in the morning, so I drove around and camped about 800 yards away.

At 620am, I was looking at the first does in the group. Finally the bucks appeared.



Oh boy, a half rack forky and an even smaller spork. Damn. He didn't even have a HUGE NECK.

 

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Shortly after watching the two forks fight, I spotted a really good buck heading into some aspens almost a mile away. I hunted for another hour or so, but with the heat everything was bedding pretty quickly.

Even though it was only a mile, I had to practically drive out to town to come in a different drainage, so I filled up with gas and brunch.



It was awkward to wait, but I knew I couldn't go set up over this spot until the sun had gone down enough for the thermals to switch. I was finally in there around 415 and could see two other bucks had passed through and were feeding on private. They both looked like 2.5 year olds, so I probably wouldn't have passed at this point, but my hopes were high the big one just hadn't come out yet.

Around 445, a doe, fawn and possibly not even legal buck all passed by me, which was fun. That was the end of it, though

This morning I decided to go to the same spot. Before I even left my truck and well before shooting light, I could see a forky skylined within shooting distance along with a dozen does. That was fun.

I was in place by 615 and by 645 over a dozen does were feeding my way. About 700, I spotted a good buck heading right for me as he passed behind a pine obstructing my view.

The wind was just barely in my favor, but at some point unexpected gusts took my scent to them. I could tell the does were agitated and never saw the buck again.

I've since climbed a couple miles through aspens. Jumped one deer that somehow never let me see it. Sitting on a peak taking a break before working through a different section.

Feeling a bit beat down. When I have a good idea what to do, things are great, but I only have an hour in the morning, and I have no real game plan atm. Pretty sure this morning's spot is toast.

 

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Lst night's king of the mountain.

I decided to hunt a ridge/canyon that lead to where I had last seen the big buck, but a totally different direction than where I had been set up in the morning. During my drive, im pretty sure I spotted him feeding out on the private at 2pm, but I was on a one lane 4wd road and expected a flurry of road hunters any minute so didn't get the spotter out.

The hope was deer would move towards the private, or up the canyon, but neither happened.

At 450pm I climbed the ridge towards where I had seen a herd a couple days prior. I spotted 3 does and wasted entirely too much time trying to sus then out, as I spotted a much larger herd further back on the ridge.

I busted back around the ridge, dropped my pack and tried to close the distance in case there was a buck with them. I finally got there as shooting light ran out, never able to fully determine if there was a buck. There were at least 9 deer.

This morning is a hail mary down low. I have to be home by 1230pm, so ive got about an hour to hunt.

 

[Pucky Freak]

The bull definitely looked at me, but walked a bit closer. He began to feed behind a small bush and I took the opportunity to get an arrow nocked. That little "tunk" as the nock went on the string might as well have been me saying "hey". He didn't spook but he did turn around and amble back the direction he had come. Still feeding, he eventually was behind the aspens again and I decided to cross the mud gully and close some distance.

I made it without incidental started creeping along the edge of the aspens. The vegetation downhill from me was incredibly thick. The bull was making plenty of noise, including mews, so I think he figured I was just another elk. One step at a time, but I could not see the bull. Eventually I stepped on a dry stalk and he lifted his head. Oh, dang, I'm sub 20 yards, yet all I can see is antlers, an ear and an eyeball.

Frankly, I dont remember what happened at this point, but it must have involved me doing something dumb, because I never got a shot. Good start to the season, though!

I hold the string w/ my left (non-dominant) hand and press the knock in w/ my right, silent. Tougher when you’re standing up, having to pin the riser b/w left elbow and left hip/pelvis. It is also possible to do it w/ just the right hand, grab the string below the nock b/w meaty part of the thumb, and the middle and ring finger opposite, and then press the arrow on the string b/w the tips of the index finger and the thumb.

 

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Just a doe and a fawn this morning. That's a wrap on 3rd season deer. Maybe I'll have some closing thoughts later.