Got it done yesterday on my 3rd Hunt of the season. After a rough start to my season with a new job being extremely demanding and not much time hunt, and then my first hunt of the season I shot a small fork and some disrespectful “hunters” if you could even call them that, shot the buck just a few minutes after I had shot. Within 100 yards of where I had shot it, and to top it off they shot in my direction. Needless to say I was pretty livid, and I had encountered these idiots before and decided to just go home rather than get in an argument over who’s buck it is was.
Got out for a short afternoon hunt Friday afterwork for just a couple does and got back out well before light Saturday morning. Glassed up Doe after Doe for most the morning and a coyote chasing a doe around. Finally around 9 o’clock a buck shows up hanging out with 2 Doe at about 2000 yards away. The wind was blowing from the buck straight towards me so I figured getting on the next cut over would be my best oppertunity. So I trek up the ridge. Over a few cuts, and back down to end up being parallel with him. I misjudged the angle and couldn’t find him in the oaks (if he was even there anymore). So I sat for a bit thinking my options are either wait till late afternoon or go in at another angle. So I decide to back out back up the ridge and come down right on top of him. When I get to the rock I planned on starting from I see him bedded at 357 yards away right where I thought he should have been. The shot was at such a steep angle and the wind was right in my face I didn’t feel confident with that shot. So I decide to move in closer. I stop at 3 different locations, 200, 150, and 80 yards and as soon as I lost my original elevation I could no longer see him over the brush. My only option was to go closer, so I quietly crept to about 30 yards and still can’t see him. As I inch down the rock closer to where he should be, he busts out. I immediately bolt around to the other side of the ridge in the direction he went hoping he would make the famous Mule Deer mistake and turn around and look but I see nothing. A few minutes go by and 60 yards away the buck was walking right towards me directly back to where he just busted out of. When he broke through the brush he froze when he saw me for a moment, then went right back to walking without a worry in the world. I made a free hand shot at 60 yards and he didn’t take a step. It was one hell of a day and pack out. Shot the buck at 12:50 and got home after 7. With the lack of time I had to hunt this year I intended to shoot any legal deer rather than hold out for a bigger buck like usual so I’m beyond stoked to get such a nice deer this season.
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Got out for a short afternoon hunt Friday afterwork for just a couple does and got back out well before light Saturday morning. Glassed up Doe after Doe for most the morning and a coyote chasing a doe around. Finally around 9 o’clock a buck shows up hanging out with 2 Doe at about 2000 yards away. The wind was blowing from the buck straight towards me so I figured getting on the next cut over would be my best oppertunity. So I trek up the ridge. Over a few cuts, and back down to end up being parallel with him. I misjudged the angle and couldn’t find him in the oaks (if he was even there anymore). So I sat for a bit thinking my options are either wait till late afternoon or go in at another angle. So I decide to back out back up the ridge and come down right on top of him. When I get to the rock I planned on starting from I see him bedded at 357 yards away right where I thought he should have been. The shot was at such a steep angle and the wind was right in my face I didn’t feel confident with that shot. So I decide to move in closer. I stop at 3 different locations, 200, 150, and 80 yards and as soon as I lost my original elevation I could no longer see him over the brush. My only option was to go closer, so I quietly crept to about 30 yards and still can’t see him. As I inch down the rock closer to where he should be, he busts out. I immediately bolt around to the other side of the ridge in the direction he went hoping he would make the famous Mule Deer mistake and turn around and look but I see nothing. A few minutes go by and 60 yards away the buck was walking right towards me directly back to where he just busted out of. When he broke through the brush he froze when he saw me for a moment, then went right back to walking without a worry in the world. I made a free hand shot at 60 yards and he didn’t take a step. It was one hell of a day and pack out. Shot the buck at 12:50 and got home after 7. With the lack of time I had to hunt this year I intended to shoot any legal deer rather than hold out for a bigger buck like usual so I’m beyond stoked to get such a nice deer this season.
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