I have been hitting it hard with the rifle , trying to fill this tag so I can get back to my AO tag. Fillin 2 tags on public land is tuff!! I been hitting it hard by myself during the week. On weekends been hunting with my partner , He is first up on weekends as far as shooting first, since he is limited on free time with his schedule and he needs to drop one this year.
Saturday.....when we had some really nice weather we were on our spot as sun came up. Glassed till 11am and seen one doe and a fawn. Headed back to the jeep and drove to some other look out spots off the road side I know and glassed around trying to kill time and take a break from the wind and rain. Seen nothing but did find some other really nice looking canyons that I will check out in the off season.
Evening...... We hike in to another spot about 2 miles from the jeep. Find some elevation and the glassing begins. 20 min into glassing my partner spots some movement on a sunny ridge through his binos. I put the spotting scope on it and Bam!!!! A doe , fawn and daddy. Very respectable 2 by 3 with some height and some mass on him. He is bedded down soaking up some evening sun in the cold weather while the doe and fawn are feeding down the ridge. We come up with a really quick not all the way thought threw plan of attack. Dropped back 100 yards to get out of there view and began crawling through the most thickest cr$$$P!!! Sh$$$$T!! Noisiest good for nothing I guess brush! Ever. So we get to our shooting spot and to my surprise the deer was still there after all that.
My partner throws his pack down on the rock and lays the rifle down.... Eye in the scope ready to shoot. I have the spotting scope on him already So I can see the hit. A quick range and were good to go. They are in range and just waiting for the buck to step out from behind some brush and some boulders. Couple minutes go by and he steps out and looks right at us broad side. Quick double check that he has the right one throw the scope and I say take em!! The round leaves the rifle and hits LOW that I can see. FUDGE!!! The buck lifts his right front leg up and bolts!! On 3 legs. HIT HIM AGAIN! I say and 3 more shots ring out with no luck. I say give him a few minutes to stop and get him still again. Few minutes go by and he pops out again standing still now he is out of range for your average shooter , but I figure better to try then to not at that point. One more shot and nothing. 20 min of shooting light left now and no way to get to him in time. The worst scenario is upon us now. A wounded deer and he is moving fast on 3 legs.
Back to the jeep bummed and talking about what just happen. We come up with a plan to be there at first light and track him down. It freaken dumps rain there again over night and in the morning not even our boots prints are there. We head to the spot and began trying to look for sign. Nothing nada. Done deal. It happens and it doesn't feel good. I can clearly see my partner is bummed out and I know the feeling. He will live and hopefully that buck will too.
The day is still young and we head to another spot. 20 min of glassing and bam!!! I spot the biggest fork I have ever personally seen in SD bedded down about 500 yards away. He stands up and looks directly at us. There is a deep canyon between us and hundreds of yards of that thick stuff again between us and the ridge he is bedded on soaking up that morning sun. Quick plan of attack and I was up. Have a shooting plat form in my sights and here we go. 20 yards and I am completely blocked by the thick stuff. It's in my ears, mouth and and poking my eyes. LOL I push my way through and get to my rock. Pack down lay the rifle down and eye in the scope. My partner tells me on the walkie talkie that he is up and on the move. I find him in the scope and let one fly. I DONT even know where that one hit but I know it was not close. He didn't even flinch. It was a steep ankle and After ranging it With that angle I figured to just let him walk. To much brush stuck in my eyes LOL.
We call it a day and talk about coming back the following weekend to cut a trail through that stuff and get across that canyon to hunt those ridges and hills on the other side. There is plenty of water and there is only one way in there LOL. I hunt the rest of this week in this hot weather with no luck. Mostly does all week but nothing really exciting all week. My partner confirms he is down for and all dayer sun rise till after dark hiking out. It's on again!!
This morning..... Pick up my partner 3am and head to the spot. The plan was to glass for a couple hrs then began our work. Nothing through the glass as the sun rose and the heat began to kick in. Ok let's do this...... 4 hrs later and sweating like crazy we finally had our trail through that stuff and we we're heading up the other side. The other side was nice. Lots of boulders and spaced out brush. By the time we get to the top of the other side it is noon and hot as he'll and I was just about ready to drop LOL. Land scaping out in the brush in that heat is no joke. We find a flat rock with a wild cherry tree growing out of it and bam! In the shade and a snooze for an hr or so. Back on the glass around 2pm glassing every nook and cranny. Nothing!! Every thing is quiet and nothing moving or bedded in view. There bedded in the washes and we were miles from the jeep. Only 3 hrs of daylight left so we decide to sit and glass on the spot and walk out at 0dark thirty. No shooting time comes and the head lights come on. We then start our 3 hr hike back to the jeep. Beat up from the feet up but we make it back to the jeep and both agree to take the day off tomorrow LOL. Our next plan is to stay out there and wake up on the spot is the way has to be done. Need some more weather. I am beat and I'm out!!! Good luck out there fellas
Saturday.....when we had some really nice weather we were on our spot as sun came up. Glassed till 11am and seen one doe and a fawn. Headed back to the jeep and drove to some other look out spots off the road side I know and glassed around trying to kill time and take a break from the wind and rain. Seen nothing but did find some other really nice looking canyons that I will check out in the off season.
Evening...... We hike in to another spot about 2 miles from the jeep. Find some elevation and the glassing begins. 20 min into glassing my partner spots some movement on a sunny ridge through his binos. I put the spotting scope on it and Bam!!!! A doe , fawn and daddy. Very respectable 2 by 3 with some height and some mass on him. He is bedded down soaking up some evening sun in the cold weather while the doe and fawn are feeding down the ridge. We come up with a really quick not all the way thought threw plan of attack. Dropped back 100 yards to get out of there view and began crawling through the most thickest cr$$$P!!! Sh$$$$T!! Noisiest good for nothing I guess brush! Ever. So we get to our shooting spot and to my surprise the deer was still there after all that.
My partner throws his pack down on the rock and lays the rifle down.... Eye in the scope ready to shoot. I have the spotting scope on him already So I can see the hit. A quick range and were good to go. They are in range and just waiting for the buck to step out from behind some brush and some boulders. Couple minutes go by and he steps out and looks right at us broad side. Quick double check that he has the right one throw the scope and I say take em!! The round leaves the rifle and hits LOW that I can see. FUDGE!!! The buck lifts his right front leg up and bolts!! On 3 legs. HIT HIM AGAIN! I say and 3 more shots ring out with no luck. I say give him a few minutes to stop and get him still again. Few minutes go by and he pops out again standing still now he is out of range for your average shooter , but I figure better to try then to not at that point. One more shot and nothing. 20 min of shooting light left now and no way to get to him in time. The worst scenario is upon us now. A wounded deer and he is moving fast on 3 legs.
Back to the jeep bummed and talking about what just happen. We come up with a plan to be there at first light and track him down. It freaken dumps rain there again over night and in the morning not even our boots prints are there. We head to the spot and began trying to look for sign. Nothing nada. Done deal. It happens and it doesn't feel good. I can clearly see my partner is bummed out and I know the feeling. He will live and hopefully that buck will too.
The day is still young and we head to another spot. 20 min of glassing and bam!!! I spot the biggest fork I have ever personally seen in SD bedded down about 500 yards away. He stands up and looks directly at us. There is a deep canyon between us and hundreds of yards of that thick stuff again between us and the ridge he is bedded on soaking up that morning sun. Quick plan of attack and I was up. Have a shooting plat form in my sights and here we go. 20 yards and I am completely blocked by the thick stuff. It's in my ears, mouth and and poking my eyes. LOL I push my way through and get to my rock. Pack down lay the rifle down and eye in the scope. My partner tells me on the walkie talkie that he is up and on the move. I find him in the scope and let one fly. I DONT even know where that one hit but I know it was not close. He didn't even flinch. It was a steep ankle and After ranging it With that angle I figured to just let him walk. To much brush stuck in my eyes LOL.
We call it a day and talk about coming back the following weekend to cut a trail through that stuff and get across that canyon to hunt those ridges and hills on the other side. There is plenty of water and there is only one way in there LOL. I hunt the rest of this week in this hot weather with no luck. Mostly does all week but nothing really exciting all week. My partner confirms he is down for and all dayer sun rise till after dark hiking out. It's on again!!
This morning..... Pick up my partner 3am and head to the spot. The plan was to glass for a couple hrs then began our work. Nothing through the glass as the sun rose and the heat began to kick in. Ok let's do this...... 4 hrs later and sweating like crazy we finally had our trail through that stuff and we we're heading up the other side. The other side was nice. Lots of boulders and spaced out brush. By the time we get to the top of the other side it is noon and hot as he'll and I was just about ready to drop LOL. Land scaping out in the brush in that heat is no joke. We find a flat rock with a wild cherry tree growing out of it and bam! In the shade and a snooze for an hr or so. Back on the glass around 2pm glassing every nook and cranny. Nothing!! Every thing is quiet and nothing moving or bedded in view. There bedded in the washes and we were miles from the jeep. Only 3 hrs of daylight left so we decide to sit and glass on the spot and walk out at 0dark thirty. No shooting time comes and the head lights come on. We then start our 3 hr hike back to the jeep. Beat up from the feet up but we make it back to the jeep and both agree to take the day off tomorrow LOL. Our next plan is to stay out there and wake up on the spot is the way has to be done. Need some more weather. I am beat and I'm out!!! Good luck out there fellas
