S
stikbrandon
Guest
Where to start,
It all started October 18 at 3 AM. My buddy John from @Jpoutdoors rolled up to my house to pick me up so we could head to our friend and camera man’s Patrick’s house to grab him and start the journey to our unit in Northeastern Utah where we would meet with my good friend and first hunting partner that I ever had named Matt.
I have planned for this trip since the I got the notification that I had drawn the tag.
Since last year I have dedicated my self to living a clean life by eating a low carb high protein diet mixed in with a high output mix of cardio which consisted of miles ran everyday after work that generally consisted of an average of 20 to 25 miles a week mixed in with calisthenics for the last 2 months leading up to our trip. Over all I have lost 30 lbs and I can honestly say my life has change for the better and running has been become part of my daily activity’s.
The drive up was a drop in the hat with anticipation of this public land hunt knowing we were going in blind with no scouting of the unit and or ever being anywhere near this unit, ecxpectations were all over the board and I was just happy to be headed north.
We got to our camp site Thursday afternoon and made a plan for Friday morning to scout. We started up high about 10,500 feet, with the snow being 12” deep and two prior cold storms that had blown through 2 weeks prior we figured the deer had already started down to lower elevations. We then move to the aspen sage brush band around the 8500ft level and quickly started finding Does and Bucks. There was one buck that stood out in particular that We bedded up at last light and had hopes and a long conversation and tried to justify how no one would be in that area because of the 2 mile up hill hike and we could slip in prior to first light put the sneak on this guy like team SIX smokin that dirty freedom heater OBL.
We woke up at 4 AM made it to the trail head and made our way up the mountain. Half way up the mountain we hear Clipity Clop, Clipity Clop...... we all looked at each other with our stomach’s sinking and head lamps blinding each other lol, stupid horses.
We get to where we could see where we left that buck bedded and waited for first light. There was 23 individual head lamps that we counted dotted across the mountain face. Day break came and it was not pretty, the Utards came out in force and with the snow being high and the deer low the high expectations after seeing all the bucks went down the drain as the bang sticks started blowing off. Needless to say Saturday was not as good as we had hoped. I had one shot on a cow elk but she was running and at 230 yards probably wasn’t the most ethical thing to do, I missed and it is what it is. (All the heaters go ahead talk all the bs you want I’ll be glad to hash it out with you in the comments below) I had No shots on any mature bucks and everything pushed to private or Indian land early and made for a boring evening hunt.
Sunday was the same dog and pony show till afternoon when the resident Utards started heading home. At about 3pm we glassed up the first buck we glassed up on Friday and knew from all the other deer we had seen his genes needed to be taken out of the pool and me being a big forky fan ( I wonder where my fondness for big forky came from!?!?! Lol) we ranged him and at 450yrds I decided to put the old 30-06 in action. For some reason guys I have know idea but my buck fever was incredibly bad, must have been the elevation and low red blood cell count..... I missed 3 times!!!!!! On video and I’ll try to post it. I chip shot 450 all day long, all I can say is buck fever will still creep on the best of us.
Monday was a day to try to find new areas with no horses or people but we failed, Utah’s trails and side by side roads go everywhere and I figured Tuesday and Wednesday would be the best days for low pressure and with the season only being 7 days it was probably the most feasible thought I could have in between all the bang sticks going off and motor noise from the UTV’s.
Tuesday we said anything with sticks was gonna get the pill and we split up and went our separate ways needless to say for me and Matt it was slow in the morning with just does spotted, John and Patrick connected on a forky early on and when I got the text the pressure to get it done went through the roof, that evening my buddy and I spotted a small forky and I pulled to bang stick out and went to work, lol my buck fever came back and I missed 4 more times lol, what the hell is wrong with me I thought to my self. My buddy mother F’d me a few times as he laughed and we made our way back to camp under a full moon.
Wednesday we woke up late, wore out from the 4 days prior and knowing the full moon would keep the deer up all night we headed up the mountain at about 8 am.
A slow morning turned in to us getting back on to that 2x2 that I missed on Sunday afternoon. Wasn’t much of a decision to go after this guy again with the amount of the pressure this unit had received. Got in to 80 yards lined up leaned in to a tree hit the bang switch and the Barnes TTSX 168gr found its home, 20 yard and the buck was down and the work began.
All in all the trip was a success. Lots of mud cold weather and Utards with horses and UTV’s.
I’ll be back in Utah next season.
It all started October 18 at 3 AM. My buddy John from @Jpoutdoors rolled up to my house to pick me up so we could head to our friend and camera man’s Patrick’s house to grab him and start the journey to our unit in Northeastern Utah where we would meet with my good friend and first hunting partner that I ever had named Matt.
I have planned for this trip since the I got the notification that I had drawn the tag.
Since last year I have dedicated my self to living a clean life by eating a low carb high protein diet mixed in with a high output mix of cardio which consisted of miles ran everyday after work that generally consisted of an average of 20 to 25 miles a week mixed in with calisthenics for the last 2 months leading up to our trip. Over all I have lost 30 lbs and I can honestly say my life has change for the better and running has been become part of my daily activity’s.
The drive up was a drop in the hat with anticipation of this public land hunt knowing we were going in blind with no scouting of the unit and or ever being anywhere near this unit, ecxpectations were all over the board and I was just happy to be headed north.
We got to our camp site Thursday afternoon and made a plan for Friday morning to scout. We started up high about 10,500 feet, with the snow being 12” deep and two prior cold storms that had blown through 2 weeks prior we figured the deer had already started down to lower elevations. We then move to the aspen sage brush band around the 8500ft level and quickly started finding Does and Bucks. There was one buck that stood out in particular that We bedded up at last light and had hopes and a long conversation and tried to justify how no one would be in that area because of the 2 mile up hill hike and we could slip in prior to first light put the sneak on this guy like team SIX smokin that dirty freedom heater OBL.
We woke up at 4 AM made it to the trail head and made our way up the mountain. Half way up the mountain we hear Clipity Clop, Clipity Clop...... we all looked at each other with our stomach’s sinking and head lamps blinding each other lol, stupid horses.
We get to where we could see where we left that buck bedded and waited for first light. There was 23 individual head lamps that we counted dotted across the mountain face. Day break came and it was not pretty, the Utards came out in force and with the snow being high and the deer low the high expectations after seeing all the bucks went down the drain as the bang sticks started blowing off. Needless to say Saturday was not as good as we had hoped. I had one shot on a cow elk but she was running and at 230 yards probably wasn’t the most ethical thing to do, I missed and it is what it is. (All the heaters go ahead talk all the bs you want I’ll be glad to hash it out with you in the comments below) I had No shots on any mature bucks and everything pushed to private or Indian land early and made for a boring evening hunt.
Sunday was the same dog and pony show till afternoon when the resident Utards started heading home. At about 3pm we glassed up the first buck we glassed up on Friday and knew from all the other deer we had seen his genes needed to be taken out of the pool and me being a big forky fan ( I wonder where my fondness for big forky came from!?!?! Lol) we ranged him and at 450yrds I decided to put the old 30-06 in action. For some reason guys I have know idea but my buck fever was incredibly bad, must have been the elevation and low red blood cell count..... I missed 3 times!!!!!! On video and I’ll try to post it. I chip shot 450 all day long, all I can say is buck fever will still creep on the best of us.
Monday was a day to try to find new areas with no horses or people but we failed, Utah’s trails and side by side roads go everywhere and I figured Tuesday and Wednesday would be the best days for low pressure and with the season only being 7 days it was probably the most feasible thought I could have in between all the bang sticks going off and motor noise from the UTV’s.
Tuesday we said anything with sticks was gonna get the pill and we split up and went our separate ways needless to say for me and Matt it was slow in the morning with just does spotted, John and Patrick connected on a forky early on and when I got the text the pressure to get it done went through the roof, that evening my buddy and I spotted a small forky and I pulled to bang stick out and went to work, lol my buck fever came back and I missed 4 more times lol, what the hell is wrong with me I thought to my self. My buddy mother F’d me a few times as he laughed and we made our way back to camp under a full moon.
Wednesday we woke up late, wore out from the 4 days prior and knowing the full moon would keep the deer up all night we headed up the mountain at about 8 am.
A slow morning turned in to us getting back on to that 2x2 that I missed on Sunday afternoon. Wasn’t much of a decision to go after this guy again with the amount of the pressure this unit had received. Got in to 80 yards lined up leaned in to a tree hit the bang switch and the Barnes TTSX 168gr found its home, 20 yard and the buck was down and the work began.
All in all the trip was a success. Lots of mud cold weather and Utards with horses and UTV’s.
I’ll be back in Utah next season.
