FlareBlitz91
Lil-Rokslider
- Joined
- Jan 15, 2022
- Messages
- 177
My dad and I planned a hunt in an area we’ve both been, I’ve hunted elk here and he’d got a decent 3x4 five years ago. I live in Idaho now and he’s back in Wisconsin so in addition to being an area we know, is somewhere in the middle for us to meet up.
Day 2.5 of the hunt and we’d seen a million does and a lot of small bucks, with one or two we’d have considered. (Neither of us was choosey, it was for the experience and this area is not known for big bucks, although they’re there).
After a morning of glassing up nothing but does we decided to check out this spot that we’d identified as having some good bedding cover.
Scanning first with Binos I saw something that got my deer senses tingling, two white patches stacked vertically deep in a shaded nook beneath a juniper at the base of a very steep cliff. I took a closer look with a scope and could see sure as shit, it was a buck. Ranged at a little over 800 yards. With the distance, shade, and tree behind i could only see the main beams and thought he was decent.
Looking around i could see a gully/wash below is that tan diagonally towards him, wind was crossing between us. I turned to my dad and said “I’m going to to kill that buck.”
My first approach was the riskiest part as there was no way to avoid being exposed, i was able to hastily drop behind a roll in the terrain and work down towards the gully that was the main route of ingress towards him.
I crept up the gully hoping the wind would hold. At one point an old barbed wire fence gave me a hairy obstacle and i was thankful i left most of my stuff with my dad where he was watching through the scope. As i past the fence there was a gradual spot i cold pop out and glass again, ranging the hill behind where i knew he was bedded i was at 250 yards but no line of sight.
I could see a spot where i could climb out again, be a little closer and either at or above his level, hopefully having a shot into his bed through the sage. It would invoke crossing in front of him, but from there the wind would be even more advantageous to me.
As i Continued to slip forward the thing i knew was the biggest risk for the whole approach happened. A small buck i hadn’t seen was using the same wash as me and busted up and out, running straight for my target buck. I ranged him at 230 and shouldered my rifle. I knew the jig was up and i was going to shoot that small buck, but between the distance, him moving, and me not having a stable shooting position i had no good shot, but he was still headed towards the bedded buck.
I scooted forward a few yards and ranged the hillside behind the juniper again, 185 yards. I setttled into The best kneeling position i could muster that would let me shoot up and out of the ravine.
The buck did exactly what i needed him to do, he stood up out of his bed and with a couple jumps switch backed on the hill behind his bed and stopped broadside. Until that moment i didn’t realize how much better this buck was than anything I’d seen so far, thank god i didn’t because I’d have probably fumbled the whole thing, but as it was it happened fast, he stopped and i was stable and squeezed off a shot. He fell and tumbled straight back down.
Then all hell broke loose and there were deer running everywhere, does i suspected were crossing back and forth in addition to the Judas buck criss crossing and going back and forth up and over the hill. I realized in the confusion i might miss my buck if he wasn’t dead, so i hauled ass upslope until i could see his antlers rising out of the sage where he fell.
My father missed seeing the shot in the confusion but watched the buck the whole time, he said he never had a clue i was there until the small buck broke and even then stood and started sniffing the air trying to figure out what was happening instead of breaking and running. His pragmatism turned to my advantage when he climbed out of that bed.
My first mule deer and by far exceeding any whitetail I’ve ever killed. Great trip, great buck, and great memories.
Day 2.5 of the hunt and we’d seen a million does and a lot of small bucks, with one or two we’d have considered. (Neither of us was choosey, it was for the experience and this area is not known for big bucks, although they’re there).
After a morning of glassing up nothing but does we decided to check out this spot that we’d identified as having some good bedding cover.
Scanning first with Binos I saw something that got my deer senses tingling, two white patches stacked vertically deep in a shaded nook beneath a juniper at the base of a very steep cliff. I took a closer look with a scope and could see sure as shit, it was a buck. Ranged at a little over 800 yards. With the distance, shade, and tree behind i could only see the main beams and thought he was decent.
Looking around i could see a gully/wash below is that tan diagonally towards him, wind was crossing between us. I turned to my dad and said “I’m going to to kill that buck.”
My first approach was the riskiest part as there was no way to avoid being exposed, i was able to hastily drop behind a roll in the terrain and work down towards the gully that was the main route of ingress towards him.
I crept up the gully hoping the wind would hold. At one point an old barbed wire fence gave me a hairy obstacle and i was thankful i left most of my stuff with my dad where he was watching through the scope. As i past the fence there was a gradual spot i cold pop out and glass again, ranging the hill behind where i knew he was bedded i was at 250 yards but no line of sight.
I could see a spot where i could climb out again, be a little closer and either at or above his level, hopefully having a shot into his bed through the sage. It would invoke crossing in front of him, but from there the wind would be even more advantageous to me.
As i Continued to slip forward the thing i knew was the biggest risk for the whole approach happened. A small buck i hadn’t seen was using the same wash as me and busted up and out, running straight for my target buck. I ranged him at 230 and shouldered my rifle. I knew the jig was up and i was going to shoot that small buck, but between the distance, him moving, and me not having a stable shooting position i had no good shot, but he was still headed towards the bedded buck.
I scooted forward a few yards and ranged the hillside behind the juniper again, 185 yards. I setttled into The best kneeling position i could muster that would let me shoot up and out of the ravine.
The buck did exactly what i needed him to do, he stood up out of his bed and with a couple jumps switch backed on the hill behind his bed and stopped broadside. Until that moment i didn’t realize how much better this buck was than anything I’d seen so far, thank god i didn’t because I’d have probably fumbled the whole thing, but as it was it happened fast, he stopped and i was stable and squeezed off a shot. He fell and tumbled straight back down.
Then all hell broke loose and there were deer running everywhere, does i suspected were crossing back and forth in addition to the Judas buck criss crossing and going back and forth up and over the hill. I realized in the confusion i might miss my buck if he wasn’t dead, so i hauled ass upslope until i could see his antlers rising out of the sage where he fell.
My father missed seeing the shot in the confusion but watched the buck the whole time, he said he never had a clue i was there until the small buck broke and even then stood and started sniffing the air trying to figure out what was happening instead of breaking and running. His pragmatism turned to my advantage when he climbed out of that bed.
My first mule deer and by far exceeding any whitetail I’ve ever killed. Great trip, great buck, and great memories.
