Gunnersdad49
WKR
I wanted to learn some new area this year, and drew a tag in a unit I had never been to. Summer and fall got away from me and I never got a chance to put boots on the ground until the night before opening day. I saw a ton of deer, and my rough calculation was about a 1:8 buck to doe ratio. Sounds great, right?
I spotted one decent buck on the opposite side of some private property, and watched as he and his does started towards a road. I figured I'd watch them cross, then I would hike around the private to the public they were going onto and find him. The only truck I saw on the road that day appeared at that moment. The deer crossed the road, the truck stopped, the driver got out and off the road, and killed the buck. Crap.
I found a lot of little basket racked 2.5 year olds, and what seemed like a million forkies. I had very limited time to hunt, and was pretty sure it was going to be a 12" wide 3 point I kept seeing or tag soup. I decided to stick with it and let the little ones grow up.
Finally, I found a little pocket of deer, spike, does and fawns. I glassed them from about 1000 yards away for a while and caught a glimpse of a buck moving beds up on the hillside. There was a lot of open country and I spent quite a bit of time getting close to the pocket of cover he went into. I got closer and closer, and he finally stood up where I could see him at 18 yards. He stared at me for a few minutes then bounded away across the hill. He took his 3 other buck buddies (that I had no idea were in there) with him. The biggest was a 4x4 that was well inside his ears and only about as tall as his ears. Smallest 4x4 I have ever seen!
I went back 2 weeks later and kept seeing small bucks. I saw a branch of an antler above a rock way up a little draw, so I crept up the next ravine over and got to where I thought I would be about 80 yards from the rock. I saw 4 deer walking up the hill and got my glass on them. Nope, he wasn't in that group. Then I see another 4 deer. Just does. Then I spot some elk. Now I'm second guessing if I mistook an elk antler for a deer antler. I continued over the hill towards where what I thought was a buck should be. I'm 80 yards away and I see a deer butt! Yes! No. It was a doe and fawn. They have no idea I'm there so I sit down and watch them for about 30 minutes. I decide the buck either was never there, bailed before I crested the hill, or is still bedded somewhere I can't see. Curiosity is killing me, but the doe and fawn are between me and where he should be. Finally, I decide to softly bump the doe and fawn and see if they pick the buck up with them. I'll be damned if it didn't work! Buck stood up, looked around, walked a little bit, stopped and turned broadside.
26" outside spread with cool eyeguards.
I spotted one decent buck on the opposite side of some private property, and watched as he and his does started towards a road. I figured I'd watch them cross, then I would hike around the private to the public they were going onto and find him. The only truck I saw on the road that day appeared at that moment. The deer crossed the road, the truck stopped, the driver got out and off the road, and killed the buck. Crap.
I found a lot of little basket racked 2.5 year olds, and what seemed like a million forkies. I had very limited time to hunt, and was pretty sure it was going to be a 12" wide 3 point I kept seeing or tag soup. I decided to stick with it and let the little ones grow up.
Finally, I found a little pocket of deer, spike, does and fawns. I glassed them from about 1000 yards away for a while and caught a glimpse of a buck moving beds up on the hillside. There was a lot of open country and I spent quite a bit of time getting close to the pocket of cover he went into. I got closer and closer, and he finally stood up where I could see him at 18 yards. He stared at me for a few minutes then bounded away across the hill. He took his 3 other buck buddies (that I had no idea were in there) with him. The biggest was a 4x4 that was well inside his ears and only about as tall as his ears. Smallest 4x4 I have ever seen!
I went back 2 weeks later and kept seeing small bucks. I saw a branch of an antler above a rock way up a little draw, so I crept up the next ravine over and got to where I thought I would be about 80 yards from the rock. I saw 4 deer walking up the hill and got my glass on them. Nope, he wasn't in that group. Then I see another 4 deer. Just does. Then I spot some elk. Now I'm second guessing if I mistook an elk antler for a deer antler. I continued over the hill towards where what I thought was a buck should be. I'm 80 yards away and I see a deer butt! Yes! No. It was a doe and fawn. They have no idea I'm there so I sit down and watch them for about 30 minutes. I decide the buck either was never there, bailed before I crested the hill, or is still bedded somewhere I can't see. Curiosity is killing me, but the doe and fawn are between me and where he should be. Finally, I decide to softly bump the doe and fawn and see if they pick the buck up with them. I'll be damned if it didn't work! Buck stood up, looked around, walked a little bit, stopped and turned broadside.
26" outside spread with cool eyeguards.
![IMG_7386[1].JPG](https://forumdata.rokslide.com/file/forumdata/data/attachments/593/593952-c11e741de277cb8b3440ea5f5682e452.jpg)
![Shō[t]gun](https://forumdata.rokslide.com/file/forumdata/data/avatars/s/73/73016.jpg?1702506841){kind=avatar}
