MTLongdraw
FNG
Opening week in MT brought big snows and expectations to take a great buck. I spent the first day of my season (Monday) hiking an area I had never hunted for deer but knew it was a place they passed through while traveling to their winter range. I saw several nice white tails but not the dark horned muley I was really after. For me to pass some of these bucks was very uncharacteristic for me. I’m by no means a white tail hunter but I’ve just never passed much. I guess that time does come!
The end of the day showed me a few nice white tails and a lot of boot tracks which slightly discouraged me. The next morning I headed to a new area I had scouted earlier in the summer. I didn’t actually hike into the area but spotted it from the road and thought it looked good and believed it would potentially hold some muleys. I chained up on the way in and was surprised I didn’t see any fresh boot tracks at the trail head on my way in! The hike in was relatively easy but I wasn’t seeing much for deer sign either. After glassing a “Bucky” looking hillside for a while I continued on, just hoping to have a change in luck. On the other side of the ridge right above where I had just been glassing the trails split and I took the upper trail...I walked a few yards before looking down and seeing a bunch of deer tracks below me. I quickly bailed down and hit the lower trail. I’m sure glad I did! Not a 100 yards down the trail I saw a deer walking towards me through the timber. I quickly threw up my glass and caught a glimpse of horns. I couldn’t tell exactly what he was but he looked good and he didn’t seem to know I was there. I hunkered into some brush waiting for a glimpse of the deer. A short time later he appeared in front of me again but I couldn’t see his head. He just acted like a big buck keeping his head and body concealed as much as possible while he sniffed around and ate. Finally he put his head down to feed and by this time I was able to make out a solid frame and see he was a good buck. Although it was only day two of my hunt and I had lots of time left, this buck made me happy. I knew he wasn’t going to be the biggest buck in the unit, but he was a solid four point with good mass and those dark horns I’d been wanting for so many years. I prepared to take him. Unfortunately there was a big down tree laying right in front of me blocking his vitals. I couldn’t get up to the tree for a rest and the brush I was in wasn’t going to provide me any stability to shoot from. In my rustling around trying to find a good shooting platform, the buck started to get antsy and began to take off up the hill. I quickly jumped up and off handed a shot on him. I saw him tip over!
With great anticipation I headed up the trail. When I got to my buck I was in complete disbelief! Not only had I shot my biggest buck which I knew he would be when I pulled the trigger but I shot a buck with a kicker! I had dreamed about this but never thought it would happen to me! A nice little bonus point I never saw when I was glassing him up!
I spent a long time just admiring him. Just so happy and thankful my season had finally taken a turn for the better! I had a pretty tough archery season chasing elk and that “luck” or lack there of also continued well into November. I didn’t personally find a lot of success this year, but I’m very happy with the outcome on this particular hunt!
The end of the day showed me a few nice white tails and a lot of boot tracks which slightly discouraged me. The next morning I headed to a new area I had scouted earlier in the summer. I didn’t actually hike into the area but spotted it from the road and thought it looked good and believed it would potentially hold some muleys. I chained up on the way in and was surprised I didn’t see any fresh boot tracks at the trail head on my way in! The hike in was relatively easy but I wasn’t seeing much for deer sign either. After glassing a “Bucky” looking hillside for a while I continued on, just hoping to have a change in luck. On the other side of the ridge right above where I had just been glassing the trails split and I took the upper trail...I walked a few yards before looking down and seeing a bunch of deer tracks below me. I quickly bailed down and hit the lower trail. I’m sure glad I did! Not a 100 yards down the trail I saw a deer walking towards me through the timber. I quickly threw up my glass and caught a glimpse of horns. I couldn’t tell exactly what he was but he looked good and he didn’t seem to know I was there. I hunkered into some brush waiting for a glimpse of the deer. A short time later he appeared in front of me again but I couldn’t see his head. He just acted like a big buck keeping his head and body concealed as much as possible while he sniffed around and ate. Finally he put his head down to feed and by this time I was able to make out a solid frame and see he was a good buck. Although it was only day two of my hunt and I had lots of time left, this buck made me happy. I knew he wasn’t going to be the biggest buck in the unit, but he was a solid four point with good mass and those dark horns I’d been wanting for so many years. I prepared to take him. Unfortunately there was a big down tree laying right in front of me blocking his vitals. I couldn’t get up to the tree for a rest and the brush I was in wasn’t going to provide me any stability to shoot from. In my rustling around trying to find a good shooting platform, the buck started to get antsy and began to take off up the hill. I quickly jumped up and off handed a shot on him. I saw him tip over!
With great anticipation I headed up the trail. When I got to my buck I was in complete disbelief! Not only had I shot my biggest buck which I knew he would be when I pulled the trigger but I shot a buck with a kicker! I had dreamed about this but never thought it would happen to me! A nice little bonus point I never saw when I was glassing him up!
I spent a long time just admiring him. Just so happy and thankful my season had finally taken a turn for the better! I had a pretty tough archery season chasing elk and that “luck” or lack there of also continued well into November. I didn’t personally find a lot of success this year, but I’m very happy with the outcome on this particular hunt!
