liecabucks
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Well boys and girls I’ve had a hell of a summer and fall. Me and the boy glassed a small bachelor heard around 11:00 AM one weekend the end of July from 2.5-3 miles away. One looked promising so the next weekend I slipped away and turned up the group again but this time cutting the distance to a mile. It was immediately apparent one in the group would be my target buck for the season. Little did I know he would consume my dreams also. I lost count of the day’s me and the boy spent looking for him but I do know we located him a total of 13 days. I moved camps two days before the rifle opener on a hunch he had changed up his routine due to the hot weather, rubbing velvet and getting his fall coat. I hadn’t laid eyes on him for 8 days and was getting anxiety.
I bushwhacked my way up the ridge to setup my new camp that would give me visual into his wheelhouse and more importantly a shot opportunity minutes from my tent.
Opening morning rolled around quickly. This had to be day 20+ spent in pursuit of this dream buck. I was in position 5 minutes after technical first light, glassing and reglassing the terrain in front of me religiously. Every deer I turned was in my mind “him”. 9:30 rolled around and I was just getting “sun screwed” and debating how many more times I would scan the same hillside I couldn’t even see now when I caught a buck just barely out of the sun path. It was him, still feeding at 9:45. I immediately got the shakes. I moved my spotter and tripod out of the way and grabbed my rifle, dialing 12.5 MOA per my ballistic calculator. I would take the shot, battling sun now as he stepped from behind the pine cluster. I could hardly make him out with the sun in my eyes as he cleared the tree. I flipped the safety forward as the crosshairs settled in place. I was rudely startled when the trigger broke and the recoil hit my shoulder. I didn’t know If the shot was good or not but I chambered another round and let it fly too. I immediately got behind the spotter, looking for any movement. Shortly after I found him propped up in a pine patch 50 yards from the initial shot. My thoughts were to send another one just before he laid down and offered me no shot. We played this up and down game for the next 65 minutes until the movement stopped and I was sure he’d given up. To make sure, I gave him another 30 minutes, grabbed some snow for water and headed his way. Essentially I played my cards like I was hunting a bedded buck, using the wind best I could and sliding in from the side. Just when I decided I was within 50 yards and needed to drop everything but my rifle, I looked up the hill......antler tips! He was dead.
I spent the next 2 hours taking it all in and realizing what had just taken place over the last 2 months. It was surreal and I wished at this point I was sharing it with my son. It has been a journey I was happy to share with my boy, I think his fire was ignited.
I bushwhacked my way up the ridge to setup my new camp that would give me visual into his wheelhouse and more importantly a shot opportunity minutes from my tent.
Opening morning rolled around quickly. This had to be day 20+ spent in pursuit of this dream buck. I was in position 5 minutes after technical first light, glassing and reglassing the terrain in front of me religiously. Every deer I turned was in my mind “him”. 9:30 rolled around and I was just getting “sun screwed” and debating how many more times I would scan the same hillside I couldn’t even see now when I caught a buck just barely out of the sun path. It was him, still feeding at 9:45. I immediately got the shakes. I moved my spotter and tripod out of the way and grabbed my rifle, dialing 12.5 MOA per my ballistic calculator. I would take the shot, battling sun now as he stepped from behind the pine cluster. I could hardly make him out with the sun in my eyes as he cleared the tree. I flipped the safety forward as the crosshairs settled in place. I was rudely startled when the trigger broke and the recoil hit my shoulder. I didn’t know If the shot was good or not but I chambered another round and let it fly too. I immediately got behind the spotter, looking for any movement. Shortly after I found him propped up in a pine patch 50 yards from the initial shot. My thoughts were to send another one just before he laid down and offered me no shot. We played this up and down game for the next 65 minutes until the movement stopped and I was sure he’d given up. To make sure, I gave him another 30 minutes, grabbed some snow for water and headed his way. Essentially I played my cards like I was hunting a bedded buck, using the wind best I could and sliding in from the side. Just when I decided I was within 50 yards and needed to drop everything but my rifle, I looked up the hill......antler tips! He was dead.
I spent the next 2 hours taking it all in and realizing what had just taken place over the last 2 months. It was surreal and I wished at this point I was sharing it with my son. It has been a journey I was happy to share with my boy, I think his fire was ignited.
