The WY Crap Show… 12 yr old BBD

elks96 · Oct 3, 2022

Haha. I am one of the many who absolutely love the freedom and opportunity that WY produces and it seems like the more I hunt here and the more I learn, the better it gets. Sure I would love never seeing another hunter, I would love not having anyone else to compete with, but I also understand that means a lot less opportunity and a lot less freedom. I will gladly take competition and opportunity…

This year our deer season started as an absolute disaster. I had set camp up a week earlier and spent the week archery hunting elk. See my thread under WY for more details.

On Thursday my wife arrived at camp she drove her car down the good gravel road to camp. It started raining and it rained all day Friday. The onslaught of vehicles destroyed the roads… it turned into a cluster. There were campers jackknifed in the road, people driving into the ditch, guys camping where ever they could find a spot. It kept raining. By the time Saturday morning hit, we had 24 hours of almost non stop rain. We head to our spot only to find roads washed and crossings impossible. To make things worse the water caused a short or something in my 4wd drive system and we lost 4wd. We ended up in town for lunch and things dried a bit. We got 4wd to engage so we tried another hunt, but soon the error came back and no 4wd.

Crap opening day and we have not even left the truck… we did have a pretty but short lived sunrise and we ended up with a birthday ballon for the boy…

elks96 · Oct 3, 2022

So we needed a plan to salvage the hunt. The weather showed rain through Monday. It was getting a little better but then another cloud and more water made it all go back. So at 3 on Saturday we made the plan to go home with the truck and get the jeep. 3 hours home, loaded the jeep on the trailer, and turned around again to camp. At midnight we unloaded the jeep, put in our packs and rifles for the next morning…

It is tight getting 3 people and gear into a CJ7 but it works… My wife even managed to make herself a very comfy bed and slept hard for the ride…

After a long sloppy messy drive we made it to our destination. The weather broke and gave us a chance to hike. We left the jeep and immediately cut fresh tracks. So we followed the tracks. The skies were angry…

We followed the tracks about a mile before we decided to retreat from the rain… we were soaked… The wife and son headed to shelter in the jeep I decided I needed to check one more “hole”. The weather had been raining the last hour and my glasses were digging, scope was a mess and binos needed help. So I drop my pack dig out my towel and dry stuff off as the rain quit. I get everything out away and clean… Look up and in the hole I spit 7 bucks 259 yards out. 3 are good bucks… I range and see the second largest buck is perfect broadside at 259 yards. I steady lion in the scope and pass. The deer get nervous and bust out… I watch as they go over a mile. I see them slow down and start feeding. I make it back to the jeep and share the story.

elks96 · Oct 3, 2022

The sun comes out and all of our clothes are shed and allowed to dry in the wind. While they dry I watch the bucks in the spotter.

Once the bucks settled into beds we start our stalk, 3 people in the wide open will be a challenge to pull off… We make it part way and the bucks get up and feed. So we sit down and wait… my son digs a hole and my takes a nap.

With the nice sunny weather we had a great wind and after an hour we had slipped into a great location. The bucks were just out of sight over the edge and we were with in 200 yards. We just needed to wait for them to get up and feed.

Both my shooters were in position and we needed to wait.

elks96 · Oct 3, 2022

We start playing Pictionary in the sand. Prepared to sit for hours until they get up. If it was just me, I would have stalked right into the beds and got the shot, but with the wife and son I needed good time and to make sure we had good shots etc.

About 20 min into Pictionary I look up and see antlers on the skyline. I whisper to get the guns ready. The buck is just over the top and feeding. We can just see antlers. Then the buck skylines, at first my son said he was going to pass. Laugh and said if you pass I am shooting. Then when the full body of the buck and his antler came into view my son changed his tune a bunch.

He got ready 138 yards I whisper, hold behind the shoulder. His mom tells him to calm down and take a deep breath. As this happened a second little buck steps in-line with the big buck. We wait for the buck to clear. The bigger buck feed down and clears. Broadside and a single shot. The buck is hit good runs about 2o yards and tips over. By now 3 of the smaller bucks are in view. We sit and wait, the WY wind was blowing and the 243 was not overly loud.

I tell Melissa to be ready for a shot. But all the bucks feed away from us. She makes a move and never sees the bigger bucks, only the dinks.

We grab our gear and head to the buck… Smiles, a few tears and lots of work…

elks96 · Oct 3, 2022

My son and wife leave for home today. I have all week to find another big buck. Not really motivated but looking forward to the freedom to hunt and the ability to enjoy my time in the woods. Given the start to the season it would have been east to let it spiral. But we adapted, came up with new plans and eventually made it work.

It is a blessing to live in a state with such opportunities. We usually feel pretty crowded by other hunters. This is a very busy general unit with east road access and ATVs everywhere… Every year it gets frustrating to deal with the masses getting stuck, driving across country, and worse… But every year we just work hard, adapt and keep killing good bucks…

As I say to my son. To kill a buck no one else has killed you have to do something no one else has done…

Breakfast kicks…

2lumpy · Oct 3, 2022

Congratulations 96. You’re a good family man, a committed hunter and an outdoor enthusiast. Keep up the good work and may you find a monster muley this year.

Gunnihunter · Oct 3, 2022

Good posts, stories, and write ups. Congratulations

elkhunterUT · Oct 3, 2022

Great work and solid buck for your boy! You are doing it right, sir!!

Swivelneck · Oct 3, 2022

Thanks for sharing the story of your families hunt and congrats to the young man. Well done!

Buckbrush · Oct 3, 2022

Awesome, Great buck for the young man!

twdjr · Oct 3, 2022

Congrats on the adventurous hunt!

Chump · Oct 3, 2022

Congrats to the young hunter!!! Great write-up and pics, thank you for sharing.

BenHuntn · Oct 3, 2022

Everywhere I hunt I run into lots of other hunters. There is nothing I can do to change it, just make the best of it and go the extra mile. You are certainly making some great memories for the family. Wyoming is a special place to me. The last 6 years I lease some ground in Colorado and we have the place to ourselves.

Blank · Oct 3, 2022

Friday nite and Saturday was the worst rain I have experienced over there. My Jeep was a mess!!!

2lumpy · Oct 3, 2022

One thing’s for certain, there are very few critters taken from the patio on the back side of the homestead anymore. If you’re gonna play ya gotta be where it’s possible to happen.

tailchasers · Oct 3, 2022

Nice hunting and experience with the family.

Deercy · Oct 3, 2022

Looks like some genuine good time.

ReinerDude · Oct 3, 2022

Congrats, sounds like a great adventure for everybody

HntHrdr · Oct 3, 2022

Solid buck! Sounds like a it all came together in the end, good work

PleaseDear · Oct 4, 2022

Well done!

Robb

hawkbill · Oct 4, 2022

Congratulations to you and the family

12pointer · Oct 4, 2022

Beautiful buck, congratulations to the young man. Refreshing to see good parents raising their children right.

Thill · Oct 4, 2022

Sounds like quite the adventure. Your wife must be a trooper. I burned my wife out on a couple of trips like that. Well done though - all the smiles.
Thanks for sharing!!!