HuntnProf
Active Member
- Messages
- 167
My wife and I had a phenomenal G1 season this year….both shooting our largest CA bucks to date. My wife got hers 1st, and it was the first buck she shot without me—she was very proud of this 
. She was hunting a spot she’s had success in the past. Some does had come about 150 yds out across a fallow field, and with light fading she decided to get on her tripod with 10 minutes of shooting light left in case a buck joined them. She heard a sound to her right, she glanced over and caught a deer feeding about 15yds away (wind was in her favor). She realized it was a buck by his body, but couldn’t discern antlers—it was at this time she realized she hadn’t chambered a round. She froze. The buck angled out of the trees into the open 15 yds directly in front of her—she couldn’t move. He looked right at her trying to figure out what she was, he turned and trotted back into the trees. She cycled a shell at this time. 4 minutes went by, and he popped out of the trees again 80yds away—he wanted to get to those does. He took a few steps and she dropped him. I was so impressed she held it together when he was so close—-I’d have lost it!
Weather helped out for my buck. Had period 2 for Tehama WA. We got to where I’d hoped to camp the evening prior to the hunt. After a rainy/windy night , getting very little sleep, we got a late start. I had a spot in mind—one I’d seen good bucks in when both my daughter and wife had tags in past years. With the burn, I wasn’t sure what it was going to look like, so we slowly hunted along some ridges as the sun rose. We slowly hiked a couple miles, seeing a few does moving, getting to where I wanted to go an hour and 1/2 after sunrise.
We ended up on a finger that allowed us to glass 2 different draws that funneled together. We had been glassing for less than 10 minutes when we both picked up deer in different draws. I spotted some does and spikes, and my wife spotted some spikes feeding/sparring while moving along the ridges washer was watching. A few more groups of does showed themselves on the hillside I was watching…all were about 900 yds away. After watching through the spotter for 10 minutes, I picked up what I thought was a 4x4 moving toward the larger group of does , with a 3x3 trailing behind him. They were solid mature bucks. The 3x3 had a larger body, a noticeable belly, narrow tall G2’s, but his fronts were weak. As the deer slowly moved closer, angling toward the top of the ridge while slowly feeding along, I could see the lead buck was really a 5x4, and looked to be ~ 24in wide….he looked really good to me. I figured I’d just be watching them head over the ridge—and wasn’t worried the were going to exit the draw—as I was happy to find mature bucks where I was targeting, and had 3 more days to go.
The bucks mingled with the does, but none of the does must have been receptive, as when the does started to head over he ridge, the 2 bucks angled back down across the hillside, looking like they were going to be across from me in 5 minutes or so. 800 yds….700yds….600yds…stopping to feed directly across canyon from me at 550. I had already decided to target the 5x4 even if it was the 1st morning—he looked slightly larger than my bigger CA buck to date, and had a beautiful heavy, dark frame…..I wanted him. This was the closest they were going to be. There was zero wind. I called my wife over to spot for me. I got a solid rest, ranged him feeding broadside and was 570 now. I dialed 570…all felt good….and I shot. He immediately disappeared. I couldn’t see him in the scope and my wife said he didn’t run. The 3x3 was about 20 yds away just standing there. I spotted what I thought was a leg, right then the 3x3 angled toward it—I could see my buck laying there dead now—right as the 3x3 approached and started goring my buck. Now the crazy part—that 3x3 proceeded to gore the dead buck for 10 minutes. Flipping it, goring its belly, back…at one point it got its antlers stuck and was pulling it. We watched through the scope and binos, and just couldn’t believe what we were seeing. He was pushing it down hill…disengaging…then diving back in to gore him more. There was nothing we could do…we were to far away. We packed our spotting gear, and started to make our way towards them….periodically looking up to see him still going at it. We split up, my wife heading back to camp the get the pack frame while I made my way across the draw. By now the 3x3 had stopped, as he had rolled my buck into a juniper tree and couldn’t get at it as well—but he was just standing a few yards away…likely keeping watch in case his rival suddenly came back to life ha ha! When I was making my way uphill, the 3x3 was standing there looking at me, and let me get about 150 yds away before finally deciding to leave the situation. I got to my buck and he was jammed under a juniper, about 100yds downhill from where I killed him….hair was everywhere. I pulled him out and took some pics before skinning and quartering him. He was like Swiss cheese with holes….when I got the skin back he had holes everywhere….neck, sides, back, belly, rump…it looked like he was shot with a machine gun….it was crazy!
A pic from video I took of holes from goring—this was one hind area. My shot was in the shoulder—can’t see in this pic.
My wife arrived about an hour and 1/2 later with the frame. We packed out most of the meat that 1st trip, but I had to go back for one more trip. After knee surgery this summer, I couldn’t pack more than 50lbs at a time. I shot him at 9:20am, and made my last trip back to camp at 5:15pm.
All in all this was an incredibly memorable G1 season. Awesome bucks, spending time hunting with my wife….it was a blessed season. Now home and packing for our 4th season CO hunt .
. She was hunting a spot she’s had success in the past. Some does had come about 150 yds out across a fallow field, and with light fading she decided to get on her tripod with 10 minutes of shooting light left in case a buck joined them. She heard a sound to her right, she glanced over and caught a deer feeding about 15yds away (wind was in her favor). She realized it was a buck by his body, but couldn’t discern antlers—it was at this time she realized she hadn’t chambered a round. She froze. The buck angled out of the trees into the open 15 yds directly in front of her—she couldn’t move. He looked right at her trying to figure out what she was, he turned and trotted back into the trees. She cycled a shell at this time. 4 minutes went by, and he popped out of the trees again 80yds away—he wanted to get to those does. He took a few steps and she dropped him. I was so impressed she held it together when he was so close—-I’d have lost it!Weather helped out for my buck. Had period 2 for Tehama WA. We got to where I’d hoped to camp the evening prior to the hunt. After a rainy/windy night , getting very little sleep, we got a late start. I had a spot in mind—one I’d seen good bucks in when both my daughter and wife had tags in past years. With the burn, I wasn’t sure what it was going to look like, so we slowly hunted along some ridges as the sun rose. We slowly hiked a couple miles, seeing a few does moving, getting to where I wanted to go an hour and 1/2 after sunrise.
We ended up on a finger that allowed us to glass 2 different draws that funneled together. We had been glassing for less than 10 minutes when we both picked up deer in different draws. I spotted some does and spikes, and my wife spotted some spikes feeding/sparring while moving along the ridges washer was watching. A few more groups of does showed themselves on the hillside I was watching…all were about 900 yds away. After watching through the spotter for 10 minutes, I picked up what I thought was a 4x4 moving toward the larger group of does , with a 3x3 trailing behind him. They were solid mature bucks. The 3x3 had a larger body, a noticeable belly, narrow tall G2’s, but his fronts were weak. As the deer slowly moved closer, angling toward the top of the ridge while slowly feeding along, I could see the lead buck was really a 5x4, and looked to be ~ 24in wide….he looked really good to me. I figured I’d just be watching them head over the ridge—and wasn’t worried the were going to exit the draw—as I was happy to find mature bucks where I was targeting, and had 3 more days to go.
The bucks mingled with the does, but none of the does must have been receptive, as when the does started to head over he ridge, the 2 bucks angled back down across the hillside, looking like they were going to be across from me in 5 minutes or so. 800 yds….700yds….600yds…stopping to feed directly across canyon from me at 550. I had already decided to target the 5x4 even if it was the 1st morning—he looked slightly larger than my bigger CA buck to date, and had a beautiful heavy, dark frame…..I wanted him. This was the closest they were going to be. There was zero wind. I called my wife over to spot for me. I got a solid rest, ranged him feeding broadside and was 570 now. I dialed 570…all felt good….and I shot. He immediately disappeared. I couldn’t see him in the scope and my wife said he didn’t run. The 3x3 was about 20 yds away just standing there. I spotted what I thought was a leg, right then the 3x3 angled toward it—I could see my buck laying there dead now—right as the 3x3 approached and started goring my buck. Now the crazy part—that 3x3 proceeded to gore the dead buck for 10 minutes. Flipping it, goring its belly, back…at one point it got its antlers stuck and was pulling it. We watched through the scope and binos, and just couldn’t believe what we were seeing. He was pushing it down hill…disengaging…then diving back in to gore him more. There was nothing we could do…we were to far away. We packed our spotting gear, and started to make our way towards them….periodically looking up to see him still going at it. We split up, my wife heading back to camp the get the pack frame while I made my way across the draw. By now the 3x3 had stopped, as he had rolled my buck into a juniper tree and couldn’t get at it as well—but he was just standing a few yards away…likely keeping watch in case his rival suddenly came back to life ha ha! When I was making my way uphill, the 3x3 was standing there looking at me, and let me get about 150 yds away before finally deciding to leave the situation. I got to my buck and he was jammed under a juniper, about 100yds downhill from where I killed him….hair was everywhere. I pulled him out and took some pics before skinning and quartering him. He was like Swiss cheese with holes….when I got the skin back he had holes everywhere….neck, sides, back, belly, rump…it looked like he was shot with a machine gun….it was crazy!
A pic from video I took of holes from goring—this was one hind area. My shot was in the shoulder—can’t see in this pic.
My wife arrived about an hour and 1/2 later with the frame. We packed out most of the meat that 1st trip, but I had to go back for one more trip. After knee surgery this summer, I couldn’t pack more than 50lbs at a time. I shot him at 9:20am, and made my last trip back to camp at 5:15pm.
All in all this was an incredibly memorable G1 season. Awesome bucks, spending time hunting with my wife….it was a blessed season. Now home and packing for our 4th season CO hunt .
