Another good season over to fast

[wilsongideon]

Well after waiting for months to pass by and the season to open up its over for me again. My father-in-law and my brother-in-law made to long trips from their homes to pack into the wilderness with me again. My brother-in-law brought his muzzleloader in this year to see if we couldnt get him his first mule deer ever. Backpacked into our normal area and as normal found it pretty busy with hikers and hunters and livestock. even saw a few guys headed to camp right where we intended on hunting the next day. it was a little demoralizing but figured we would just adapt our gameplan to hunter movement. next morning brought alot of hunter activity and none of the bucks I was after. Seen a few deer but by noon things were getting pretty quite and we knew the deer were gettting pushed around and were going to be hiding out from here on out, just to much hunter activity everywhere we went we were running into hunters. made a pretty good loop that afternoon and I was letting my bro-in-law lead the way back to camp through some areas we had seen deer off an on before . we pushed out several deer and then finally I spotted a buck coming out of the timber and heading downhill slighly towards us. He was a decent 3 point and he stopped out in the open 142 yards below us, chad slipped his pack off and snuck down hill untill he was 100 yards from the buck, the buck decided to bed down during this time. I was watching the buck as chad touched his first shot off. the buck jumped up and look every direction trying to figure out what the heck had happened but he wasnt hit. I motioned to chad that he had missed and he started to reload. a couple long minutes dragged by and the buck walked forward very alert about 30 yards where I couldnt see him. Chad finally got reloaded and was trying to get back on the buck when the buck stepped out into the opening again still about 100 yards away from chad. This time he blasted him right behind both shoulders broadside and the buck did a little half circle and was down. It was pretty awesome to witness chads first mulie but it was getting to dark to think about that right then. Chad shot the deer just after 7 and we quartered him up and packed him back to camp in the dark it started raining and lightning on us just as we were finishing our last chores befoere bed.

Day 2 we decided to go on a country exploration/scouting trip to see where hunters were and where they werent. we got a late start and It was a wet morning and sprinkled on us off an on all day but wasnt to bad, seen some good country but nothing to hunt.

day 3 was my last full day in there and I knew I had to get something so we hiked to the best spot I could think of to spot deer. We knew the deer were still in the area but were not moving like they had been before all the hunters started pushing. we spent 5 hours glassing that morning and seen nothing. everyone took a afternoon nap and right after I woke up in 10 minutes spotted a buck bedded down 650 yards away, I stayed with him and watched him get up and come closer and bed down at 520 yards.He was in a pretty good location for him and I wouldnt be doing myself any good trying to sneak closer. Well I have spent the last 3 years getting the gear and shooting long range shots just for this moment. my father-in-law got on the spotter and I setup the gun and clicked up my scope for the shot 525 yards at a 15 degree angle BP at 23. we waited 1/2 hour to see if the buck would move again but when it was 2 oclock we decided we'd better take the shot before it got any later. I waited untill the wind died down and blasted at him, My father in law saw the hit and told me I hit him to far back but he was hurt and not going anywhere. meanwhile I am getting back on the spot and I see the buck standing 10 yards from his bed. I shoot way to fast like I was 100 yards from the thing and it sails over the deer. I am calming down now for the 3rd shot and I steady up really good hold the crosshairs in front of his chest for the wind and boom I hit him perfectly high behind the left shoulder and because of the angle it comes out low right behind the right shoulder. He goes down right there, It was unbelievable to be able to make precise shooting desicions at that range. My father in law was able to see both hits and the vapor trail in the spotter. I was shooting my .308 with a valdada scope on a harris bipod and 3/4 lbs of rice bag on the butt. an hour later we made it off the mtn down where the buck was and started the work, we boned him out and the storm came in and pounded on us. the lightning rumbled and flashed the wind and rain knocked a tree down 100 feet from us and we put on our rain gear and had a long cold wet pack back to camp. it was a angry storm and not to fun. that night the wind came up and froze the rain to our tent and we had snow at the highest peaks. everything was damp in the tent all our gear and so it was a shivery night. at 6:30 my brother in law was up and ready to tear down camp he was so cold and uncomfortable so we made the long day of packing out our gear then going back for the deer.  my deer pack was 81 pounds meat/head/ and pack my borther in laws was 75 pounds. thursday we butchered both deer and that was a 6 hr job by itself. I'll be back next year 

[Cap.Silver]

Congratulations ,very nice write up and bucks

[ShaneTyTrey]

Awesome, big congrats

[Watimberghost]

Congrats man! way to adapt to your surroundings! some people see hunters in their hunting spot and call off the hunt. way to make it happen!

[hntrspud]

  Good for you to keep at it! Nice bucks, love the darker horns!

[fillthefreezer]

youre gettin pretty good at this brother 

[savagehunter]

great story nice job and congratulations

[singleshot12]

Wow! Looks like it was a great hunt.awesome pics too

[SkookumHntr]

Well earned Bucks! Good job guys!

[blackveltbowhunter]

Way to earn a couple dandy bucks! Congratz

[7mag.]

Way to go man! Your grit and drive are admirable. Congrats on another high country buck.

[pd]

I'll be back next year.

 'Nuff said.

[bowhunterforever]

Great bucks and story,congrats

[marmotsafari]

Congrats! Sounds like an awesome hunt for all your group- and nice work with the long shot!

[MLBowhunting]

Nice bucks