My 2013 Wyoming hunt started on the 11th with me shooting a doe. I shot my second on the night of the 13th. GUHunter, a local to the area I was hunting, and I spent the 12th bagging his very nice antelope buck.
On the morning of the 15th, GUHunter and I hunted a patch of BLM close to a spot we saw a giant 4x5 and another giant 4x4 mule deer. He saw a big framed deer running over the hill at opening light. A short while later, two fellows on fourwheelers came puttering through the area and began glassing from some private land. I initially thought they had permission to hunt the private ground, so GUHunter and I began walking out of the area to head to some other land we wanted to hunt. Come to find out, the two men on fourwheelers shot from the private land, across the road onto a different patch of private land and shot the 4x5 and another big deer...shame on them
Not trying to be a jerk, but the guys from Wisconsin have really put a sour taste in the mouths of the local Wyoming people due to multiple incidents like this.
GUHunter and I spotted a herd of white tail doe and and a big buck on some more private land, facing the opposite direction of where the big bucks were later shot. We didn't have permission so we watched these deer for a few minutes before heading to another patch of land. We didn't see anything on our mid-afternoon hunt, just put a few more miles on the ole boots.
We went to the Walk in area where I shot both of my does for the evening hunt on Day 1. Who would have guessed that every other non resident hunter would be in this field?! There were 2 guys on the north end of the property glassing. There was a guy sitting on the creek that runs through the property. There were at least 3 guys to my east. We decide to sit down at the edge of the corn, where we had saw a 3x3 that was at his ears come out of the corn a couple days prior. As we were seated, two more out of staters come into the field, and begin walking right where I was facing. They saw my spotter set up, they saw my gun pointed down the edge of the field, yet they still walk right in front of me and end up scaring 4 doe and 2 bucks we were watching. We pull out of the zoo and head home.
GUHunter and I make a plan for day two. We decide to go to an area where I saw a dink 4x4 and 5 does last year. While using the spotting scope on the early part of day 2, we see about 10 deer come out of a field and into the BLM land. We pack up and high tail it across the valley, only about 1.5 miles as the crow flies. We get to where the deer were headed and hear two loud cracks...Some out of staters shot a big 4x4. I have the big buck in my binoculars and I see blood all over his white rump. He is running for the end of the county like there is no tomorrow. The other hunters track the buck for a couple minutes, like 20, before giving up. GUHunter and I try to flag them down since I saw the hill where he bedded down. They decided they wanted nothing to do with us and they headed for their truck and out of the area. I went into where the buck had bedded down to shoot him and put him out of his misery, but lo and behold, the bugger had bolted from the area and I never was able to find him again.
GUHunter and I end the morning hunt so he can get back to the oil fields. I go right back to where I had hunted the morning of day 2 and had 30+ deer walk between 37.4 yards and 300 yards of me on the BLM land. The only buck I saw was a yearling 2 point. If he hadn't been 55 yards from me, I would have guessed him to be a spike, but he was a forkie.
Day 3 started with me hiking up the BLM land to where I had the 30+ deer walking near me. I find a nice 3x4 and 3 does. They were about 350 yards and suddenly disappeared in the one direction I couldn't hunt due to a sheer rock cliff face. As I'm watching them leave, I decide to look to my 6 o'clock and I see 3 bucks running. A 4x4, a big fork and a spike. I see through the spotter that they got spooked from a bunch of does below them. The bucks were at 700 yards and heading towards me, so I find a path to cut them off and close 200 yards between them and I.
I get set up on a small rise and range the spike (now in the lead) at 333 yards. They are walking and the big 4x4 is second. Knowing my 270 pretty well, I aim for the upper part of shoulder on the buck and let 'er rip. The buck was hit hard. He lifted his right front shoulder and ran off to his left, away from me and down out of sight. I knew he was hit hard, I later found out I hit him in the top of his heart and blew out both of his shoulders.
I was so excited and the work was only about ready to begin. I quartered the buck, caping him and made two very heavy trips to my truck. It was my first time ever having to quarter an animal, solo, and then caping him as well. Needless to say, most enjoyable hunt I've ever had and the most rewarding.
Sorry it was so long. It was a fun hunt and I am forever grateful to GUHunter, his wife and her family for their support, help and great advice in bagging some great deer.
1st pic: As he lay from where he was hit (really short tracking job)
2nd pic:As he lay
3rd: buck posed
4th: finally in the truck
