Your Move, Episode #3

[WapitiTalk1]

Hunting journal: 22 September, Idaho archery hunt, early afternoon.  You have both an elk tag (any bull) and a deer tag (any buck).  This is the only time this year you'll hunt elk but will be back later in the year to hunt deer again.  You're on the fourth day of your ten day hunt in the Idaho Panhandle, and, the hunting gods have blessed you with some early season, high country snow!  The bulls have been very vocal and you've been into elk each morning for the past three days but no shot opportunities.  As you sit on the game trail planning your evening hunt, you hear a bedded bull bugle on the far hillside, perhaps 300 yards away.  The thermals are wrong to go directly at the bull (he's on the hillside) so you figure you'll head down the game trail a bit where you may have a place to use your optics to scan the bull's hillside and make a plan of attack.  About the time you get ready to move, here comes this MD buck straight at you at around 30ish yards!  From your position, thermals are flowing gently uphill into your snout.  You have good cover to your back and are wearing you super cool snow camo pattern       


 
Your move. Are you shooting, not shooting the MD, or, are you gonna continue with making a plan to go after the vocal bull?  What is your move?




Reminder that if you save the picture to your desktop and open in MS Paint, you'll be able to place a spot, X, or whatever on the critter before you save it back to a jpg and add the marked up pic with your post (if you decide to shoot).

[TommyH]

Throw a rock at that mulie and get back to the bugling bull!!

[Karl Blanchard]

I'm passing on that buck and heading for that bull!  Not against filling a deer tag on an elk hunt but not with that particular buck.  He needs about 35-40 more inches of bone on his head for me to end my Idaho deer season that early.

[Dhoey07]

I'd let him keep walking towards me.  If he gives me a broadside shot, then i'm absolutely taking it. A buck in the hand is worth a bull in the bush, when the buck is that caliber. 

Plus with cool temps, you'll be able to hang that buck and keep on the bulls the next day 

[WSU]

I'd shoot the deer.  While I waited to track it, I'd walk the 300 yards and shoot the bull.

[D-Rock425]

We all know what I do here.  This happen to me opening day of elk season here. 

[Whitpirate]

Pass.  I'm in bulls and will hunt deer later in the year.  If he was wider and had a better frame I'd take the meat offered but he's got some growing to do.

[D-Rock425]

Im a pretty trigger happy guy.  Sometimes i go into kill mode and legal animals are not safe.

[BULLBLASTER]

Im a pretty trigger happy guy.  Sometimes i go into kill mode and legal animals are not safe.

plus in idaho you can buy a second discounted deer tag! No brainer on this one. Take him out!!!

[Jonathan_S]

Im a pretty trigger happy guy.  Sometimes i go into kill mode and legal animals are not safe.

Yep, nothing wrong with that buck.  A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.  If I saw that buck at 100 yards it would be different but I am the same way, taking the shot.

[WapitiTalk1]

So you buck shooters, show us where your arrow is gonna hit   

[BULLBLASTER]

So you buck shooters, show us where your arrow is gonna hit 

id pass that angle at 30 yards. But would shoot if given a high percentage shot.

[cbond3318]

Truthfully? I would let that buck keep coming until he was within arms reach, slap him on the butt and ask "why so crabby?" Then I'd somersault across his back, kick some forest floor in his eyes and head after the bull. Next....

[Jonathan_S]

So you buck shooters, show us where your arrow is gonna hit 

Top left edge of the lower throat patch.  Based on your scenario the buck doesn't see me and MD don't seem to flinch much, I think that's a deadly shot.

[WapitiTalk1]

So you buck shooters, show us where your arrow is gonna hit 

Top left edge of the lower throat patch.  Based on your scenario the buck doesn't see me and MD don't seem to flinch much, I think that's a deadly shot.

Something like this?