The next 2 days work got in the way so was only able to glass the last 1&1/2 hours of daylight. I turned up several bucks in this time but nothing I considered even close to a shooter.
On the 14th I planned to motorcycle into some middle elevation ground, its beautiful country but the looming forecast of rain and FOG
put a huge damper on that. Lots of sign and a few deer spotted but that damn fog kept the sight window at 100 yards. I also was at the furthest distance away from my truck launching point when the cycle decided it no longer wanted to cooperate. After spending some time deciphering the issue, I got it to behave again and felt it was best to get closer to home. That evening was spent glassing the lowlands again which turned up a few new bucks, but still nothing exciting. At this point the upcoming forecast was still showing unsettled weather and fog for the next few days. Crap, things are looking up and then the fog.
The 15th started with being in position to glass the area where I was seeing the most deer. Spent the first hour and half glassing and only found 1 new buck, along with some of the same ones I'd already noted. Although I thought this was the best place to spend some time, I made a quick decision to head over to the area where I saw the possible shooters earlier in my ventures.
I glassed the area that I planned on glassing from before getting to it, that turned out to be a good thing. I spotted several does standing near the canyon bottom, one was that good grey coloring that shouts "I'm a buck" but she fooled me.
Expanding out from the does I picked up another grey one.....RACK....now we're talking.
I had to move about 1/2 mile closer to get a better view, and when i popped over the edge he was just hanging out there, about 50 yards above the does, wide open. Got the spotter on him and decided he was exactly what I was looking for, solid 4x, eyeguards, very symmetrical, not spindly, just a good classic textbook 4x4 with a big body.
It was a chip shot for my .280 @300yards. Got prone, rock steady, click, BOOM, he went down so quick the does were like what the heck are you doing fella???
I don't believe he was the same buck that I passed up (this one was bigger antlered) but most definitely related to each other.
I got a quick pic thru the spotter of him on the dirt upside down, then he gave a last kick which sent him tumbling to the bottom of the ravine (closer for the pack out too
) landing nicely on his belly in a carved out drywash.
Seems the tumble/"10" point landing was my thing this year as my 2nd deer tumbled and landed on top off a four foot high rock.
As a long time bowhunter and meathunter, It was super fun to be able to let the air out of a quality deer at longer ranges again, and as stated, I'm a meat hunter so I have zero idea on what he scores, and really don't care, I am beyond happy with my choice of bucks to put this tag on.
