Opening morning in Oregon was cold with snow. I went up to where the timber meets the CRP fields on our ranch. The bull elk were whistleing and screaming back and forth at each other just as light began to show. The snow continued to fall and with more intensity, though it was not sticking...yet. On this hunt I was not gonna be picky. I just wanted to get a deer in the freezer. As the darkness continued to fade to light, I began to see deer. 16 muley does were making their way accross the CRP to the saftey of the timber. No bucks in that group. Over the next hour or so, two more large groups of mule deer does and fawns making their way to the timber. I also was seeing small groups of Whitetail does and fawns running around. Then, a single deer, way accross the pond, on another hill was a single deer. Rats! My binos are all fogged up, so I flip the scope covers up on the 3x9 Leupold and take a look. A Buck! Good I say to my self, he is wandering in no big hurry my way. So I cover my scope back up and hunker down and rest the .270 win on my shooting sticks. About 10 minuets pass and the buck is in the bottom near the pond at nearly 275 yards behind a leafy bush/tree. So I wait, hoping he would step out from the bush and give me a broadside shot. As the wait continued, a doe and two fawns ran over the hill and down passed the buck and tree. The buck took a few steps out into the clear looking at the running does. I flip open the scope covers once again as the snow flakes grew in size. The cross hairs settle in tight behind the left shoulder, a squeeze of the trigger, POW....Wop. Down goes my buck in his tracks. As I walk down to the buck, I thank God for a great morning and a full freezer. All family members who had tags this year found the bucks they were looking for too. Mine was the only one taken on Saturday and the reast came on Sunday. Was a great year in Oregon..
