First Buck With A Bow

[mikelonsford]

Well I tried posting this months ago and after a bunch of typing the pics wouldn't load....so I'm trying again now.  Hopefully it works.

Went hunting with my hunting partner (and life long buddy) and some of his buddies from work (including Bowsandhose).  We went up to Swakane with everyone else for late archery.  First couple days we went high and saw plenty of deer but wanted to try somewhere else.  Then we tried a different area suggested by the guy whose property we stayed on (another work buddy of the other 3).  This day was me and Bowsandhose hunting together.  Saw tons of deer and tons of hunters.  We're heading back to the truck when we see 2 bedded bucks, a 3pt and a 4 pt.  We rock/paper/scissored for who got to stalk...and I won, mainly thanks to all the practice I was getting from my kids.  I ditched my gear figuring this would be a one chance and done on the stalk.  I was regretting that 4 hours later.

So these deer are at the head of a little valley with a steep barren rise behind them, each one watching the approaching slope below and to the sides.  I figure the best bet is to circle around from above.  It took about an hour but I finally got within 30 to 40 yards above them.  I could only see one, the other still hidden by hill and brush.  Figured I still need to be closer cause the lay of the land was going to be them getting up and jumping a swale beneath them.  Anyhow too much noise from me, they bust up, but only for a couple seconds, stop about 80 yards away and start to eating and slowly going up a hill paralleling the ridge.  I wait until I can move again and get to the top of the ridge and run down to where I think they may cross the ridge.  Bowsandhose is giving me crazy hand signals and I am thinking we should have gone over those before this all started.  Then it is cat and mouse along the ridge for a few minutes.  I see both bucks a couple times but not where I have a shot.  Eventually I do get an ambush spot on one, he is about 30 yards and eating.  He looks up 3 or 4 times at me or my direction, but doesn't spook as I'm hidden behind sage.  I draw back to shoot, unfortunately my peep sight has turned and I can't see through it.  By the time I let off and come back up he is gone.  I sneak forward to see where he is and see nothing.  This is a very finger like ridge, there is no where to go but I don't see him.  I look in the snow but there are way too many tracks.  i look around for 10 minutes, decide to go back up the ridge and to the truck.  Now I see both bucks on the next ridge over, but not far.  I make a plan to get to them and start off, exposed on the hill between us but using cover where I can.  Part way there they come across a doe that turns and comes my way, the 3 pt follows her the 4 pt keeps going.  We all meet up in the bottom, about 40 yards apart, they keep going down along the bottom cut, I parallel them slightly up the hill.   About 200 yards further down, the doe has bedded, the buck goes opposite hill and beds up hill about 40 yards, he is 70 from me as the crow flies across the mini canyon.  He is in the open but bedding looking up the hill. 

New plan, go down the hill a couple hundred yards, come back up on his hillside from below him.  So I get to within 100 yards of him and see he's actually on a point and can see everywhere, other than he is looking opposite direction from me.  Between me and him there are 5 trees not more than 3' or 4' tall and 1 that is about 10' but it is aways away.  I get on all fours and crawl in the snow between 2' sage.  Takes better part of an hour but I get to the big tree and start to set up to shoot.  He gets up but doesn't seem to be looking or thinking about me, just coincidence i think.  He goes off his knob away from me slowly, as soon as I am in defilade, i get up and quickly close the distance.  As I am creeping over the knob, I look back and see the still bedded doe about 20 yards behind and downhill from me looking straight at me with just snow between us.  I look back for the buck and see him about 40 yards away.  Eating and slowly walking away.  I reach for my range finder but can't find it.  He hits the crease between meeting slopes and now turns 90 degrees to the left, full broadside.  I pull back and shoot.  I got a bad case of itchy trigger finger and shot low right behind the front leg and under the brisket.  He trotted a couple steps and stopped again.  I steadied myself and shot another, this time it felt good, but the arrow went the same location, I hadn't realized it, but he had moved away about 10 yards or so.  Again he bounded a couple times and stopped.  I tried one more but this time added about 10 yards to the shot.  Same result.  At this point I was Mad at myself for blowing such a great opportunity and so much effort.  Again he "only" went a couple steps but I finally realized I wasn't adding enough distance to my shot.  So i added 20 this time and aimed at 70 yards.....before you say it, i know dumb shot, but I was in the mindset of killing, mad about so much time and good stalking and wanting to get the deer so i made the decision.  Luckily the shot was true.  I was shocked in fact, the buck took two bounds and fell over dead in about 5 seconds.  Last year the doe I killed took 3 arrows and half an hour, all were in the boiler house, but not nearly as effective as this shot.  It went thru the upper lobe of the lung and must have it a main artery between the lungs and the heart. 

I was thankful, happy and proud of the stalk effort.  I went back found my range finder in the snow about 100 yards back.  Gutted the deer, went back to the truck and I was dying of thirst, still no gear other than my knife and bow.  I had eaten a LOT of snow.  The stalk had been 3 hours, over a couple ridges and numerous times within close proximity of the deer.  I was exhausted but very very happy.  Thanks to my 3 hunting buds that came and helped on the drag out and enjoyed in the time spent hunting.

Mike

[bowhunterforever]

Nice buck and story

[carpsniperg2]

congrats nice looking buck for sure. doesnt look like the blood bucket is catching much blood but the floor is

[zackmioli]

good story, pics, and buck! congrats.

[rasbo]

awesome job and story...way to bring him home

[buckhorn2]

Sounds like you made a real hunt out of it and it payed off with a real nice buck.

[Armadillo]

excellent story and buck!

[beave]

Great Buck

[PacificNWhunter]

Nice stick and string buck!

[bowsandhose]

glad you got your story up mike 
grats again on a nice buck

[Pathfinder101]

Very cool

[engelwood]

Good looking buck, nice work 

[crane]

Is that guy on the left in the third photo down a fireman?  I think I recognize him.  Nice story and photos, looks like you had a great hunt.  It is getting me really excited for the 2010 season.  107 days and counting. 

[1morebuck]

Nice buck and great story. It is awesome to recollect memories like that, they just never fade.

[coachcw]

Thanks for keeping it real .