Opening Morning success (LONG WRITE UP) (3 PICS)

[Ellensburg]

Well I had planned on holding out for something in the 25 inch range this year but circumstances changed and I didn't . I found myself in the same spot where I had connected with a 4x4 last year along the snake river breaks, hunting with a friend. The first buck of the morning was a beauty. Probably 20 wide and legal. He gave us a great look from 200 and stood there all day. My friend got in position and started blasting away, missing every shot by about 5 feet below the deer. I was going to back his shot up but I had just started moving into better position when he squeezed off the first shot. That deer ran into another group of hunters who shot and missed, and then into a 3rd group who I believe tagged the animal.

We were seeing about 50-100 deer per hour as we rode the tops of the ridges on a four wheeler. I spotted a monster buck running with another buck. I put him at 25 wide. Thick, and juicy, just like I like em. I told my buddy that he could stay on the four wheeler but I had to go after this deer. I went down into the canyon and saw the deer skyline himself about 300 yards away. Took me 45 minutes to bust up the hill and put myself in what I thought was perfect position. I never saw the deer again but I did see another buck. I crawled for about 30 minutes and got no more than 75 yards away from this buck but he was only a wide 2 point. About this time I see my buddy driving down to me on the four wheeler. He couldn't believe that I ha hiked all that way. I told him that that is the only way to get close to the big ones and thats when he asked if I heard him shooting. I guess that I had pushed the bruiser buck by him and he missed about 3 shots. ALL LOW AGAIN (Gun was way off I guess).

I hiked around some more and saw a TON of deer. Some 2 points that were pushing 20 high and 20 wide. HORRIBLE GENETICS!

My buddy was putting around in the four wheeler and so i got him to come pick me up. We were going to go buck some hay and have lunch. On the way in I spot a buck laying along a fence line. We can tell he has forks but no way of telling if he was legal. I get my buddy into position and crawl, hobble, and sneak our way to about 150 yards. He is bedded down still and looking right at us in the dark shade of a hillside. My friend was wearing a wind breaker that was extremely loud so I tell him to stay back and I am going to move into a better position to put some eye guards on this fella. I move at a snails pace and get to about 100 yards. My friend says that he thinks it has eye guards but I still don't have the view to be sure. 45 minutes into the stalk, the deer stands up and his horns hit the sun. I lay prone and get my gun on my bag and sure enough i see an eyeguard on the side in the sun. The buck starts moving and i squeeze off a shot. I hit too far back on him and he takes off. At this time my gun doesnt eject my round and im frantically scrambling to get another bullet in the chamber because I do not want this deer to go down the canyon. It would literally take 10 hours to get it out. I manage to get another bullet in. Another shot (turns out it grazes his spine but not a paralyzer). The deer stops and i put one more round in him and he drops hard. I see his legs flailing and I mark the spot. When I get over to the deer I see that he is still alive. I can see where my "kill shot" hit and it looks like a perfect lunger to me. I wait and wait and start to feel very sorry for the deer and I decide to put one through the skull. I really don't care about this rack getting broke up. I field dress the deer and by 1 o clock we are packed out.

I had passed up on a bigger buck that walked in front of me but for some reason I knew that putting all the effort and sweat into this deer made it a real trophy in my book. I was so thankful to have connected on opening morning for the 2nd year in a row. He was not up to my pre-determined standards but it wasn't a draw only hunt or an expensive hunt. I have been hunting deer for 15 years and I don't think I have ever been more proud of a buck. I got in somewhat decent hiking shape, had a very tuned in gun (although i made a poor shot), and put myself in great position on many bucks. My friend never connected but we had a talk about the importance of sighting in your rifle . I can only hope that I get to hunt this area another year.

My passion has never been greater for the sport that I love!

Here is a summary of what I saw on the land I was hunting over the course of 2 morning hunts and 1 evening hunt:

500+ deer
80 or so bucks with 90% being 2 points
60+ pheasant
100+ huns
15 coyotes
6 hunters


Pictures of the lil guy:



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[banannaclip]

cutting pretty close there, good thing for eye guards

[Ellensburg]

cutting pretty close there, good thing for eye guards

Thats whats cool. Took so much effort to make the buck legal. I'm not sure if the little crab claw is a legal point but both of the eye guards are. Plenty legal! This is my 2nd smallest buck, but one of my favorites.

[Alan K]

Meat in the freezer! 

[halflife65]

Good job!  Better get back over there for birds.

[royalbull]

remember that those hides might be worth something to some of the taxi's on here, nice eatin buck

[runamuk]

Congrats glad you had a successful hunt...

[MichaelD]

I agree, sometimes the smaller but barely legal bucks are more satisfying than a clearly legal buck.  Seems like you take more time studying, glassing, and considering it than an automatic buck.  I ended up this year with a 3x1.  Looked legal straight on but to the side it looked like a 2 point.  Being muzzleloader season I ended up working that buck for about 1.5 hours before taking a shot at about 35 yards. 
Good work!
Michael

PS - Lots and lots and lots of crappy genetics with two points and 2x1's running around.....lot more this year than last, more last than the year before, etc, etc

[banannaclip]

something that close i wouldnt be showing that off or leave it hanging in camp,webbed points do not count the eye guards have to be 1'' . that rule was put in place just in case someone does this and then realizes they screwed up. i myself never have counted eye guards neve had too anyway, this year it dont matter for me i can shoot anybuck in my unit,of course my opening day is in nov and there will be only 13 other guys out in the whole unit probley wont even see any  of them either . but hey you havested a legal buck    good eating,good hunt,good memorys

[fishnate]

webbed points do not count

where in the regs does it say webbed points dont count. all i can find is the one inch rule?

[Mike450r]

That is legal without the eyegaurds for sure.  Would take some good eyes to see it from distance though.  I think the maybe the "webbed points" referred to is the change in how they measure a point.  I will have to check the regs to make sure but I don't think it says " measured from where the point starts off the main beam" anymore. 

When this form of measurement was in effect some pretty small antler growths off the main beam would measure an inch.

[Stickerbush]

aww nice buck, great story. Congrats!

[carpsniperg2]

congrats on a nice buck. why are we talking about maybe legal? that buck is a 2x3 with out eye gaurds and a 3x4 with the eye gaurds counted. they are all 3 legal points at least 1" long. congrats