What would you do? (Scenario question)

[longstevo]

Hey guys,

I'll write out a scenario that happened to me the last day of late buck just two days ago.  I'd like to know if you guys would have done anything differently. 

Here goes:
Two thirty in the afternoon, you go go over the ridgeline of a deep canyon to glass for anything you can see.  It's been cold and freezing and everything is dry, and what is in the shade is still frozen and crunchy.  Your effort to go down into the canyon is based on the idea there might be a buck sunning himself among some rimrock. 

Right off the bat, you see a deer standing near a stand of oaks.  You can't see antlers, but you can see this deer's massive neck.  Buck!  You immediately drop to the opposite side of the bare hillside across from him and drop down to his level.  Inch by inch, you come across this bare hillside (the second pic is the hill), and you finally see him bedded down.  He's a very tall 4X4, and he's looking right at you!  What do you do?

Admin:  the second picture is the looking towards the buck from the bare hill side.  No buck in this picture, but the red arrow/dot represents where he was, in addition to a blue arrow where the wind was blowing.  The first one is the hillside you're caught on.

[vandeman17]

i don't see any arrows... 

[bobcat]

you finally see him bedded down.  He's a very tall 4X4, and he's looking right at you!  What do you do?

I would shoot him!

[CavemantheHunter]

Am I missing something? I would shoot him too!

[JColony]

Ditto, shoot.  If its the last day and its legal, I'm puttin a move on it.

[CedarPants]

I would be taking a very careful look past him.  If you could sneak that close with a gun, you'd better bet BoneAddict snuck closer with a camera.  Always know what lies beyond your target 

[longstevo]

Oh, right.  I missed the one critical detail. 

Its muzzleloader season, and with that comes restricted range.
 

[jackmaster]

LOOKS SAFE I WOULD CRACK HIM.

[Gobble Gobble]

I'm guessing you have been practicing with your Muzzy so your comfort zone is out to about 120 yrds. Hard to tell but I'd guess its just over that to the buck. I'd put the bush between me and the deer for cover, low crawl my way to with in my confort zone and pin that buck in his bed with a quick peek-a-boo shot from around the tree cuz that hill looks steep and it will be a B!^@# of a climb out with the meet and rack should he jump and run down hill.

[markrjohn]

I would be looking for a closer shot too, drags are a pain in the ass all alone and that looks nasty.  It getting late so you better hurry shooting light is only a little more than an hour and a half Away, then all the work begins.

[jackmaster]

sorry i missed that as well i just payed attention to the extended buck part, with a musket i guess ya just gotta do your best to put the sneak on him

[longstevo]

I'm guessing you have been practicing with your Muzzy so your comfort zone is out to about 120 yrds. Hard to tell but I'd guess its just over that to the buck. I'd put the bush between me and the deer for cover, low crawl my way to with in my confort zone and pin that buck in his bed with a quick peek-a-boo shot from around the tree cuz that hill looks steep and it will be a B!^@# of a climb out with the meet and rack should he jump and run down hill.

Should have done that. 

I'll post what actually happened tonight.  Keep the suspense up...

[BoomWhop]

I would cut the distance but not right at him.  With my Muzzy and my peep sight and bi pod, I would want to close to under 120 yards, if he is still bedded.  I would side hill to get above him, what is the range of your rifle?  I have had them let me angle closer to them on open hill sides if they think I might just pass by.

[adamR]

don't know the distances... but I would haul a$$ to get that brush in between you and the buck and then sneak up to it as close as you could and take a calm shot... that brush seems to be perfect for you to close alot of distance

[BOWHUNTER45]

I DO NOT KNOW ... But I think I would come in above him and slowly work my way in on him .......CLICK BOOOOOOM ...HE rolls down the hill 

[longstevo]

Alright, so the story unfolded like this:

I skylined over that open ridge, and was shocked with I glassed that buck looking right at me!  I hunkered down and remained still for several minutes until the buck moved his attention elsewhere.  Then I shed my day pack and began the long creep towards a closer shooting position.  Foot by foot I crawled and crab walked down and across that bald face with little more than grass and rocks to cover me.  I'd go a foot, then stop.  Then risk another one, and stop.  The whole time, the buck didn't notice me.

It seemed like it took an hour and I covered one hundred yards, but in reality I only covered about forty yards in half an hour.  But thats a long time with adrenaline pounding in your ears and dealing with cotton mouth.  But everything was working out perfectly.

I finally got to a spot where I was sure I couldn't go any further without being spotted.   I guessed the range to be 150, maybe a little more.  I had a good rock to lean on for a shooting bench.  The sights were steady as I aimed high and fired. 

Nothing.  The buck didn't move at all.  The faint breeze coming from the canyon blew the smoke away immediately.  As I begin the customary "Muzzleloader Curse Chant" while reloading, the buck never moved.  A second shot got nothing.  The buck didn't move.  The third shot finally got his attention and he leapt to his feet.  With a fourth shot, the buck finally had enough of the thunder and made his way quickly, and healthily, downhill.   I saw him go down into the draw opposite me and didn't see him come out thanks to a pause in the breeze that concealed him. 

I scoured the area for signs of blood and found nothing.  I followed the draw he disappeared into all the way to the bottom of the canyon and back up again and found zero sign of anything.  So with it getting dark, I made the long and lonely trip back to the truck.

Stretching the range of a muzzleloader, its what I'm good at.  Now this buck will haunt me for the rest of my life and what I could have done differently. 

[Encore 280]

That's one of the things I hate about the front stuffers, limited range If ya woulda had a center fire, dead deer the first time ya spotted him. Now ya got all winter, spring and summer to think about him before ya head back to that spot next year for modern.

[Gobble Gobble]

If it makes you feel any better I spotted a doe at 100 yrds and closed to with in 35 and passed my arrow through both of her lungs at 40 yrds   

[Black Plague]

"Stretching the range of a muzzleloader, its what I'm good at."    lol .....ah man, sorry to hear you had to reload that many times...thats kind of a pain.....lol....well, maybe next time 

[benhuntin]

If it was 150 you probably shot over but you did not say if you checked the range for sure maybe it was closer than you figured.  Thats why we invented rifles

[longstevo]

If it was 150 you probably shot over but you did not say if you checked the range for sure maybe it was closer than you figured.  Thats why we invented rifles

Amen to that.  Next time we go back in there I'm bringing the rangefinder and I'll crawl back down into that hole and range it, just for kicks. 

I'm sure I did overshoot. 

[benhuntin]

How big was the buck?

[boneaddict]

    You're right Cedarpants.   I was sitting there minding my own business trying to get this photo when all of a sudden I heard something whizz by my ear.  2 seconds later a big boom in the distance....

[gaddy]

 :chuckle:sorry to hear about your close call bone. maybe we should require orange for photographers for thier own saftey

[Encore 280]

I was thinkin, after that many shots, pick the damn gun up and throw it at 'im!! 

[Helix]

Aww dude that sucks.  sorry to hear that.  I bet you remember the range finder and the camelback next time.  When I was reading about all those shots I was thinking Measure twice Cut once. 

[longstevo]

   You're right Cedarpants.   I was sitting there minding my own business trying to get this photo when all of a sudden I heard something whizz by my ear.  2 seconds later a big boom in the distance....

Damn!  I thought I saw something else moving along that ridge!  You should have waved hi, Bone!

[longstevo]

How big was the buck?

He was a very good 4x4 blacktail.  And tall too. 

[the1rod]

blacktail?! wow, those pics looked like the east side. it the west side wont even give you a tree to hide behind, then you must really have some bad karma.

[longstevo]

blacktail?! wow, those pics looked like the east side. it the west side wont even give you a tree to hide behind, then you must really have some bad karma.

Haha, I know, right?  Unit 578 is right on the border of the west/east side.

[Sitka_Blacktail]

Hey guys,

I'll write out a scenario that happened to me the last day of late buck just two days ago.  I'd like to know if you guys would have done anything differently. 
 
he's looking right at you!  What do you do?
[/b]

I know I'm coming late to the conversation, and hindsight is 20/20. But here's what I would have done.

With the wind what it is, I'd have gone up to the top of the main ridge on the right and worked my way up until I was directly above him, for three reasons. First, you gave the wind in your favor, second if he's laying on a hillside, he's more than likely looking downhill or parallel for danger. Deer rarely bed on a hill in a position to look up, although they may turn their head to look up once in a while. They are in a position to cover a lot of ground with their eyes, but the advantage for them is even with or below them. Third, there appears to be a tree or trees you could use to your advantage to hide behind as you make your way down the hill and there is a gully close to those trees that you can work down into for heading down to where you want to make your shot .  Judging where those trees are on the middle ridge will give you a pretty good idea of where to slowly come out of the gulley and still be above him and down wind of him and hopefully you can get a good close shot. If there's enough wind, it can also cover up any slight noise you may make on your stalk.

If for some reason he's gone when you get to a comfy range,  No biggy, there will be another chance at him or another buck. Personally, I'd rather lose a buck trying to stalk into close range than lose one I shot at.  Either way, you don't bring the meat home, but there are a lot more bad scenario's if you shoot and lose him than if you just don't get a good shot.  I've done both over the years which is where I got to where I am today.

When I get time, I'll post a couple pix of one I spotted from about 400 yards and made a stalk on only to lose him after I got within 30 yards of him, due to some airheadedness on my part.