Post by: WAHIKER on November 25, 2010, 12:18:07 AM
We got to our spot just before dawn and started walking/glassing through a gully with quite a bit of sage and tall grass as cover. After about an hour we came on a couple young bucks. They hadn't seen us but, looked to be two-points. If I could spot a third tine I would have taken one. My goal this year was really just to get a legal buck. After watching them for a while longer to see if they had any friends we continued on. About two hours more of walking and seeing just a group of four does we thought we would go back to the truck to another side of the property. We peered over a ridge to the next gully over and glassed before heading back. No deer in this gully we both thought. As we walked down the ridge I heard my father speak up "Shooter!" I saw a decent sized buck standing up out of an eyelet we just glassed on the other side of the gully. I set up my shooting sticks and got lucky with the buck stopping just before the top of the gully broadside at about 175 yards to look back at us. Took a shot and thought I got a decent hit as he went over the ridge.
We crouched over the next ridge to see if we might be able to see him. Just as we looked over my Dad saw him walking along the opposing side hill about 300 yards away with a gaping mouth and blood streaming down his leg. I wasn't happy with myself when I realized I had only broken his front leg and hit too low for his vitals. We watched him travel down the gully that I knew fed into a large canyon with a deep dry river bed carved at the bottom. Dad and I walked to the top ridge of the large canyon and saw him at the bottom slowly trotting along some game trails. He hadn't seen us and we were at least 600 yards away and at a much higher elevation. From our vantage point we had a nice view of the canyon and decided to stop and wait to see if he bedded down. We watched as he traversed a steep side hill on the opposing side when he layed. He had absolutely no cover around him but could easily see in all directions. It would be tough for me to get another decent shot without him seeing me from a long ways off. My dad and I waited to decide what we should do when a coyote comes trotting down from on top the canyon towards the bedded deer. The buck spots it, waits until the coyote is about a 100 yards off, than gets up and heads back down to the bottom of the canyon among some sage brush. Meanwhile, the coyote recognizing the injury sits on the sidehill to wait for a nice evening meal as he watches the buck bed down. Hats off to the coyote though because now I could easily approach the buck without being seen using the deep dry river bed as cover. I wouldn't be able to see the buck as I crouched down the river bed so my Dad stayed on top to signal me if the deer had gotten up again. After a long steep walk down the canyon using one of the fingers to the canyon as cover and crouching down in the river bed and got to within what I thought was about a 150 yards of the buck. I peered over the edge and could just see its rack, but there was too much brush in the way to get a clear shot. I crawled down a little further when I peered over again. He must have smelled me or gotten suspicious because he had stood up. I get my rifle into position when he trots right in front of me about 75 yards away to the opposing hillside. When he paused at the top of a rock out cropping, I had a clear shot. He went straight down and I was relieved to retrieve the deer. Overall a great ending and I was very happy with a nice 3x4 first buck with my father, but a little disappointed with my initial shot. More target practice for next year.
Post by: denali on November 25, 2010, 12:28:11 AM
welcome aboard.
Post by: spookgus on November 25, 2010, 12:46:51 AM
Post by: Little Dave on November 25, 2010, 12:47:31 AM
Post by: billythekidrock on November 25, 2010, 05:40:23 AM
Post by: PacificNWhunter on November 25, 2010, 05:46:42 AM
Post by: patton1 on November 25, 2010, 09:00:41 AM
Post by: C-Money on November 25, 2010, 09:18:56 AM
Post by: BlackRidge on November 25, 2010, 09:31:35 AM
you definitely messed that front leg up :chuckle:
Post by: Black Ghost on November 25, 2010, 09:38:42 AM
Post by: MAVsled on November 25, 2010, 09:44:20 AM
too bad you couldn't have dumped that deer stalking coyote afterwards.
Post by: lazydrifter on November 25, 2010, 09:49:30 AM
Post by: WAHIKER on November 25, 2010, 09:55:07 AM
Tell your dad that you need your face in the picture too :chuckle: :chuckle: :chuckle: nice deer
:chuckle: My face is too beautiful, I don't want you guys to get too jealous :chuckle:
Thanks for the responses everyone. Had it hung in my garage for five days and got 55 lbs of boned out meat. Been enjoying some tender backstrap and some nice burgers!
Post by: ser300wsm on November 25, 2010, 05:17:29 PM
Post by: cooneyes on November 25, 2010, 07:00:59 PM
Post by: 400out on November 26, 2010, 08:50:16 AM