Post by: highside74 on November 23, 2011, 08:51:28 PM
Day to started 45 minutes late, a drive to a new area and more snow. A Dogde with no chains blocking 2 other trucks and myself as we were tryng to climb up the mountain. An hour or so later we were on our way. I spot 2 does and a buck as they come across and down. We stay slow and give the does space to continue their path. unfortunetly We we were just 10 seconds to fast and we barely beat the does to the bottom of the draw as it crossed the road. They spun and took the buck with them. I don't think he was a shooter but it was fun. 45 minutes later and I'm stairing down hill 70 yards at a buck. I turn to my buddy and say grab your bow as I bail out the door. He gives us at least 2 minutes to try and make him a 3 point but all we could come up with was a big 2 and an eyegaurd that was not an inch in our opinion so off we go. Let me tell you my 4runner is a beast. we climbed into country only us had been in the snow. Ever corner we just new we were going to see something. All the tracks end over the edge. So we turn back to work another road system. This also brought us to areas not traveled yet by hunter's in recent day's. I was plowing fresh snow. I came to a spot wuth a large rock on the inside that I didn't want to go around but my buddy got out and worked me around it without a problem. Not much further and we came to what we thought was close to the end over a large basin with a number of finger's to examine. He was feeling banged up from his trek yesterday and a number of bad fall's. Both on the mountain and the frozen road below. So I walked a couple hundred yards down the skid road looking over the edge until I spot a shooter 400 yards out and down bedded with his back to the hill above. I crap my pants and run to grab my buddy and plan a stock. I work my way down a finger ridge and work my way through the snow fallin once and sliding a little as I look back to my friend with my bino's for guidance. A little tweak to my angle of decent and I find myself 53 yards away from a nice 3x3 with good eyegaurd's. I anchor and air one out. A little far back but he is hit hard and he moves over the edge and out of sight. I move after him and find him70 -90 yards away and standing broadside looking like he is feeling the effect's of my first arrow. I reach for my range finder that I had grabbed from my buddy becaus mine was not reading correctly in the cold weather I guess and realize that like mine his was not teatherd to me like I have mine and I dropped it in the snow as I prepared for my first shot. So without a range finder I guess 70 and wiff. He now is moving down hill further into the bottom and he stop's again after covering 80 or so yards. He really doesn't want to move. I headed up to get the range finder and head back toward the buck just in time to see him walk out of sight into the brush toward the bottom of the draw. Feeling sick to my stomach and vowing never to hunt for the rest of the year I sit and wait for him to come back into sight. 20 minutes later and no buck so I start my climb out. Something told me to glass from my new angle into the bottom and after 2 minutes I find him piled up nose down in the snow. I yell to my buddy he's dead and he tell's me to come back up and we will get the pack's ready for our work to come. Mind you there is 8-10 inches of snow on the ground it's 33 degree's and raining right now. This is gonna be rough, but worth it. As we make our way down I get to about 80 yards and see that he has his head up. Oh no! He lay's it down and pick's it up a few more times as i pnder wether or not to shoot him and risk him going even further down or let him be and expire. I decide to move across and down below him so that even he run's hopefully he see's me and goes up and not down. As I move into sight of him again he makes one last attempt at getting up and slides down the snow and piles up into some bushes 15 feet from me. I knocked and arrow and finished him there.
Not the way we draw it up as we lay in bed and dream of our hunt's. But I'm proud of my 2011 Mule deer and I had a great time in the mountain's.
Post by: BENCHLEG on November 23, 2011, 09:12:14 PM
Post by: highside74 on November 23, 2011, 09:30:54 PM
Post by: CountryslickR on November 23, 2011, 09:35:36 PM
Post by: BENCHLEG on November 23, 2011, 09:40:41 PM
Post by: highside74 on November 23, 2011, 09:47:16 PM
looks like you were ready? nice ride.
Thanks. I love it. When the chain's went on Tuesday I was unstoppable. We were equiped with a chainsaw, axe, shovel, ropes, more chain, snatch block's and my winch that goes on the front or the back. I can't believe how much confidence having a well equipped vehicle gives you up there.
Post by: deerslyr on November 23, 2011, 10:01:55 PM
Post by: highside74 on November 23, 2011, 10:08:18 PM
The newer runners come with an e-locker in the rear right?
Yes it has an E-locker also.
Post by: deerslyr on November 23, 2011, 11:18:33 PM
Post by: wsucowboy on November 23, 2011, 11:39:20 PM
Post by: Camp David on November 24, 2011, 05:25:05 AM
Post by: coachcw on November 24, 2011, 03:22:58 PM
Post by: mulehunter on November 24, 2011, 04:52:38 PM
Post by: patton1 on November 24, 2011, 07:41:11 PM
Post by: scottfrick on November 24, 2011, 08:30:55 PM
Post by: Wanttohuntmore on November 24, 2011, 08:32:06 PM
Post by: big wood on November 25, 2011, 03:02:10 PM
Post by: highside74 on November 26, 2011, 08:44:52 AM
Post by: blackveltbowhunter on November 26, 2011, 09:00:04 AM
Post by: highside74 on November 28, 2011, 09:44:16 PM
Congrats Highside74, and nice meeting you Tuesday morning behind those two dodges. I was the guy with the white Tundra that returned the snatch block to you. Good thing you had that block, otherwise the guy in the white dodge would be there awhile.
It seemed to all work out in the end. If we weren't running late and didn't get stuck behind that Dodge our day could have played out differently. I am glad I had that snatch block though. We'd probably still be there. Nice to meet you guy's.
Post by: KopperBuck on November 28, 2011, 10:05:23 PM
Post by: RIVERRAT on November 28, 2011, 11:01:18 PM
Post by: highside74 on December 03, 2011, 01:39:54 PM
BTW.. The arrows you fletched for me picked up a big whitetail this year!
Shhh. I will be fletching arrow's for everyone, if the word get's out that I fletch magic arrow's. :chuckle:
Post by: gotcha on December 03, 2011, 02:25:48 PM
Post by: highside74 on December 03, 2011, 02:39:51 PM
Great deer. Which unit was that. Looks like the area i hunt.
'm sorry but all I will say is it was a general tag.