Although he is far from my biggest, he helped me to break a two year dry spell and is a trophy to me nonetheless. I hunted the same ridge for 5 days, and was seeing deer every day, they just happened to be does and two points. My dad was able to drive over to meet me on Thursday night and we planned to hunt my same ridge in the morning. On the way out I was questioning whether I should move spots, as I had not seen a legal deer after five days of hunting and being in animals. I was then reminded to "plan your hunt and hunt your plan." About an after shooting light I spotted three bucks about 585 yards ahead of us, and moving quickly away. We didn't have time to put more than two points on any of them with the spotting scope before the quickly disappeared over the ridge. Fortunately, after hunting the same ridge for two years now, I knew the saddle where they were heading and dipped on to the other side of the ridge so that we could make ground fast. Well, something must have spooked the deer that was beyond out control because they beat us to the saddle and dropped over out of sight. Now it is around 8:30am and my dad has to be on a call at 10:30. We decide that given the 1% chance of us getting back into them without spooking them was our only opportunity, we opted to continue in pursuit and hopes of putting a third point on one of the deer.
We followed down into the saddle and up over the other side, inch by inch, raising the binoculars to try and locate the top of antlers or an ear. And then it happened, 185 yards downhill I noticed the top of an antler. But the deer and held up in a bowl and for me to get shooting visibility on them I would have had to completely expose myself. So with 2 hours before my dad had to return to the car, we decided to back out and loop around another ridge that was opposite of the bowl that the deer had held up in. I creeped up to a rock outcropping that I thought would give me a view of the three bucks, and then all of a sudden, there were four. Four bucks that is, all bedded and at 263 yards. I got comfortable with the spotting scope and immediately focused on what looked to be the oldest deer (because of his completely white face). He was just a lowly 1x2, I think so hold that his antlers had regressed (and I sure wish I could have shot him because I had never seen a deer that looked that old). Then to the deer with the biggest rack, a deep-forked 2x2 with no eye guards. Then to the second biggest rack, another deep-forked 2x2 with no eye guards. Then, as a last hope, the smallest 2x2, and wha la! An eyeguard...I think. His head turned so fast that his antlers where hidden behind his ears before I could confirm. At this point, my dad has decided to back out because we are about an hour from the car and he has to prepare for his call. I told him that if I confirm the eye-guard, I am going to take the shot when he stands up. About 30 minutes later the deer moves his head and I see it again, the eye guard is 100% confirmed. Then the rain started, and it poured for about 30 minutes. When the rain stopped the deer decided to stand up and shake off-his fatal mistake. I gave one last check with the range finder, 263 yards, held 3 inches high, and let the -06 go. Whap, I heard the thud of the bullet as it struck the deer. A 30-yard dash downhill and it was over. Perfect lung shot, and tag notched. Another lifetime memory made with my father beside me.
