sakogreywolf
11-04-2012, 06:23 PM
http://s1283.beta.photobucket.com/user/sakogreywolf/library/#/user/sakogreywolf/library/?&_suid=135207470838009465163745199594
I have been hunting hard for one particular buck for all of October this season. I had some close encounters a few times: a blown stalk here and a pinned in the wrong position there. At one time walking to my morning spot I actually bumped him at 10 yds in the dark.
Last Saturday I was about to go to my spot again, but the wind was in the wrong direction so I decided to go to another area. As I was walking I was seeing a few deer, when all of a sudden a buck that was just a hair smaller than the one I have been hunting jumped out of some bush and headed up into the coulees. THE HUNT WAS ON!
I took my time walking up one draw when around a bend I located the deer that had jumped up from below. He had joined up with a small buck and they had bedded down. I sat for a while to take some pictures and formulate a plan. First I went low to see if I could close the gap, however there was no option there. I went up above where I then found out there were three does there that I could not get by. I went back to my original position to ponder the situation. A stalk was starting to look improbable, but I decided to look from above again. As I went to my top vantage again, the bucks were out of view, but one of the does noticed me and all three does stood up. A couple minutes later the does took off - my first big break! I now went to the bottom of the draw and my next break came when I realized that there was a hill that would obscure my presence from the two bucks to within 30 yds. When I got to where I was pondering my next move (a possible quick couple of steps to take a 30 yd shot), the little buck got nervous and started out; the big guy got up as well, but because he did not yet know I was there, he was walking instead of running. At what I estimated to be 50 yds, he stopped quartering away from me. I took the shot and he exploded out of there and started running for the river. He went around the bend where I lost sight of him. I started out toward the river after him and within 10 minutes I found him laying dead already!
I was pumped to say the least, as this hunt was a great one that capped off a month of hard work. While I did not shoot the buck I had set out to, I am very pleased to have harvested this muley.
I have been hunting hard for one particular buck for all of October this season. I had some close encounters a few times: a blown stalk here and a pinned in the wrong position there. At one time walking to my morning spot I actually bumped him at 10 yds in the dark.
Last Saturday I was about to go to my spot again, but the wind was in the wrong direction so I decided to go to another area. As I was walking I was seeing a few deer, when all of a sudden a buck that was just a hair smaller than the one I have been hunting jumped out of some bush and headed up into the coulees. THE HUNT WAS ON!
I took my time walking up one draw when around a bend I located the deer that had jumped up from below. He had joined up with a small buck and they had bedded down. I sat for a while to take some pictures and formulate a plan. First I went low to see if I could close the gap, however there was no option there. I went up above where I then found out there were three does there that I could not get by. I went back to my original position to ponder the situation. A stalk was starting to look improbable, but I decided to look from above again. As I went to my top vantage again, the bucks were out of view, but one of the does noticed me and all three does stood up. A couple minutes later the does took off - my first big break! I now went to the bottom of the draw and my next break came when I realized that there was a hill that would obscure my presence from the two bucks to within 30 yds. When I got to where I was pondering my next move (a possible quick couple of steps to take a 30 yd shot), the little buck got nervous and started out; the big guy got up as well, but because he did not yet know I was there, he was walking instead of running. At what I estimated to be 50 yds, he stopped quartering away from me. I took the shot and he exploded out of there and started running for the river. He went around the bend where I lost sight of him. I started out toward the river after him and within 10 minutes I found him laying dead already!
I was pumped to say the least, as this hunt was a great one that capped off a month of hard work. While I did not shoot the buck I had set out to, I am very pleased to have harvested this muley.