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Well, might as well add my brother in law’s 2x4 to the mix. He dropped this buck at 350 yards yesterday evening. It is his biggest buck to date as he just got into deer hunting a few years back. (I may have had something to do with it 😂)...this was an old buck with front hooves larger than any deer I’ve ever seen. That’s 4 bucks for our camp this year.

You done been trolled yo!!

My names Brandon and I have Been a member for a few months, Ed F referred me here to find a cape for my 2020 muley. Just got back from my first couse hunt in AZ. I had no expectations and just knew My buddy from Utah and I were going in blind. Awesome country and it blew my mind. I love glassin and this was the hunt for it. Hunted this buck hard for three days and was finally able to connect, spotted him the day before the opener and on opening day he was no where to be found, we new he should be In The area and stayed the course, on Saturday we spotted him in the same bench we found him a few days wait let and made the plan. Got to 1200 yards my buddy got his spotter out said he was bedded in the same location and after a back and forth on who was gonna go in( I was pushing him to go in and he was pushing me) I caved and went in. My buddy is a way more accomplished hunter then I am so he was happy to see me work in on this buck. popped up on the finger next to the bench he was on, ranged him at 196, cross haired him and waited for him to stand. Bout 15 mins later KAPOOOW, the 6.5 creed ate for the first time and he dropped in his bed. If you guys want to hear more details and how my buddy filled his tag as well, check out my podcast- we are based out of Southern California. I did a semi live 3 episode podcast on this hunt but am going to be posting a in-depth in studio recap of the entire trip so be on the look out for that. podbean, iTunes, google play and any platform you listen to podcast on. Ridge2Ridge outdoors podcast Instagram @ridge2ridgeoutdoors I love Couse hunting.

I did get out this morning. Birds were spooky but I managed 9 over a few hours. This cooler weather and bird numbers being what they are sure makes a guy want to take a hike everyday!

It was blowing wind bad when we got up this morning so decided to drive some properties and just look at new deer that have moved in during this rut. Nothing special on a few until we hit one of our cut corn fields with CRP grass along the edges. I was glassing a few hundred yards off and seen a deer with head down moving like a vacuum. Thought it was a doe feeding until his head came up and told wife get your chit ready cause you need to kill this deer. We walked along the tall CRP grass until we were 100 yards from him. We waited and he kept feeding towards us getting closer and closer getting 40 yards away. I asked if she was on him and she said yes but he then kept coming our way just sniffing the ground hard. Finally the buck stopped at 8 yards and when I looked over at her all I heard was a swack and that buck took off. Went 30 yards and stood there looking at us for a few seconds then tipped over deader than dead. She tucked it right behind his shoulder and got a perfect heart shot. More pics to come as it’s freezing here and we were trying to hurry.

And I'm not talking about the current state of the nation. I knew the odds of me drawing a sheep tag were slim to none, but it happened in 2019. The odds of what happened on my deer hunt this past weekend however, had to be far slimmer and certainly unbelievable without proof. Whether the destination of the day or the particular part of a ridge or canyon, I have told myself a hundred times "that is where you're going to find a lion." With an abundance of hunting pressure on opening day of the third coues hunt in the unit, I went 2.5 miles to the deepest and darkest canyon available from my hunt party's area before sunrise on Saturday. The drainage of the canyon was surprisingly void of deer at first light, so my partner and I kept on the last several hundred yards up a shale face that crested into one of the steepest and biggest Google Earth tricks that I've ever played on myself. I immediately thought, "crap it is going to be tough to find a buck in here, but this HAS to be lion country." One tucked in doe and 5 minutes later, and I had finally found what I'd been dreaming of every day on the mountain for the last 18 years. There sunning sideways on a large boulder along a steep draw, stretched out my first glassed lion with no idea we had slipped into its lair. Unbelievable. The excitement nearly doubled when my rangefinder read a number starting with one of a few magical digits, 4. With the state of cat and a series of boulders and rock faces to navigate through, I closed the number to 400 yards even and set up prone. I waited for an hour and a half as it roll occasionally from side to side. I tried to guess how everything would play out including when, how and for how long it would get up for a stretch, but I was in no mans land. I knew nothing first hand about their daytime behavior and came to the conclusion it could be hours before anything changed. With a solid rest, no kittens joining the party and a forecast of high winds picking up well before noon, it was time to put all the load and range work to use. Timed to a break in the early morning gusts, 2 quick reports and a cloud of dust rising from the rock pile beneath is all that could be seen. For the first time ever, the deer tag in my pocket didn't matter anymore. We found 3 kills all within a few hundred yards. Upon arrival, I feared the lion had crawled its way into a hole that I was going to have to dig out similar to several javelina over the years. But luck continued on my side. My first lion, a 2-3 year-old female. Another first was my young cousin's buck on Friday, his first day ever hunting. Obvious first timer with his headlamp still on his head at noon. I hadn't noticed all day or when taking the photos either! Haha. It was also my first weekend with a new pack and I couldn't have carried the lion out like I did for camp to appreciate without it. A buck on Friday and a 80-90 pound lion on Saturday - what a way to break it in. The Savage LWH has also taken a sheep, coues and lion all within the last year with the 6.5 ELD-X doing its job 3/3, dead right there. And the most unbelievable part? After 18 years behind binoculars across the state with zero lions spotted, a second lion on Sunday after creeping into just 380 yards. It didn't have a care in the world, like it knew none of us had another tag in our pocket. We watched it along with deer a couple hundred yards to both sides for an hour before we let it lay and moved along. I've always heard "anything can happen" when it comes to hunting, and after the last 2 years, it isn't so unbelievable anymore.

Me and my youngest squab chased down a couple covey today.

Had a heck of a time on this hunt. Missed opening morning, friday night nothing showed up and the rest of the weekend was brutally windy. Member forepaw (Steve) had been coming out to help glass which was a huge help, thanks Steve! Last night looking for a little spike that disappeared into a thicket another one popped out as light was starting to fade. Called steve over to keep an eye on him while we moved into position. Got into position and bumped a doe who ran up right by where the bucks were hanging out. Got the rifle set up and this little dude came into an opening to see what the doe was running from. He stood perfectly broadside staring at us. Eenie made a perfect 200 yard shot. He immediately was upset and said "oh no i think i injured him", no buddy you got him. As he shot i saw him jump like he should have and bolt, with an audible crash in the brush. Went back to get Steve and headed up the hill. Had just enough light to take a couple decent pics. Super proud of Eeenie, he was a trooper. Mom came out to meet us and congratulate him on his first deer. Sissy wanted to get in the pic too.

Real men use bourbon

Don’t worry about your smell. If an animal get your wind it’s over regardless. Just mind the wind. I bow hunt after days without a shower.

I did not do good on this one! https://bit.ly/3ePOZgM

BTW her deer is a little bigger I think.

No sir it wasn’t me. I was in Prescott.

Yep. PM’ing him now. Thank you.

Noooooo thank you! 😂 Hey, that Turkey slaughter looked Semi-current? Partial credit? That is how I made it through scrool anyway.

Wife just smoked a nice one at 8 yards.

Correct, I never fired it. I dont know how many times the previous owner fired it, but probably not many. Who can afford to take a 44mag plinking? Not me. On a side note, no weapon sold is unfired. All are fired at the factory to make sure they shoot and do not blow up. Just sayin....

Wifes turn tomorrow. 9 hour round trip packout. Hopefully hers is closer.

Daughter got a double, love that. We ran into 3 different covey's of 30+ birds that weren't spooked. Looks like a very good year for gambles.

Dont be shooting up that .243 ammo!

Congratulations on the giant ! You don’t see many 290” bulls coming off of 4b ! Flat lander is right quality has gone through the roof !

You got way more discipline than me, I would’ve missed at least half a dozen deer by now . good luck and thanks for sharing!

I told him, everyone’s gonna think all we do is shoot stuff in the face lol. it was running, 350 yards. he shouldn’t have ran and he wouldn’t have got shot in the face.

Well I got my buck. It's dry as a bone up there. We didn't see much green for them to eat and thought they may have moved out the juniper. Didn't see many bucks other than a spindly little guy on private land. Saw a buck two mornings in a row near a tank but couldn't get a shot one morning and it was too dark the next to put horns on him. The third morning I went in early in the dark where I figured he was moving to bed. I waited. I started hearing a clack in the dark. Just one. Then again, one. As light came up I spotted a buck, then another and another. I look around and there are 5 bucks. I watch them all for a few minutes identifying the biggest one. I shoot, I miss or think I miss. They come running right at me. As they come by me less than 7 yards away I pick my target and shoot. Down he goes. I look around as walk toward the truck to meet up with my dad wh was waiting and see blood, ends up I gut shot him. We really thought with it being so dry the animals would be hurting. He had a ton of fat on him as we skinned him. He had good mass in the antlers too. Would have been a nice 4X4 if wasn't broken but I'm pleased. We saw 25 Antelope, 2 bulls a cow and calf, and about 63 does. All the animals looked really good and healthy. I hunted the north side of Sitgreives mnt. This hunt has changed my ideas of how the deer handle the dry and lack of food or our ideas about what they eat. Always learning.

While I sit her watching naruto and freezing my wind blasted tail off. Here is a pic of the bull I just missed. His main beams And mass are deceptive at this angle.