Last year I was able to get a buck opening day. We usually are headed out before sunrise but last year my fiance' wanted to go hunt with me so we got up and hung out in camp with the rest of my family and made a quick breakfast. We left camp around 7:30. I did not plan on hunting too hard opening day. She wanted to ride in the jeep and get a feel for things a bit. We putted around different roads trying to catch fresh tracks coming across. We checked a couple waterholes and never really saw anything too intriguing. She had been suffering from a bad cold and scratchy throat and around 11, she said she wanted to go back to camp to grab something to eat and take some medicine. Well we hung out until about 1 and I tell her I want to go check another waterhole. She decides she wants to go but asks, "why don't we wait till later, there won't be any deer moving around at 1 in the afternoon will there?. I told her most likely there wouldn't be but I'd still like to check tracks and I might be able to cut some fresh ones to follow. Well we head off around 1:30 and head up to a waterhole. We are driving around BSing about different stuff and not 15 yards off the road, I spot 10 does, 2 spikes, and a couple fawns. I look at her and start laughing and say, "Well it sure looks like they are moving around," She gets excited to see those spikes and tells me I have to shoot one. Of course, I just laughed and said they needed about 3-4 more years before they would be shootable. We watched them for about 15 minutes. Of course, I'm looking ahead, behind, and past them looking for a shooter buck but don't see any while they are in view. She was happy and excited to see some deer and I tell her let's keep going. We drive another 50 yards and I look over to the same wash those does were in and bam, out walks this beautiful 4x4. We got a quick look at him and he starts bouncing and within seconds he is gone. I could not believe that we seen deer like this off a well used road but hey, things happen. I immediately pull over and tell her, "Sorry babe but I gotta go after this guy solo." She is ok with it and I park her under a shade tree right off the road. I get on his tracks and he was on it for a good half mile. I thought about giving up but decided to keep going another 100 yards and see if he slowed down. Well about the quitting time, I noticed his bouncing turned into trotting. I stayed on his tracks for another 1/4 mile and the trotting turns into a quick walk and it gradually slows down back to a normal walk. I had a good wind in my face and knew if I took my time, I had a good shot at catching up to him. There was a bend in the wash with a high bank on the east side. I decided to get up out of this wash and walk the bank and get good look down the wash. When I got up on top, I walked maybe 30 yards and spotted him beneath a tree, only 50 yards away, looking in the opposite direction of me. I put my gun up and dropped him on the first shot. I got on the radio and let my fiance' know I got the deer and she couldn't believe it. She later admitted she thought I had no chance at catching up to him just because of how quickly he disappeared. Needless to say, I was pretty stoked. My family heard us on the radio and came over to help us get him out. He isn't the biggest buck I have shot but it was a solid 4x4 and it was her first time being part of the hunt. Still can't believe how close these deer were to the road though. I guess it was just meant to be. Anyways, sorry for the long post. Hope you enjoy the photo.
