shortpants

You would think after returning from my WY. adventure I would be all pumped up about taking my first mule deer. While I was very happy to have harvested a beautiful buck I just couldn't help being a little depressed. The reason for the depression was I was about to pull off another first, NOT GOING RIFLE COUES HUNTING!!! Since I started hunting I have not missed a rifle coues hunt ever. Prior to the 7 days I had just spent in WY. I was elk hunting for 18 days and I'll be leaving for another elk hunt the first week in Dec. I had told the wife I would give her a break in between the hunts which at the time seemed like something I could handle as a fair trade so I could go to WY. Now here I sat on CW.com reading about how excited everybody was for the upcoming coues hunts and it was more than I could bare. I sat the wife down and told her I had some bad news for her. I can't say she was excited to hear it but being that she is the greatest wife and mother that has ever walked this planet she gave me her blessing as long as I didn't go alone. I immediately called my good friend Jim Mullins (Coosefan) who jumped at the chance for more coues hunting. I asked around the guys at work the next day and was able to get my good friend and newest hunting partner Glenn Fisher to jump on board. We purchased our leftover tags, threw our gear in and headed south. Glenn and I left on no sleep at 1:00am Sat. morning. We had never been in this unit before so with directions from Jim we found a place to park camp and at first light headed out to start the hunt! We hiked up to one of the highest points in the area and started glassing. We saw a few deer including 5 bucks but nothing big. I was looking at this first day as a scouting day to learn the area which meant we would have just three full days to get it done because we had to be home early on Thur. I was keeping my expectations much lower than I normally would and Glenn was on his first big game hunt ever. We returned to camp to get it set up and took a much needed nap. The evening hunt was a disappointment with only 3 deer spotted. Jim had made his way down and glassed from a different spot with the same results. Back at camp we ate and made plans for the morning. We relied heavily on Jimbo on this hunt since he was the only one who had ever been there before. The sun was just coming up the next morning when Jim said he had a couple of bucks sparring and one looked pretty good! We had already watched 2 spikes walk over a ridge that Jim had glassed up and now we had Glenn on the first stalk of his life. You could see the excitement and anticipation in him like a kid on Christmas morning. I decided I would rather watch Glenn take a good buck for his first one so we got him set up using Jim's rifle set up on the LOC-JAW/Rifle Railz system from Aristotle Engineering as many of you have seen from his recent video. Glenn was looking directly into the sun so Jim and I used our hats to try and shade him and the scope. I ranged the buck at 450 yds. and Jim dialed in the turret. I was spotting and Jim was running the video. The rifle barked and the bullet sailed just over the bucks back. The 2 bucks ran over to a group of trees so we relocated straight across from them. The smaller of the 2 bucks appeared and then bed down in sight of us. Glenn said he wanted to take him but we convinced him to wait for the bigger one. After an hour of holding the crosshairs on the smaller buck Glenn could take no more so we all took our positions and he let one fly. The bullet sailed just over the buck just as the previous one had and the morning was over. Since both bullets hit about the same area we decided we had better go shoot the gun to make sure there wasn't something off with the equipment. I set up my steel target and Glenn rang the gong every shot at 500 and 600 yds. We gave him a hard time and told him he had no excuses. As you'll soon find out Glenn is a quick learner. We headed back to camp to meet Tyler ( elkhunter ) before heading out for the evening hunt. I had met Tyler once but never hunted with him. Jim had spent time glassing with Tyler and told me how good this guy was but holy swaro's batman this guys eyes are incredible. Twice I lost pieces to my tripod and Tyler found em both times even after I had searched and given up! Thanks Tyler you saved me! I'll skip forward 24 hours to the next afternoon at a new glassing point that looked promising. We saw a few does and fawns when Jim found a bedded coyote 465 yds. across from us. It was a test I couldn't pass up so after dialing in the range and a 8mph. wind I squeezed the trigger and got as close as you can get without hitting the target. Jim said I hit the rock the yote was bedded on. While it wasn't a direct hit I was happy with the shot as far as left and right goes. I was testing my wind dopping ability and it was perfect. It was some much needed excitement after not seeing much the previous 24 hours. The rest of the evening was uneventful. With our final day of hunting upon us we knew we needed to get Glenn a chance to redeem himself. We set out to a new area and started glassing up deer right away. Tyler found a spike and a 2pt. on top of the tallest mountain so we kept looking. I found a spike and a forky walking together 850yds. away. Jim and Glenn turned their attention to these 2 bucks with the hopes that they would come closer. Tyler found a couple more bucks so him and I focused on them. After a short while Jim said Glenn was going to shoot so Tyler and I turned around just in time to see Glenn get his redemption and then some.Set up on the LOC JAW/Rifle Railz sysem he made a perfect shot at 665yds. dropping the spike in his tracks. I still can't believe that shot Glenn, WAY TO GO!!! Before I could even say congrats Glenn was walking down the ridge to go retrieve his buck. He had no gun, no back pack, and we didn't know if he even had a knife. I had empty frame packs in the back of the truck and we were all willing to help but none of us had ever seen a guy more excited to get to his deer so we took the opportunity to have fun with the video camera and poke a little fun at Glenn. Sorry buddy it was all in fun. He also forgot to leave his big coat he was wearing behind so we knew he was sweating his arse off. When he reached his buck he threw it over his shoulders and started back. We debated driving the truck down to the bottom between Glenn and us but we were having so much fun watching him we decided to sit back and see if he would bring it back up the steep ridge we were on. After a while a border patrol agent pulled up to tell us Glenn was walking the road and requested we pick him up. I went and picked him up and we teased him just a little bit but I gotta tell you I couldn't be happier for him. That deer is the definition of what a trophy is and I know Glenn is now an addict. We are already planning our next hunt. After taking care of Glenn's buck we set out to see if we could find a buck for me. Once again we went to a new area. Jim had seen a big buck a few years back up on this steep ridge above the road. We parked and all set up spread out looking in different directions. Jim and I sat next to each other and immediately he spotted 4 bucks standing in the same spot he had seen the big buck a few years ago. He started spittin out words like big buck shooter get the gun big 2pt. so I quickly walked back to the truck and got Glenn and Tyler. We walked back to where Jim was and I started setting up while Jim relayed info to me. I was looking right into the setting sun and up hill so finding the deer and getting a good rest was difficult. The buck was walking up hill getting ready to go over the skyline. I kept having to adjust the turret and make sure I was looking at the right buck. Jim did a great job of giving me the range and walking me into the buck. Jim started yelling at the buck to stop him before he went out of sight just as I found him in the scope. I rushed the 390yd. shot and shot high. The buck was gone! Without hesitation I started packing up my stuff saying ''let's go'' determined not to let this buck get the best of me. We tried driving around the mountain but soon realized we were better off going back around and going up and over the ridge the same way the buck had. Things were happening fast and I was glad Glenn was there to experience the thrill of hunting. Tyler said "it just got real" as we started up the steep ridge. We were all huffing and puffing as we reached the top and we slowly eased over the other side. A small buck walked away and disappeared less than 50 yds. away. I dropped to my hands and knees leaving the others behind as I crawled up to the edge so I could see below me. I saw a small buck bedded 125 below and signaled to the others. Once I knew they saw him I began glassing around the buck and found the same big 2pt. I had just missed. He was bedded facing us not 5 yds. below the other buck. After making sure the others could see him I set up for the shot. The buck stood up while I was setting up but he looked relaxed so I took my time setting up. I think Jim was ready to run down there take my rifle and shoot the buck himself but I was determined not to rush the shot again. Finally I was comfortable and the buck turned his head so I squeezed the trigger. No sooner did the gun go off that I heard 3 guys yelling ''he's down!'' I would have loved to have been back with those 3 and witness that stalk and shot but it was quite a show from my angle as well! I can't say thanks enough to Jim and Tyler for coming down and helping Glenn and I. Tyler you are a blast to have in camp and deadly behind a pair of bino's. Jimbo like I always tell you, your my idol! Glenn I'm so glad I got to be a part of your first big game hunt and thanks for the laughs and also for keeping us fed. I can't wait until our next adventure! Here's the link to the video on Youtube!

That exact situation happend on our last hunt causing me to rush the shot and miss. The buck went over the mountain and we were lucky to get a second chance at him. If we would have had the rifle set up using the LOC JAW/Rifle Rails system perhaps we would not have needed the second chance.

Very impressive!!! Thanks for sharing.

Great write up Jimbo! Everyone should take note about what jim said about sitting in his living room practicing setting up to get faster. I,ve tried his set up and can tell you it is rock solid and can't think of anything better but it does take practice to get efficient with it. Every aspect of long range shooting has to be taken seriously and practiced to find what works best for you. I think if you are serious about shooting this system is something you should try out and if you spend some time getting efficient with it like Jim has you'll be better prepared for your next hunt!

Hey Phil, not sure you fully understand what a tough hunt is if you only had to settle for such a gorgeous buck! HA HA Just messin with ya but seriously thats a great buck, congrats! Enjoyed the write-up and video!

When Jim first posted this there was only one pic but he has since added the second pic that I was talking about.

Love the story Jimbo, but you gotta post the other pics. We were laughing so hard while taking those pics I'll never forget that!

Way to go Doug! Always enjoy seeing and reading about your and Rica's adventures!

Have you ever asked yourself what am I doing out here? I found myself on the side of a 2 lane highway in southwest Wyoming asking myself that question. Is it to much to ask to just come out here and have a good hunt and just have an opportunity at a decent 4x4 buck? I had never been so happy to see pavement in all my life. It was day 5 of my 6 day hunt and it just kept getting worse. At this point I didn't even know what I was going to do but I knew I did not want to drive my truck another inch down a dirt road under the current conditions. It had started out so well. A long but beautiful drive from Arizona to Wyoming filled with some amazing sites and a few gas pumps as well. I stopped along the way and shot my rifle since I had not had any time behind the trigger this year due to the fact that all of my free time was dedicated to my archery bull tag. After 18 straight days of elk hunting ( 4 days of scouting and 14 hunting ) that tag went unfilled because I was determined to shoot one of the 370-390 class bulls I was chasing every day or nothing. Anyway back to shooting the rifle I was surprised to find it shooting 7 inches to the right at 300yds. I re zeroed the windage turret and continued north. It was dark as I crossed into Wyoming for my first time which was going to make it difficult to know where to start out the next morning. I finally stopped because I reached a road closed sign on the two tracker I had been following. I had no idea what I was going to find when the sun came up the next day but I was excited to find out. I curled up in the cab of the truck for a few hours dreaming of what the next 6 days was going to bring! My goal was just to get up high and glass as much as possible. It was just light enough to shoot as I started up the nearby ridge. I was in deer right away finding three does just above the truck. I started glassing and found deer everywhere I looked! I was only 400 yds. from my truck and had deer all around me! After looking several deer over including some forkhorn bucks and 1 decent framed far off buck I pressed on following the ridgeline farther up the canyon. I looked up ahead of me and saw my first of many Wyoming antelope and he was a beautiful low 80's type buck possibly a booner. I made a big loop back to the truck because I needed to figure out where I was going to camp and get it all set up so I could spend the rest of the week concentrating on nothing but hunting. It was a great start to my hunt seeing 24 deer, a handful of antelope and 2 bobcats! I set up camp where I could approach the canyon from the other end and also have better access to some predetermined waypoints I had saved in my GPS. This was to be my home for the next week. After getting camp set up I jumped in the rhino to get back over toward where I had glassed up the 1 decent framed buck earlier that morning. I found him not far from where I'd last saw him but he was only a 3x2 with a good size frame. I ended up seeing a total of 50 deer, 12 antelope, and the 2 bobcats. What a great opening day! Even though I didn't see any shooters I knew if I hunted hard enough I would eventually turn one up. Day 2 found me on top of one of my waypoints I had saved, an amazing glassing point where I could cover miles of country. The temperature was only around 40 which is mild but he 30mph. winds made it feel pretty chilly up there. I stayed up there glassing for hours but could not turn up a shooter so I went back to camp for a hearty lunch. I decided to shoot my rifle one more time just to make sure I would be ready and I'm glad I did. When I had stopped and shot on the way up I mentioned I was surprised to find my rifle shooting way right. Now I found it shooting left after I had re zeroed the turret. I determined the reason for this was because I always shoot prone whenever possible but when I shot on the way up I had to shoot sitting due to some tall grass. That had obviously changed the way I shoot my rifle and so I re zeroed again back to the original zero and moved the target back to 360 yds. It was on but I could tell making a long shot in those Wyoming winds was going to be a challenge. I got back out and finished day 2 with a total of 50 deer, 26 antelope, 2 coyotes, and my first grouse siting. Day 3 I decided I would take the truck and cover as much different country as I could. It was the middle of the hunt and I needed to know if I was going to have to move camp. I drove from glassing point to glassing point seeing lots of deer and actually the most bucks I had seen yet. I went a long way and could tell the further I went the more hunters I would see. That's most likely because the locals know where to go and I didn't but I hate crowds so I was determined to find my own honey hole and let them keep theirs. I did get to see my first ever moose in the wild and that got me excited but i needed to keep searching for my trophy so I pressed on. I looped back taking a different road than the one I'd come in on. At 1:00pm I was driving through some of the ugliest country I'd ever seen thinking nothing would want to live out here when I thought I saw an antelope. I stopped and backed up to take a closer look and a 3x3 muley jumped up and took off running. I drove back up the road to get to a better vantage point and found some more deer including a small 3x4 and another buck that had broke his G2 and G3 off. There wasn't any hunters out here in this area and these were the best bucks I'd seen yet. I thought I'd found my honey hole but after glassing from every angle in the area the rest of the day seeing a few more does and a bunch of antelope I wasn't totally convinced but the area had proven potential. I saw a total of 57 deer, 41 antelope, the moose, more grouse, a coyote, and my first armadillo! I still had a couple of areas I had not seen yet so for the 4th day I decided I would go check out one of them that I had a good feeling about. This is where my hunt went from a lot of fun to not so much fun. As I headed out of camp it was damp and mostly cloudy. I had rain off and on for those first 3 days but nothing to complain about. As I got closer to the area I wanted to hunt I found myself in a thick fog. I decided to turn back and head into the area I'd been in the evening before but by the time I made it back up there the fog had moved into that area as well. I turned back around and decided since the fog was heading north I would drive south until I found clearer skies. By the time I saw sunlight I'd driven over 100 miles and it was noon before I found a glassing spot in this unfamiliar area. I saw 50 deer and 195 antelope that day but the only buck I saw was bedded right next to the road in the middle of a town. That was like salt in the wound of a bad day of hunting. Don't get me wrong it's awesome to see that many animals but I called Game and Fish to see if it was possible to pick up an antelope tag and they said no. I was starting to think I'd bought the wrong tag. It becomes hard to swallow to have so many opportunities to take a great antelope buck but can't and no opportunities at the quality of mule deer buck I'd come so far for. Oh well it was a rough day but I was sure the next day was going to get better. I awoke the next morning to snow which I thought was going to be a blessing bringing the bucks out and making the glassing easier. That's not exactly how it went. After having to use 4 wheel drive to get out of camp I headed down the slick roads. It was now day 5 and I still had not even seen the buck I'd come for but I was feeling good about my chances with this cold front that had blown in. Clouds covered the tops of all the ridges and everything was white making figuring out where I was a little tough. For some reason my GPS did not save my track from day 3 so I did the best I could but ended up going down the wrong road. Under normal conditions this road would be no big deal but suddenly I found my truck sliding sideways heading for a deep ravine to my right. I was only going less than 10 mph. when the truck just broke loose on the ice. Luckily it hung up on a sage bush just before dropping into the ravine. I was 3 inches from going over and not sure how I was going to get out of this one. After slowly backing up about a foot and getting out several times to make the best plan I finally decided I was either going to get out of this in one piece or me and the truck were going to pieces together so I put on my seat belt and drove it like I had somewhere be. I made it out but the clouds where now dropping on top of me and visibility was next to zero. Here we go again I thought but I wasn't ready to give up. I drove about a mile when suddenly there was a break in the clouds so I jumped out and glassed which happend to be the same area I'd seen the 3 bucks the afternoon of the 3rd day. I found 19 does and a few antelope but no bucks. The good news was the sun was trying its best to make a comeback and it looked like it was going to start getting good. I turned around to get back in the truck and head down the road but discovered my rear tire completely flat. I have never used this jack since I bought this truck and what should have been a quick fix was not very quick. After a few choice words and another wave of snow to make it that much more enjoyable I was off again. I immediately noticed my next problem. The spare tire was a smaller diameter than my other 3 causing it to turn at a different speed than the others and on these slick roads that was the last thing I needed. My only choice now was to take the best way back to the pavement because I could not go back to camp the way I'd come and I wasn't going any deeper into the mountains with a truck that was trying to get me killed. After a white knuckle ride I made it to the highway and we are back to how this story began. I had come to Wyoming for an adventure and gotten more than I'd bargained for. I could leave a beaten man or overcome and finish what I'd come here for. Those who know me know it was an easy choice. I never quit mostly because I'm one of the most stubborn guys you'll ever meet. My pitty party was short lived and I was headed to town to get a tire and try to make it out for the afternoon hunt. It almost didn't happen due to the fact out of 4 tire stores no one carries tires my size in stock. They all told me it was a special order tire and would take days. My luck suddenly turned around when one guy looked in the back and found a used tire that would fit! They were busy but he said he would sneak me in so I walked to a Mexican restaurant next door. After a good lunch and some encouraging words from friends on the phone I walked back over to get the truck. I knew my luck had turned around when the guy said it was only $21.00 total!!! The other good news was I wasn't that far from the area I had tried to hunt the morning before but turned around because the fog. I had a good feeling about this area and for good reason. I just picked a spot and decided I was going to get away from the truck and get in on foot. After glassing the first basin and putting a 1x2 in the crosshairs just to get that feeling I hiked to the next basin. I knew when I saw the next basin I was in a great spot. It was a lot of country with lots of cover for a big buck to come out of. Only a couple minutes into glassing the sun lit up the far side of the basin. This was a mile away and I wasn't going to waste my time with it until the sun hit it because even if I saw deer over there I wouldn't have been able to tell what I was looking at under cloudy skies. I glassed the sunny area which was just below a big aspen thicket and immediately found 4 bucks, 1 of which looked bigger than anything I'd seen. I packed up and made my way closer. At 800 yds. I set up again and started glassing. I found 2 bedded bucks and 12 does but could not find the other bucks. Of the 2 I could see the bigger one was an ok 3x3. Was this the buck I had seen? I was really hoping he was a decent 4x4 but it was possible this was the biggest one. I made my way closer. At 500 yds. I found the buck I'd been looking for all along. Normally I can make that shot with confidence but due to the lack of trigger time this year and those crazy winds that never stop up there I really wanted to get inside 350 yds. With deer all over the place I took the chance and was able to get within 280 yds. crawling half the time. He was feeding behind a tree and when he stepped out I had only a small window before he would disappear behind trees in the foreground. As the gun barked I saw the death kick of a hit buck. He was out of sight so I quickly grabbed all my gear and moved toward him. I saw the other 3 bucks leave the basin but not him. As I got closer to the area he had been in I saw his rack sticking out of the sage just 20 yds. from where I'd shot him. I would like to thank my wife for taking such great care of our kids while I've been gone hunting all season. I couldn't have done it without you babe! And thanks to all my friends who were there with me through text messages all week. You guys kept me going! And a big thanks to my parents for helping me process the deer. It's great to have a meet cutter and wrapper for parents! I can't wait for my next adventure!

The Jumpin Jack trailer is an essential tool in my hunting toolbox. If you need luxery it may not be right for you. It is a comfortable bed and a table and nothing more. It pulls great and goes everywhere. Hope this helps!

Hey slim I'm glad you questioned the armadillo because I have been questioning it too but I just couldn't think of what else it could be. Any ideas?

You have no idea how great it was when you texted that to me. I laughed my arse off and it made me get focused again. Thanks Monty for the great words that have become famous. You know I'll be using your line for the rest of my life.

A few years ago I got some taco bell bean burritos on my way down to do some scouting in southern az. Upon returning to my truck 2 days later I discovered an uneaten burrito that had been sitting on the passanger seat inside the truck with the windows up the whole time. It was July so it was about 180 degrees in there. Of course I picked it up and ate it right off the seat YUMMY!!!

Can we get some pics without Bryan holding them because in his hands they look to be in the 70's but I'm sure they are actually over 100! :lol: Sorry Butters you know I love ya!

Does anyone know of a good guide service for unit 9? (HA HA) My friend Jeff and I both drew early archery bull tags for unit 9!!!

I would like to hunt out of state to try and kill a 160'' or better Muley this year. I've never applied out of state before so I'm a little overwhelmed with trying to narrow down where to apply. Any info your willing to share would be appreciated. You can PM me if you would like. NOT LOOKING FOR GPS COORDINATES HERE JUST SOME GENERAL INFO!!! Thankyou Jason

I'm going to try to make it.

117 7/8

Great job as usual Tyler and dad! Gorgeous bucks!!!

Great buck!!! Definitely a coyote.

I agree 100% with what others have said here but I gotta say your wrong Scott if you think I'm not jealous of that monster and of your beautiful home in Coues Paradise up there. I'm jealous of all your great trophies and your 30's as well. Oh wait it's Thanksgiving, I'm thankful for Coues Whitetail.com so that I can see all the cool stuff Scott has! :lol: Congrats again on another wonderful trophy and HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL! P.S. Scott, A good friend of mine helped build your house. His name is Brandon Butler.

I would like to say that I'm happy nobody got hurt and that your contractor is taking care of the mess. With that being said, in the words of Larry the Cable Guy: ''that's just funny right there, I don't care who you are!''

That is one big ole timer of a buck! I don't think he will score as high as some may think. His tines don't look real long but his beams are long and heavy, typical of an old buck on the decline. He would be an incredible trophy and I would spend some time in there looking for his past sheds. Good luck!

ATTA BOY PHIL!!! Great bucks and good luck in Mex.

You went to school with Mike and Gino?