I grew up around hunting (Utah) but never actually got into hunting until late last year and really started in 2018. Before this hunt, I had only been hunting in January and August for the OTC hunts. I lucked out this year and drew an October WT tag in a unit I have visited often. Scouting started early in August, as high as I could get in the unit but no luck finding what I was looking for. As we the weeks went by I got better at finding deer, just the wrong flavors. With the hunt coming up quickly and still not being able to lock down a spot, some helpful folks on this forum decided to reach out and share some pointers.Their helpfulness cannot be overstated. So with some advice and my truck loaded up, I finally get away from work and head out Thursday afternoon.
Day 1: I head out to a popular shooting area, just to triple check that my rifle is sighted in. I pull up to a good spot and start getting ready and I hear some hissing...look at the front right tire, and I have a puncture. Awesome! Not to mention I just had a flat the weekend before on the way home from a scouting trip.
Great start to the hunt! I quickly get the spare on. Shoot a few rounds, and I'm dead on. That's a relief. I drive all the way back into town. The tire shop can't repair the tire, and they don't have a replacement in stock. Even better! I tell them to order me one and I'll be back the next day. I wasn't going to miss opening morning, so I drive 2 hours to the TH with a couple hours of light left. I hike in for a mile or so and start glassing, no luck. Just some cattle. Head back to the truck, for the night.
Day 2: Opening morning. I'm up at 4:30, hike in 2 miles and get to my glassing spot well before daylight. As the sun comes up, it gets windy, and windier, and WINDIER! At times, it's hard to keep my binos steady, even with a solid tripod. Now its noon, not a single deer to be seen. Not a great start. Hike 2 miles back to the truck. It's HOT! Drive back into town, get my tire replaced. There's not enough time to get to my primary spot, so I head to a closer spot I've never been to for the evening hunt. Now it's even hotter and I get to a spot with a couple hours of daylight. Glassing turns up a doe chasing off a bobcat, the doe seemed to be harassing the bobcat more than the bobcat was bothering the doe! Nothing else the rest of the night. Get lost on the way back to the truck, but eventually I make it. Head back to my primary spot for the next day.
Day 3: Hike 2 miles to a new spot. Glass, glass, glass. Turn up one doe. Head back to the truck. Take a rest. Get ready for the evening hunt. Wait, I smell something. Sniff, sniff. It smells like gas...odd. Look under the truck and there's gas dripping from the tank. What the?? This truck isn't even two years old yet! What's the deal?? The gas stops leaking when I turn the truck off, so I head out for the evening. More glassing, I see a couple of does just feeding over a small ridge way off to my left. Nothing else. Head back to the truck. Decide the gas leak can wait until tomorrow, since there hasn't been any more leaking.
Day 4: Up at it again, nothing. Get back to the truck, I gotta take it in to see what the problem is. I make it home but of course its Sunday so all the service centers at the dealerships are closed. Take the truck to the nearest dealership, drop it off and wait for the morning.
Day 5: Call the dealership, faulty hose is the culprit. Should be fixed by lunch. Pick up the truck, race to my spot for a short evening hunt. Get to the TH with only 1.5 hours of light. Race to the first good vantage point. I see some movement on the ridge across from me, same spot as I had seen some does on day 3. Take a closer look, it looks like they're does. So I decide to watch them. Get my spotting scope and I notice that one has black on the tail. Hmm...Let’s take a closer look. Finally get him in view and it’s a little buck! He's 375 yards out. I slowly walk down the trail. 350 yards. 315 yards. Now I get into 300 yards and I set up. I'm having trouble distinguishing between the buck and the does. I try to get closer. They keep feeding to the top of the ridge. I finally get what I think is the buck in my scope, trying not to shake. Let me check one more time with the spotting scope to make sure that it's the buck. Put down the rifle, get the spotting scope...they're gone. DANGIT!! Maybe they’ll be back in the morning. Only a little daylight left, so I run to see if I can see the other side of the ridge. No luck. On the way back to the truck, I see a headlamp. Shoot, another hunter? I haven't seen anyone back here all week! They're stopped along the trail and I walk up and I see it's a young lady, about my age, all by herself. She ends up being a through hiker, who started in Canada in June and hiked the Continental Divide Trail and now she's hiking along the Arizona Trail with a final destination in Mexico. Now that is mighty impressive. We chat, and back to the truck I go.
Day 6: I get set up WAY before sunlight at the best spot I can think of to see if that little buck comes back out, while still being able to see some other areas, just in case. Glass, glass, glass. Nothing. Back to the truck. Head back out well before dark. Get set up. I see deer! Wait...those aren't WT this time, those are muleys! What the heck?? And there's 6 of them! I decide to hold out to see if the WT's come back. Waiting...waiting...WT! Out of nowhere here comes the same group of WT's from the day before coming in from my right. 290 yards. I pick out the little buck with the black tail. He’s in my scope. I’m shaking! He’s feeding directly away. Still feeding. Moving to exactly where they feed over the night before. Still facing directly away. He won’t turn. I’m whispering, c’mon turn already! He never does turn and he feeds over the ridge and out of sight. C’mon!! Back to the truck.
Day 7: I know they won’t come out to that ridge in the morning and I know they’ll be there in the evening. So I try a brand new ridge, one ridge beyond where I have been seeing this group. Right after daylight I see with my bare eyes the same group of MD side hilling and heading straight toward the backside of the ridge from last night at 100 yards. I think, maybe the WT’s will come by as well. More glassing, nada. Last ditch effort, I head to the ridge behind me so I can see the backside of the ridge where I have been seeing the deer. It’s getting hot now so I am just scanning, finally, I see an ear flick. WAY back in the head of this canyon. It’s the WT’s again! I watch them feed, and they finally bed, or I assume they bed, in a small cut at the top of the ridge. So I decide I’m going to sit at the bottom of the ridge, on the other side, where I have been seeing them in the evenings, until they come out. There is this little knob at the bottom of the ridge, where some washes come together, so I know they won’t be able to catch my wind. I get to the knob and I start ranging, 200 yards would be the farthest shot. Perfect. It’s about 11 am now and I start dosing off. Now it’s about 1 pm and I am just scanning, waiting for the shade to start covering the ridge, but that won’t be for a few hours. I’m looking at my phone and its 1:30, I look up and I see a deer at the top of the ridge skylined! Ok, here they come, one doe, two does, where’s the buck?? Finally he pops out at 200 yards, I get my rifle ready and they disappear behind the ridge again, uh oh. But I have faith that they’ll come back out. Finally I can see one deer just below the ridgeline, it’s him!! Just under 200 hundred yards. I keep checking that its’ the buck. Checking, checking, ok it’s 100% him. Get my scope on him and now he’s facing me, oh great. Then he turns to his left, I settle the cross hairs…BOOM! I get the scope back in focus in time to see him jump straight down the hill and it looks like he crashes into a bush and I don’t see him again. I think I got ‘em!! I pack up everything and head up this steep ridge. I get to the top and find the tree he was under. Crash, crash! Crap, I hope I didn’t jump him. Wait, it’s the two does, they’re 40 yards from me and keep staring at me but won’t run off. He must be here somewhere. Some more walking and lookng...and sure enough, here he is! He’s even smaller than I thought, but I’m ecstatic!!
I take some time to soak it all in, and then I get to work and get him cut up and in the pack. Head to the truck and get there just before dark. Get him in the cooler, crack open a cold one and head home. I finally did it.
First rifle hunt, First big game animal, First deer, First Coues, First time quartering out an animal, and First pack out, all solo. What an awesome feeling. And I couldn't have done it without the generous advice I received. Thank you! Now I am off to try my luck at a late archery elk hunt! Should be fun!
