cramerhunts

Very nice! Congrats to her.

Way to go Tyler, congrats again buddy. Nothing like putting some meat in the freezer and having a good time with Dad.

Congratulations on a very beautiful buck! Awesome solo coues!

Congrats on a nice buck. Sounds like you worked hard for him and it paid off.

Dang Keven, I was hoping it would work out for you. Bummer deal on the UDA activity. We'll get em January!

Lee nailed that one right square on the head. Depending on what you are thinking about mounting may depend on who you use and what you need to budget for. All of the posts have been spot on. Do your homework and research and don't settle for less than what YOU have in mind. The sponsors of this site are some of the best in the business and there are also more out there, again take the time to check them out. That being said I would say you can bet on paying $600-700 for a good quality mount.

Congratulations on a great buck! Really pretty symmetrical brute of a buck!

Whoohoo! Awesome job guys! A huge heart felt congratulations to Rylee on a great buck. Way to get it done in a big way. I know how you felt and must still be feeling, it just doesn't get any better. Happy the triclawps worked out for you, it sure makes a world of difference. Great job and congrats again.

After drawing the Jr. Only hunt for down south my 10 year old daughter, Jaycie, and I started making some plans. We had planned on hunting with my dad who unfortunately was in the hospital during the hunt, we had planned to spend countless hours shooting her Remington Model 7 243 (thanks again Tyler) but we got busy and only sighted it in, we planned on scouting every weekend before the hunt but only got to spend one weekend scouting. Now what we did plan on that actually happened is we planned on Hector (Chef) giving us a hand for a couple days which turned out to be a huge factor in her success and I can't thank him enough. We left the Valley late Thursday night after Jaycie's softball game (she had no problem missing school but would not miss her game) and got to my folks house around 11 PM. I quickly got her settled in bed and I prepared our gear for the early morning. We awoke to the sun trying to peak out but I wasn't worried, after all there was only 150 tags for six units, I didn't need to worry about other hunters, right? On our way in to where I wanted to set up to glass we found out that my assumptions were wrong as three other trucks were making their way right to where we wanted to be. Oh well, said Jaycie, let's just go further down where you spotted the deer from last weekend. So that's what we did and as soon as I got the tripod set up we spotted the two groups of bucks that I had scouted the weekend prior. The upper group fed all the way up towards where the other two hunters were and we watched as the young men were able to make a stalk and get with in range of the unsuspecting bucks. We watched as they took their shots and the group bounded off. OK our turn, we gathered our gear and started our stalk on the other group which had bedded in the flat below us. We got to 320 yards and set up her rifle on the tripod and claw and waited. The bucks soon got up and started feeding and Jaycie immediately picked out the 5x4 and told me she was on him. I told her to hold on the third hash mark and let him have it when she was ready but she told me that she had to let a 3x3 clear before she could shoot. At that time I noticed all of the bucks were looking intently at something out in front of them and as I panned to the right my heart sank as I saw the other hunters set up and aiming right at the same group of bucks. Right about then the shooting started and the chaos started, with out a clear shot we grabbed our gear and circled around to where I thought the bucks would come through a saddle but we obviously weren't the only ones with that plan as another couple of shots rang out. That was enough for me so we headed to the truck to find somewhere a little quieter. Here is a couple pictures of the 5x4 and some of the bucks that Jaycie passed on waiting for a clear shot at the big one. After regrouping we decided to spend the rest of the day looking at other areas, we saw a lot of deer and Jaycie passed up a spike and a small forkie but couldn't find anything she wanted to pursue. That night Hector joined us and we relived the day. Jaycie was very positive and upbeat and went to bed dreaming of big bucks. Hector and I talked about how she didn't want to shoot a small buck and would rather go home without one if she had too. Even though this is not what we expected it was her decision and her tag and we told her she was the boss The next day was a blast looking over a lot of deer but again nothing Jaycie wanted to go after. All three of us were constantly laughing at each other and really enjoying ourselves. That afternoon we decided to go back and look for the group of bucks from opening morning. We were unable to locate any of them but we did put a nice wide 2x2 to bed. After another short night we were back at our glassing point the next morning and after Jaycie took a short nap we decided to make a stalk on a buck that Hector and I had watched bed. After getting winded by the buck we headed back to the truck to head to town to get some lunch, all the while joking with each other and having a great time. Jaycie told Hector that she was happy the buck spooked because he was too small any way. Hector then talked to Jaycie about the possibility of not getting a buck if she was going to hold out for a big one and she reassured us both that she was fine with that and having a lot of fun anyway. That afternoon we headed out to a spot that I used to hunt quite a bit with my bow and got the optics set up. We immediately spotted numerous does and fawns but no bucks. I was just getting ready to suggest we head on down the road when I looked at a far off ridge and noticed a lone buck feeding. Hector took a quick look and asked how we could close the gap, I knew of a road that would put us close to the ridge so we loaded up and started the loop around to where we needed to be. We stopped and got the tripod at the right level for a standing shot as the grass was really high and Hector slid into the driver's seat so I could slip out with Jaycie when we got close. Jaycie kept asking us how many points the buck had and how big he was so we took a quick look and that's when we figured out that there wasn't one buck but three and one was BIG. So off we went....Jaycie and I slid out and Hector took the truck around to where he could glass back and watch the action. Jaycie and I snuck through the mesquite trees until we ran out of cover. I ranged the bucks at 305 yards and settled her rifle in the Claw. Right about then Jaycie looked through the scope and informed me she wanted the one in the middle I could barely talk and couldn't keep from shaking as I asked if she thought she could make the shot, she calmly looked at me with a surprised look, put her ear plugs in and asked if I was ready and if she could shoot. I said when ever you're ready baby and she put the bullet right behind the shoulder. Hector text me and said that she got one in him and the buck was down! When we all got back together I couldn't believe how calm Jaycie was and what a mess Hector and I were. All it took was Jaycie to get her hands on the buck though and she couldn't settle down, I don't think she realized until that moment what she had just done. After some quick pictures we took care of the buck and got him back to the truck about 30 minutes after dark. I spent the next few hours skinning and caping the buck and poor Hector spent his next three hours driving back home so that he could work the next day. We dropped the cape and horns off with Scottyboy to do another one of his awesome shoulder mounts the next day and made our way back to the Valley. We are all still on cloud 9 and couldn't be more proud of our little hunter. It was amazing how her attitude always stayed positive and she never had a doubt that she would get her big buck. Hector put together a great video of the hunt and I can't thank him enough for all of his help and companionship during Jaycie's first hunt. Sorry for the long read but once I got going all of the emotions came back and I couldn't leave anything out. And Finally here is her first buck, a super 5x5 desert muley. Here is her set up. And the bucks right before Jaycie shot. And Finally the best for last, the video that Hector put together. http://youtu.be/q0Z5v1lwBXU In case the link above does not work you can access it with the next link.

Congrats on a great buck, I love the character on the eye guards!

SWEET SUCCESS! Congratulations Doug on a fine buck. Sounds like it was a heck of a hike but that's part of what makes it so special. Thanks for writing it up, I have and still feel those emotions every time I'm on a mountain somewhere in the great outdoors. Good job Clay helping out, good friends are hard to come by and it is really special when they are there to share the experience with you.

Congrats on a very fine bull, whether it's his first or tenth!

Go get 'em Coach! I'm sure you'll be ready when the time comes. Have a safe and enjoyable trip. I'm already looking forward to the pics and story.

Congrats to your mom on a nice buck, way to stick it out and get the job done!

Congrats to the boys and you as well for getting them out to share the great outdoors!

Thanks guys! Spent a nice day watching the daughter play softball, a few steaks on the grill, and maybe one or two cold ones before flying out for work.....wishing I was on that mountain!

Gnarly is right, congrats on a great buck. How bout some more pics??

WHOHOO! Awesome! Congratulations to you both. Can't wait to see the pics and read the story.

Looking good! Get em while you can but it will be nice to have you back.

Happy birthday Lee, I hope you have a great day!

Congratulations on your first! Way to go on some super shooting. Great pics, thanks for sharing as it never gets old to see the smiles of the young ones!

Dang they sure dropped em fast once they got going. Really like the star shot with the reflection. Thanks for sharing as always great pictures Doug.

Right on! Thanks for posting the link, since you can enter as many pictures as you want I better get to sending them in right away.

Thank you Justo, I'm glad to see that you have signed up for the forum, welcome to the best site on the entire world wide web!

Thanks for the additional pictures, and with them I would put him at 85-87". Good looking buck but just not quite there genetically.