tommat

Very respectable!

Beautiful Trophy!

Great shooting and congrats!! pics....pics.....pics.....

Thanks for sharing...great deer and story!

Awesome....Happy for ya dude!

I would like to see the figures to PROTECT this P.O.S. compared to past Presidents . I for one don't care what it costs...like it or not if elected he will be the President of the Unitied States and will deserve all the protection needed!

Awesome story and buck! That is truley how to get the biguns.

Great job!!

Great job!

Super fantastic!

Great job...thanks for the post. Enjoyed it!

I am so proud I could burst. On his three previous hunts, heartbreaks. He hadn't hunted in a while. I thought he had lost interest but asked to go with me this season... We left the truck at 4:40 AM and headed up to a nice glassing spot. I wanted to leave early as this spot has gotten a bit crowded in past years. sat in the suprising cold for about an hour as the sun came up. We sat on opposite sides of the hill to glass. Between 6 and 6:30 2 other trucks pull up next to ours at the mouth of the canyon...I grinned to myself, the early bird gets the top of the hill. About 7:30 my son calls on the radio...he had glassed up a group of 4 deer and is sure one is a buck. I get over there an set up the tripod to get the glass on 'em. A spike and a real nice 3 X. 600 yards off grazing with not a care in the world up high on the side of the canyon. There is a small drainage running up the hill they are on and a short mesquite tree I figure to be 200 to 250 yards away from them. I tell him to drop his pack, and skedattle up to that tree while I keep an eye on 'em. Off he goes with his 23 year old lungs straight up a very steep canyon wall. It works out great..the buck continues to feed right to him. He calls me and ranges it at 225. His remington .270 is sighted dead on at 225 Yards. I tell him to squeeze one into his boiler room as I watch through my binocs......I was so wired it was real hard to sit still....I wait and wait for the shot....nothing. The buck is broadside...begging for it. I call him again....he says he is shaking so bad he can't get the crosshairs on him....I am ready to pull my hair out. I say some bad words and then key the radio. In a super calm voice tell him to take a deep breath and take his time..the deer have no idea he is there an he has a lot of time. I want to scream that it is a great buck, better than any of the ones I have harvested and if he blows it I will beat him silly. More time passes an I call him again. He says he has lost the buck....I can see him clearly and point out the landmarks and he relocates him and then re ranges him...now at 200 yds.....again I am calm and say wait for the broadside shot and squeeze it off.....We are close to a 1/2 hour folks....I am sure I sprouted a few grey hairs and am sure they will see or wind him and bolt, then as I watch my son and the Buck in the same sight picture through my binos...poof....fur flies from behind him and I hear the BOOM. Down he goes......man I was happy...He was so happy we were both close to tears. I got my 45 year old lungs up there and he waited so we could see him together. We about killed ourselves getting the buck out of there. Just over a mile to the truck. Hope you enjoy the pics....the unit was 34A near Mt Fagan. Now I have to get up in the morning to fill my tag. Happy face... I sat on the low middle ridge behind us and he shot from the hill to our rear. First tag filled!!

Nice Buck!

Awesome! Congrats!! Hurry with the pics!

Still in shock a little. I got to watch my oldest shoot his first deer and the next evening shot one for myself. Around 5:30 last night glassed up a small spike about 450 Yards up the side of the hill I was glassing. Always have been a "meat hunter" and didn't hesitate to grab my pack and shoot up the hill to trim a couple of hundred yards off the shot. He was feeding in a group of ocotillo and I had to drop into a wash for a moment before popping up on the hillside. Of course I lost him but knew he was there and just ambled up his way. The light was starting to bother me and I knew I had just a min or two of shooting light. about 100 yards I see him flag and trot off to the left. Got the scope on him and followed for about another 100 yards or so....then he gives me the obligatory stop and look...broadside of course. I debate for two or three seconds about shooting but feel good. I am off hand but the crosshairs are steady on his back. I was guessing he had run farther than he did, not ever looking at him other than through my scope. In my mind he was over 250 yards....actually was 195. Laid the horizonal hair on his back and squeezed one off. Boom down he goes....almost...I see him struggle to get up...almost like walking on marbles in slow motion.....stay down...stay down I groaned but he started slowly walking off. I didn't want to take the scope off him and was able to get another round in and shoot the next time he stopped....he disappeared and another, much bigger buck shot out of the thick stuff my spike was heading into..he flagged and shot straight up the hill. I took a breath and headed to where I put the first round into him. No blood at all. I knew I hit him and needed to look around a little. Called the wife and told her not to expect me for awhile. Went up to where I last saw him and found a hoof print with blood in it. I sat right there and looked at my watch. I would give him an hour then start trailing. Called my wife again and told her exactly where I was and not to worry. I was well supplied an could spend the night up there if I had to without too much trouble. It was then deep dark. About 7:15 a set off to follow the blood trail. Pretty steady drips and drops for about 50' . Then nothing.......I started making little circles and was getting all turned around in the dark. I knew where the road was but in the dark was real hard to tell where I shot from and couldn't see the flagging I was leaving. I called my buddy for advice. Of course he said he would be there in less than an hour but thought it would be a tough go in the dark. I was well over 4000' and it was cooling off nicely. If we could get to it early enough in the AM the meat would have a chance. We hit it right at sunrise...my buddy found more blood right away. It had turned hard left where I had lost it last night. we went another 100' or so and the trail got less and less....then nada. We circled for quite a while and glassed the oppisite canyon...grasping at straws basically. I am hopefull the deer will survive but don't have high hopes.....getting hit anywhere with a 150 grain 30-06 has got to mess you up good. There never was a massive amount of blood. Near as I can figure it I was holding way to high for the distance and might have just skinned his back but, holding off hand and standing as I was and the amount of ocotillo I was shooting through that bullet might have hit anywhere. First animal I have lost in almost 30 years of hunting. Feels crappy. I deceided that I will end my hunt. Always told myself if I lost an animal I would not feel right tagging another. I hope if the wound is fatal I hope he will nourish other animals and thus not go to total waste. If I had it to do again I would still shoot but I need to do a better job of judging the range. IF I had taken a look at him with my eyes and not only through the scope I would have realized the distance better....live and learn. Feels better writing it down.

Just curious, how many of you stay out in the field all day during a hunt and how many return to camp for lunch and a siesta. I am betting the majority of you plan for a full day in the field. I do both depending on the weather. During the hot earlier hunts I am more likely to return to camp for a mid day recharge...I have heard that coues have a mid day flurry of acivity...watering, stetching, getting a snack. I havn't really seen this for myself other than deer moving to a new bed spot when the sun hits 'em. I am sure the corrct thing is of course to stay out. You can't harvest a deer from your camp napping.

Dropped off my son's deer at WGP yesterday...very impressed...spotless shop, big, cold walk in...very nice guy and fair pricing...can't wait to pick up the venison!

That's what I was thinking, I thought those other hunters were going to blow it for you. Good job, beautiful deer!!! Credit to them....I think they had to have seen the stalk and gave us a wide birth!

I am so proud I could burst. On his three previous hunts, heartbreaks. He hadn't hunted in a while. I thought he had lost interest but asked to go with me this season... We left the truck at 4:40 AM and headed up to a nice glassing spot. I wanted to leave early as this spot has gotten a bit crowded in past years. sat in the suprising cold for about an hour as the sun came up. We sat on opposite sides of the hill to glass. Between 6 and 6:30 2 other trucks pull up next to ours at the mouth of the canyon...I grinned to myself, the early bird gets the top of the hill. About 7:30 my son calls on the radio...he had glassed up a group of 4 deer and is sure one is a buck. I get over there an set up the tripod to get the glass on 'em. A spike and a real nice 3 X. 600 yards off grazing with not a care in the world up high on the side of the canyon. There is a small drainage running up the hill they are on and a short mesquite tree I figure to be 200 to 250 yards away from them. I tell him to drop his pack, and skedattle up to that tree while I keep an eye on 'em. Off he goes with his 23 year old lungs straight up a very steep canyon wall. It works out great..the buck continues to feed right to him. He calls me and ranges it at 225. His remington .270 is sighted dead on at 225 Yards. I tell him to squeeze one into his boiler room as I watch through my binocs......I was so wired it was real hard to sit still....I wait and wait for the shot....nothing. The buck is broadside...begging for it. I call him again....he says he is shaking so bad he can't get the crosshairs on him....I am ready to pull my hair out. I say some bad words and then key the radio. In a super calm voice tell him to take a deep breath and take his time..the deer have no idea he is there an he has a lot of time. I want to scream that it is a great buck, better than any of the ones I have harvested and if he blows it I will beat him silly. More time passes an I call him again. He says he has lost the buck....I can see him clearly and point out the landmarks and he relocates him and then re ranges him...now at 200 yds.....again I am calm and say wait for the broadside shot and squeeze it off.....We are close to a 1/2 hour folks....I am sure I sprouted a few grey hairs and am sure thre will see or wind him and bolt, then as I watch my son and the Buck in the same sight picture through my binos...poof....fur flies from behind him and I hear the BOOM. Down he goes......man I was happy...He was so happy we were both close to tears. I got my 45 year old lungs up there and he waited so we could see him together. We about killed ourselves getting the buck out of there. Just over a mile to the truck. Hope you enjoy the pics....the unit was 34A near Mt Fagan. Now I have to get up in the morning to fill my tag.

I'm so tired...I posted this twice...once with the pics and once without......just look back a couple of posts......

Great area...but also very popular....get away from roads...Hog Canyon was a favorite of mine for years but has not seemed to hold the numbers lately...you access it from the Gardner Canyon road..I think it is the dirt road just after the second cattle guard...lots of places to glass.

Trying to schedule my 2009 Vacs at work. Does anyone have a clue as to when opening day will be. Or point me to someone who does.....as far as I know G and F doesn't even know yet......If not I'll just do what I usually do....put in for the whole month and cancel the days I don't need when the regs come out.

Crap...I hunted Elk there in Sept and there was talk going around the camps of several generators being stolen and gasoline cans....long way to go for the meth heads to steal stuff......

Is WGP...wild game processors??

Yea I've been going to Wilcox....