SDHunter11

Amazing hunt! Congrats on two fantastic coues.

Looking to get a pair of 15x56 binocs for the upcoming season. Is the Swarovski SLC worth the extra $700, or should I go with the Kaibabs?

I thought the Kaibabs worked pretty well on my hunt, but I noticed the same things everyone has; not as clear on the edges, not too great in low light. I am a little worried about the slcs getting tight enough for my narrow eyes, but I think I am going to get the swaros. I think spending the money will pay off in the long run.

Love the droptine, congrats.

Nice ram, congrats!

When I was 13 years old, I missed a 150 yard shot on a monster buck. This buck was the largest buck my father had ever seen (he was a game warden in southern units for 20 years, so it was a big buck). I have since worked on my shooting and had many great hunts with very few misses. I have still been haunted by this miss and I was able to get a little redemption in the early dec hunt. My father and I both had left over tags and were hoping for two nice shooter bucks. We started opening morning by glassing a hill that had produced many bucks in the past. This was the same hill I missed the large buck on many years earlier. Once the morning light hit the hillside, we began to see deer. I was watching a couple of does when my dad caught my attention and indicated he had a couple of bucks. From the 15s, we watched two decent bucks feed up to a saddle. They were about 400 yds out and although I was set up prone for the shot, I was not comfortable and had not decided if they were shooters yet. Well, the deer crested the saddle and a plan of action was drawn up. I was going to hike up and around the back side of an adjacent peak to get a good view of the back side of the saddle. My father would wait to see if I pushed them back over the saddle. There were two other hunters in the area and I informed them of my stalk and suggested they may want to repositon to get in place for a shot if I sent the deer back their way. They were very understanding and said they would be on the look out. When I got up to the mountain, I very quickly found the deer and got set up for the shot. I ranged the two bucks at 390 yds and decided to shoot the front buck who seemed a little wider. (It was difficult to determine which buck was larger) The shot rang out and I saw the deer hump up. I knew I had hit him so I slowly worked my way over. On the walk over, I heard a few shots on the other side of the hill and assumed the other buck had headed over and met his demise. The grass where the buck was on the first shot was waist high and it was difficult to find blood. I found a game trail nearby, heading downhill, and followed it for awhile until I found some good blood. It was clear the buck had taken a good hit, but the job wasn't done. A few minutes later he stood up100 yards out and I put one through his neck. I honestly thought he was a little bigger, but I was very pleased with him. He died less than a 1/4 mile from my miss years earlier. It made me think he was related to the big buck and it brought me some satisfaction knowing I had come a long way since missing that deer years ago. The shots I heard over the mountain were one of the other hunters taking the second buck. The hunter with the tag was from back east and it was his first coues. We gave them a lift back to their car and got to know them a little. They were both firefighters and were very thankful for me stopping by and letting them know to get ready. The next day, my dad took this good buck less than a mile from mine. I had the joy of packing both of these guys out. My dad says I owe him from the years of him doing it for me, funny thing is I can only remember him packing one or two out for me! All in all, it was a fantastic hunt and I was able to spend some quality time with my dad in the wild. My buck scored 80 4/8. (I wish more people would put the score of bucks under 100 to help people get better at judging bucks)

It was very nice meeting you both. It was very gentleman like of you guys not to push the deer during my stalk as well, so thank you. I know it wasn't ideal seeing us pull up that morning, but I am glad it all worked out. I think I was more excited for Lance getting his first coues than i was with my deer! His excitement was contagious. I hope to run into you guys again.

The main beams on my deer were a little longer than my dads, but his had a little more mass and longer G2s. I did not score his, but they were very close, I would say not more than a point or two. The two deer could very well have been related, similar rack configuration and similar coloration on their chest. I'll see if my dad can score him soon.

Great ram and great story! I drew my tag with no points, so it happens. Keep putting in and hoping.

I was in 36b for the early December hunt, and glassed 30 deer, 6 were bucks. My dad and I scored on two decent 80ish 3x3s. (Will post a story this weekend) They are there, you just need to find them.

Congrats on a long awaited Ram!

Maybe the unit, would be nice to know where to put in! Haha

Great write up and photos as usual. I really enjoyed the moon sets and pics of Rica. You have one heck of a hunting partner there.

Congrats on an awesome ram! I had mine made into chorizo (as well as hamburger, steaks, etc.) and it was some of the best chorizo I have ever had. The hamburger can be used for all sorts of things, tacos, burgers, meatballs, chili, etc.

Congrats on a fantastic buck. I really enjoyed the write up; putting the pictures throughout made it a pleasant read.

Very nice ram. Congrats to the hunter.

Nice buck, that thing is a toad. Love all the junk coming off him.

Impressive shot! How about some more info on that set up.

A couple of nice bucks, congrats to you and your wife.

Crazy, congrats on a one of a kind buck.

Those are some daggers. Nice bucks.

That is an insane buck! Congrats.

Congrats on a beautiful buck. One point short huh, sounds like ASU. Haha.

Nice buck with nice mass! Congrats, the blisters will heal but the memories will last forever.

Thank you everyone for the recommendations. I ended up ordering the Kaibabs and I will try them out for a weekend or two. If I like them (concerned about them fitting my face) I will probably keep them for a few years and upgrade to the swaros. If I don't like the fit I will send them back and get the swaros. I hope they fit so I can sit on them for a few years and look for a deal on the swaros. I have a few other items I would like to buy this year (yeti cooler for one) and the extra $ would help me justify it to the wife!! Haha. Apparently she still remembers the cost of me sheep hunt two years ago.