Coach

Hope it's a good one.

That is awesome! Sounds like you guys had a great time out there - beyond the hunting, things that will last you both a lifetime. A one-shot kill on a bedded buck is darn impressive too! Huge congrats to your son, and to you for having what it takes to get him out there on a great bonding experience (and hunt)!

One thing I loved growing up in Oklahoma, Thanksgiving and Christmas was always a feast of wild game. We always had lots of squirrel, rabbits, duck and some noodled catfish. Some smoked wild turkey, and peas, beats and melons out of the garden, Everyone ate well, after saying grace at the table.

I have to admit, when comparing a side by side, vs a jeep, If you work it right, you can get a lot more vehicle for your money buying a jeep. Insurance is more, but one one hand you have an actual vehicle with a strong motor, vs. a an OHV, which is kind of a toy. I've been keeping my eye out for a CJ7, toyo FJ, or a clean 87 4-Runner. I've owned and driven a lot of vehicles over the years. A good clean first generation 4Runner is about as good as they come. Yes they do lose the solid front axle, when they get EFI, but with the right rear locker, they will go anywhere.

Nice buck!!! Congrats. You did well. I liked the story too.

That's just awesome! You guys did a great job on both hunts getting your mom out there in position. And what a trooper she is, with the bad knees to get out there get it done. Huge congrats, and great job getting it all on film. Kudos to you and your family. Great job, Mom!!!

Dang, Jed. You are THE MAN. Great job on finding that awesome bull in the late hunt.

I've got a Polaris Ranger 700 ('06) and absolutely love it. If you are patient, you can find great deals on them. I picked mine up for $7500 including a really nice trailer and it had under 100 hours on it. Took a lot of looking and waiting, but those deals do show up from time to time. The only downside, as others have mentioned, is the dust. It's got a glass windshield and canvas top and that combo just sucks the dust in from the back. After a full day family outing even with goggles, bandannas, etc, we've all got dust in every crevice. If you can buy or make a back windshield, or even just put up a blanket over the back, it helps a lot. What is nice is all 5 of us can ride in it no problem, even with hunting gear. Comparing a side-by-side against a quad is apples-to-oranges. A quad will go more places, and is a lot more nimble, but they really seem to wear you out after even just one day. And when it's cold out - well, you just freeze your face and hands off.

I really like the Stoney Point Explorer. Good walking/shooting stick.

Awesome job, Clay! 4 for 4 on coues is outstanding. Great write-up too. And I agree, gutless is the only way to go.

Man, that was so fun to watch. Great job putting it together.

Great looking buck - huge congrats!

what an awesome story. Thanks for taking us along to enjoy!

May not be the most popular response, but learning maps is a key component when learning how to hunt. You have to learn topography, water, habits to finally look at the high level and make a plan. There's no shortage of people out there doing predictable and random things. The way most hunts are structured these days, you won't see many deer out on the move unless you're hunting late December or early January. Mature bucks in November don't have to travel more than a few yards for food, maybe not more than a couple hundred yards for water, which they'll usually wait until dark for. You first have to learn to think like deer. They have everything they need within steps, and they are too smart to go acting like we want them to. When it's hot, they are bedded on Northern/NE slopes and they'll stay there most of the day in the shadows. They'll get up for about 15 minutes around noon, but won't make big moves toward water until after dark. The really big ones like to hang up in a canyon where they can establish a routine. The minute they are found, and realize they are found, they move out at dark and start the whole process over again. IMO, 90% of the guys that kill 100 plus inch bucks get really lucky. That's not to take away from the 10% that outsmart those bucks. They exist, and year-after-year you see them with firends and clients, but the majority of hunters in this state, whether it's coues deer, mule deer, elk , javis...are depending on dumb luck, and whatever store-bought goodies they can take afield. Sadly, it seems less and less people focus their attention on what their own instincts tell them when they are out hunting or fishing. The want to rely on someone else to tell them what they don't know. I realize this is a condidtioned response...

If the Myan calendar doesn't sweep us all away, or a meteorite, Matt and I will be hunting 23 archery, Nick has 23 youth javi and Josh has 24A/24B javi. Matt has 3A/C youth turkey tags while his brothers have 1/27 youth tags. If all those kiddos kill out, I might get to hunt turkeys for the first time in close to a decade. Late unit 1 in May.... I want to do it with a bow, but had better bring napalm....

Way to get it done! Congrats.

Gotcoues, I have to apologize. I've read this post probably a dozen times just blown away at the success you guys have had this year. I'm so exited for you and your family and, wow, just "WOW", you can't get any better than that.

Ilene, first and foremost, I want to congratulate you on an amazing hunt. But more than that, I want to thank you for taking the time to really describe your feelings on the hunt, your expectations, your frustrations. We all dream about the day we'll finally get that coveted tag. When it finally happens, we are overcome with the combination of joy that we'll finally get to go on that kind of hunt, but it's tempered by the pressure that comes along with it. "What if I draw this amazing tag and don't live up to the expecations that come with it?" Believe me, I've been there, this year, in fact. It sounds to me you started looking at this hunt as an opportunity to really expand as a hunter. Maybe prove something, maybe break through some barriers. I, too was lucky enough to hunt North of the Canyon this year, 13B - a hunt I honestly never thought I would be lucky enough to be on. All my friends are die-hard hunters, and all wanted to have that tag. I could describe what pressure I felt to make the very most of that hunt, but from your story, it's obvious that you've already been there. It was a "numbers" game before I even got there. Not to mention, I could count on one hand (maybe one finger) the number of 170 class mule deer I had ever seen in the wild. That number would be ZERO on an actual mule deer hunt. Yet I had totally convinced myself I could go up there, pass up all the 170, 180 even 190 bucks until I found "the one".... Well, it didn't work out that way at all. 3rd day of the hunt, I shot one of, if not the biggest mule deer bucks I'd ever seen. But what do I do? I start comparing him to pictures I'd seen online. I start wondering if I was "less mature" of a hunter to have taken the shot.... "If you hunt the strip you have to kill a 180 buck at least, but should hold out for the 200+ ones that are there..." Those words echo in my mind... The more I reflect on that hunt, and all the things that made it hard, the more I realize that measuring a hunt by inches of horn is probably the worst measure of a hunt. The real measure of a hunt, in my humble opinion, is the culmination of lessons learned about yourself and the people you surround yourself with. Ilene, I commend you on an amazing buck, but I'm more impressed with your ability to express the true beauty of what hunting means. It's not about arbitrary points or measurement. It's about how the experience of something as simple as going hunting creates the opportunity to really step outside yourself, take a look and decide what you like and don't like. From there it's all yours. Thank you for this post.

I've got several pairs of binoculars and an older video camera. The camera is a sony (uses a tape), the binoculars are Nikon, Pentax, and some cheaper models we bought when the kids were younger and just wanted something around their neck. Been doing some "Spring Cleaning" but in the fall, and these will get donated along with lots of other things unless somebody wants them. I'm in Lakeside, and not looking to ship. But if you can pick them up, they're yours. I'd love to see these go to some young hunters.

Nice job boys! Way to get after those piggies.

Hey James, I would be happy to meet up with your father, and I might even have some fanny packs to add to the mix. My oldest son just took all of my old camo, lol. Shoot me a PM if you want and we can make arrangements.

Many years ago, my dad was working for the Forest Service. They would appraoch each camp and write down the vehicle license plates. They were cordial, but each camp knew if they left a mess behind, they would get a fine in the mail. As I grew up, I was in the boy scouts. Between those teachings, and everything my dad, grandparents and uncles taught, you leave the land better than you found it. The first step of any camping trip is to pick up any garbage left behind by others, and the last step is walk every inch making sure nothing is left behind.

Holy smokes!!! That buck is amazing. The frame, the mass, the kickers - absolute dream buck right there. Huge congrats to the hunter and all involved.

Sounds like you guys are doing great! I can't wait for the next report.

Great job, Brian. I was laughing out loud when Mark was telling me this story. Congrats on getting that smart buck!