The spike that got to live another day

[Bubba85]

I had been in this unit several times over the last month as my son and nephew both shot bucks on the youth hunt and my uncle a buck on the first rifle hunt so I was pretty familiar with the area.

The first morning was some what slow my brother-in-law, my daughter and myself spent the day in the same general area my uncle had shot his buck at. We were glassing up tons of does throughout the day hoping for any legal buck as my brother in-law only had all day Friday and Saturday morning to hunt. I glasses up a small bachelor group a few ridges over through the spotting scope, a couple small fork horns and some spikes. My brother-in-law decides the juice isn’t worth the squeeze so, we keep looking a little closer to no avail. This is the story for the rest of the day and Friday evening.

Saturday morning we head out in a slightly different direction and it’s more of the same does, does and more does. About noon I take him back to camp he packs up and leaves.

I head out for the evening hunt in a different area that I hadn’t been to before, as I drive up and setup my tripod I glass up some coatimundi. A few minutes later some cow elk. I keep glassing but can’t turn up any deer. I get a call from my buddies who we’re coming up to help me the rest of the weekend, I tell them where I am and keep glassing up until dark. Last light I finally catch movement a few does and a spike. Buddies never make it up to me for the evening hunt so we meet back at camp and make a game plan for the morning. 

Sunday morning head back to the same spot I was at the evening before. It looks very promising and produces to a degree. We glass plenty of does and two spikes, I decide I don’t want to take a spike the first morning with extra help. Mid day we head out to another area and glass more deer on several different fingers more of the same does, does and more does. We head back to camp grab a few snacks and head back out for the evening hunt in a completely different area. We spent that evening watching does and elk hoping for that buck to step out and he did….

Right as the sun is setting I pan over to my right and there is a deer standing stills a board staring right at me.  After a close look I can see he is a spike. I pull out the range finder and hit him with it, 150 yards broadside. I call my buddy over and he keeps an eye on him while I grab my rifle. I set my rifle on the top of the tripod and put the cross hairs right on him. At this point I’m torn, to shoot or not to shoot.

This is a gimmie a once in a lifetime opportunity for me this never happens to me, he’s less than a 200 yards from the dirt road standing broad side at 150 yards. I go back and forth in my head and with my buddy as the spike starts to feed casually. I decided to wait and see if anything else was following behind him. It’s starting to get dark and i loose the spike. I spent the rest of the night hoping I didn’t just blow my chance at a buck as Monday was my last day to hunt. Back at camp we kick around ideas and talk about the spike that got to live another day and make a plan for the morning. 

I decide we’re heading back to the original spot where I had glasses up the bachelor group on Friday morning. When we get to the spot we start seeing deer right off the bat but you guessed it, does. I pull out the spotter and start looking back to where I saw the bachelor group, after a few minutes I pick up movement a deer steps out and  can tell immediately that he’s got antlers then another buck and another. These were definitely the biggest bucks I had seen all weekend and on the previous hunts. 
We formulate a plan one buddy stayed behind on the spotter and the other took off with me down the finger and up to the other side. The journey there was a pain in the butt cat claw, manzanita, scrub oak. We get to where we are two fingers over from the deer on the same elevation plain.  My buddy who stayed back let’s us know he could see us and that he never seen the bucks come out and should still be there in the same spot we all seen them together  

My buddy starts glassing and I pull out my range finder and start ranging different spots the average is roughly 450. I find a half way decent spot to set up my rifle on the bipod and dial it to 450.

We continue glassing for a bit when my buddy says “I got them!” I immediately jump on the rifle and chamber a round. My bipod is just a little to low I have to jump up and get my pack to raise it up a bit. I set my rifle back up on the pack. my buddy is doing a heck of a job explaining to me where the deer are, I finally get one in the scope and watch him walk into thick brush. My buddy tells me “here comes another one and he’s a lot bigger than the last one.” I can see the buck making his way up to the same spot the other deer just stepped into. The buck steps out into a little clearing, my buddy say “he’s stepping out broadside!”Boom! The recoil was just enough it through me off of the buck. The shot felt good. I chambered another round and was back looking for a follow up shot but there was no need my buddy said you rolled him! He’s down I can see him kicking! I stay in the scope for a second just to make sure he’s not going to jump back up. “He’s down, he’s not moving anymore”. My buddy tells me. 
 

I get off the rifle we high five and celebrate a little. I call my other buddy who stayed back watching from the truck and he said “you missed! “ “I saw the bucks all walk away.” WTF!? you can’t be serious the shot felt good?! I said. 
 

My buddy who was there with me when I shot eased my fears and said to me “I saw the impact he’s dead.”. “Go up there and get your buck”. I trust his word and take off with my pack and he walks me in to exactly where that buck was laying! 

When they meet me at the buck i had him gutted out already. We took some picture’s and admired him for a little. We hung him up and skinned him and quartered him out on the spot. We split up the meat between two packs and one buddy carried the gear.  That pack out was rough to say the least. 

Thank goodness for great friends. I wouldn’t have been able to kill this buck without them. 

 

[Redman]

That is a great write up! Congrats and good shooting- glad that spike lived another day and you got a great buck!! 

[Chef]

Good stuff!

Congratulations on your success.  Loved the story.

[firstcoueswas80]

Much better than a spike that's for sure. Good work!

[CouesPursuit]

Excellent buck and writing! Thanks for sharing the way you did.

[SunDevil]

Congratulations!!!

you will remember this decision the rest of your life. 

love the saying, you can’t shoot big bucks if you keep shooting little ones

[dustin25]

Nice buck and great story! Congrats man

[U.T.A.H. Camp]

Nice buck & excellent writeup. 

[Zeke-BE]

Nice write up and congrats

[Viper]

Nice buck! Good discipline to pass on the spike. 

[twistzz]

That's a dandy!!  Great story too, congrats!!

[AzRaised08]

Thanks for sharing the story, definitely takes us along for the ride! I’m glad your patience for not shooting that spike went rewarded. That is a fantastic buck, congratulations!

[GreyGhost85]

Nice job man. Thanks for sharing a story

[Bubba85]

Yeah, I was sweating a little back at camp that night. 😂 thinking dang did I just pass up the only opportunity that is going to present itself. I appreciate all the replies, you should thank trphyhntr for the write up as he was my inspiration to do so. He’s not my biggest but the story behind it makes him my favorite buck so far. 

[GreatWhiteBuffalo]

Good looking buck

Congrats